By Wanga Charma
After a slow start to the season under new manager Andoni Iraola, Liverpool have hit another gear and won their last four games in a row.
In that, Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz are all beginning to prove their worth in pounds and goals.
They are still a notch below league leaders Manchester City, but if the Reds can continue to develop and acclimatise under Iraola, the Kop may have lots to cheer for this season.
Point to prove
Liverpool have notoriously been one of the more frugal clubs in the transfer market over the past decade, particularly under JĂŒrgen Klopp.
In just two summers, however, they have completely flipped that narrative and spent a ridiculous ÂŁ400 million on their squad.
The return has been less than inspiring and resulted in a fifth-place finish last season, not to mention the sacking of Arne Slot as Liverpool manager.
Iraola was brought in and further reinforcements were added â yet, results continued to be mixed.
Three draws in their opening four league games meant that by mid-September Liverpool had picked up only six of a possible 12 points.
They were in need of an early miracle to save their season.
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Wirtz is arguably the Liverpool player who needed to step up and prove himself the most.
Amid a forgettable debut season at Anfield and a meagre start to this campaign, there were flashes of brilliance, but never the sustained excellence everyone expected.
His turning point came during the first international break.
After former Reds manager Klopp was appointed German national team coach, Wirtz had his first stunning display of the season as he bagged a goal against Serbia.
Since then, he has been a man possessed â bar the Man City performance, he has been fantastic.
His energy and ability on the ball elevates the entire Liverpool squad and provides ample space and opportunity for his attackers to succeed.
One of the players who has fed off of the Wirtz resurgence has been Isak.
Similar to Wirtz, he had a lot to prove, but seven goal contributions in his first 10 games indicate that we may finally be seeing the best of âAlexander the Greatâ.
At the same time, the latest additions to the squad in JĂ©rĂ©my Jacquet, Ronald AraĂșjo and Barcola have all taken like ducks to water.
Jacquet plays like a veteran and looks like the second coming of the recently departed Ibrahima Konaté despite being only 21 years old.
The French international has enjoyed a strong start to the season, and while his form has dipped of late, his latent potential is terrifying and a yearâs worth of experience next to captain Virgil van Dijk will only make him better.
Continuing with the defence, AraĂșjo has looked like a reverse-engineered Darwin NĂșñez.
Playing on the right flank, the Uruguayan has brought an aggression and reckless abandon that has absolutely invigorated the backline.
Surprisingly, heâs played his best on the Champions League stage by contributing two goals and an assist.
Even though heâs only on loan from Barcelona, AraĂșjo has a lot of Liverpool fans falling in love with his play â and hoping that he may stay in red next year.
Last but certainly not least, former PSG winger Barcola arrived from the French capital on the final day of the transfer window and, in just two months, has more than repaid his ÂŁ123 million price tag.
He started off with a couple of games as a substitute, but a hat-trick against LASK in the Champions League and assists against both Brentford and Brighton beg the question â have Liverpool already found their Mohamed Salah replacement?
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Iraolaâs way forward
Recent successes can be largely attributed to the players, but huge credit also has to go to Iraola, who has incorporated an intense vertical style of play akin to the famous Klopp gegenpress.
And while it took some time for the vision and philosophy to take shape, itâs finally all coming together.
Iraola and his men cannot rest on their laurels or be satisfied with this recent uptick in form, though.
Liverpool have a tough run of games coming up, including a couple of derbies, a clash against Premier League champions Arsenal and a match-up with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
It is time for the Reds to show how good they can be.
Even infamous Manchester United fans like Mark Goldbridge acknowledge that âtheyâre starting to bed in nowâ, so letâs see if this spark can turn into a flame that can set Europe alight.
