Former Chelsea winger-turned-television pundit Joe Cole has heaped praise on three Liverpool players following their 2-0 win against Ipswich Town on Saturday (August 17). The former England hailed the front three Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz for stepping up their game in the second half.
Arne Slot has become the first Liverpool manager in this century to win his first Premier League game. However, the Reds did not enjoy the best first half as Ipswich caused them plenty of problems.
The Merseyside giants picked up their game in the second half as Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah found the back of the net. The scoreline could have easily been bigger if not for the Reds’ poor finishing.
Following the game, Joe Cole credited Liverpool’s front three for stepping up in the second half. He insisted that the trio of Diaz, Jota and Salah made intelligent movements that allowed players like Alexis Mac Allister and Trent Alexander-Arnold to stamp their authority on the game.
Cole told TNT Sports:
“I think those three, Jota, Salah and Diaz, started making those reverse movements and started asking more questions of the Ipswich back four. Running in behind, that in turn allowed Mac Allister to get on the ball, Trent, allowed Liverpool to get on the ball and more control.”
Arne Slot should be happy to get off to a winning start to his tenure at Anfield and his side completely outplaying Ipswich in the second half. The Merseyside giants had 62 percent possession of the ball and attempted 18 shots with five of them being on target.
Liverpool interested in Ligue 1 full-back as Arne Slot looks to bolster his squad: Reports
Liverpool have reportedly registered their interest in Stade Rennais full-back Adrien Truffert, with Arne Slot looking to bolster his squad. The Reds are yet to make a single addition to their squad during the summer causing frustration for the fans.
As per French outlet L’Equipe, they are strongly monitoring the situation of highly-rated Rennes left-back Truffert. However, they face competition from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest.
Truffert came through the esteemed youth ranks of Rennes and has been a key player for the club since his breakthrough in 2020. He has already made 156 appearances for the club, contributing six goals and 21 assists.
The defender has been capped once for the France senior team and was a part of the squad that won silver in the recently concluded Olympics. A bombarding full-back with exceptional crossing ability, he could be a solid long-term replacement for Andrew Robertson and an upgrade on Kostas Tsimikas.
