Whilst all of the headlines for Liverpool on Friday were centered around Alexander Isak's brace, Cody Gakpo's pair of assists, and the first appearance of new signing Bradley Barcola in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town, defender Ronald Araújo also staked his claim to Andoni Iraola in the win.
Araújo joined the Reds from Barcelona on a season long loan with an option to buy for roughly €55 million after this season and brings much needed grit and experience to what was a flailing Liverpool backline last season.
The Uruguayan has featured in all three of his side's matches so far this season, but Friday's win over Ipswich was the first time he started alongside Virgil van Dijk and fellow new signing Jérémy Jacquet. At first glance of Iraola's starting eleven for the occasion, there were question marks as to why he was starting with three center backs, but with Araújo utilized on the right shoulder behind Gakpo, it clearly worked.
Making A Good Impression
While Jacquet is the man that's consistently started alongside van Dijk so far this season at the heart of defense, Araújo is reportedly making very solid impressions at Liverpool. His appearances have reassured the club's leadership that they made the right move in bringing him in on loan from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
The club's hierarchy really liked Araújo's full profile with his leadership and tactical versatility to play as both a center back, or a right back, as was the case Friday night at Portman Road. It's not to say that the club has completely given up on Jeremie Frimpong being the club's go-to right back.
That said, on the evidence of last season, it's clear that it hadn't been working and the amount of times Arne Slot had to rely on Dominik Szoboszlai to play there was concerning. Of course, that wasn't made any easier with Connor Bradley's season-ending injury last January.
The Numbers From The Ipswich Town Win
Araújo's numbers from the win at Ipswich paint a promising picture for Liverpool. The Uruguayan international won 9 of the 10 duels he was involved in, which was the most of any player on the pitch on the night. In addition to winning 90% of his challenges, he won all 6 of the aerial duels he was involved in and was the joint-top player of the match for clearances with 7.
He's still only clocked a total of 125 minutes from his three appearances so far this season, so there's still a lot left to be desired for Araújo, but he's a player that's seemingly up to meeting the weight of expectation. He'll have been well aware of Liverpool's defensive problems last season and known that he was brought in as a piece to help solve that puzzle because conceding 53 goals in the league last season was far from good enough and a far cry from Liverpool's standards.
One clean sheet from three is a step in the right direction for Liverpool, but it will be interesting to see if Iraola chooses to start Araújo in the Champions League midweek against Atlético Madrid, an opponent the Uruguayan knows all too well from his time in La Liga.
