One game, seven goals, no glasses and a whole lot of running.
Sadio Mané lighting the place up, Philippe Coutinho on bloody fire and last year’s runners up cast aside like limp rag dolls.
As starts to a season go, it doesn’t get much more heavy metal than this. It doesn’t get much more Jurgen Klopp than this.
Liverpool ran through Arsenal for a shortcut at the Emirates on Sunday as their German manager got his first full season at the club underway in impressive fashion. And, after his first summer transfer window at Anfield, the only remnants remaining of the old Liverpool (not the old, old Liverpool) come in the shape of Alberto bloody Moreno.
And maybe Simon Mignolet.
Klopp has built his team now and he has them trained and conditioned to what must be some of the highest standards in Europe.
You see, whilst Arsenal were out spending their transfer money on new social media gurus, Liverpool were getting ready for the campaign ahead. Liverpool were running.
Arsenal's embarrassing hashtag for Liverpool's fourth goal angered just about everyone https://t.co/jq3zVQrZq7 #AFC
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 14, 2016
My, how it showed. Their stats backed up the performance. Their performance backed up the result.
Mostly though, their stats helped.
During Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Gunners, Klopp’s side recorded the highest distance run by any Liverpool team in Premier League history.
The players covered a distance of 117.6km between them.
No ‘Pool side has matched that since the inception of camera tracking.
And that’s just after one game.
Record distance covered in an #EPL match under Klopp that was
— SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) August 14, 2016
Apologies but I can't read Si's tweets correctly. 117.6km is a new high for #LFC in the #EPL . Highest EPL recorded figure is 121.2km
— Conor Bradley Fan Account (@DanKennett) August 14, 2016
The old tale goes that Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund team used to target 120km every game. Every game.
If they achieved that, it was said that the manager would give them the day off training. But someone in the Liverpool ranks is slacking – they’re still 2.4km off that feat.
After one match though, that’s pretty impressive. After one match, it’s pretty scary.
Maybe this gegenpress nonsense really does have some substance to it.
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