Liverpool has had a steady start to the season so far in the Premier League, but that will be truly challenged in the coming week with a huge match on the horizon

We are seven games into the Premier League season now, and early conclusions are being drawn about the level at which every team may be operating in the months ahead, with the table starting to take shape.

For Liverpool, the opening weeks have once again demonstrated that this is a team in transition, with a new coach still trying to find the right pieces to put in place for better consistency in performances and results.

There have been improvements, most notably defensively, with a backline that looks far more settled than at most points last season.

With eight goals conceded in seven matches, three of which came with ten men against Manchester City, only six teams have conceded fewer at this point, with that defensive solidity coming as one of the key changes of the Iraola era.

That will be tested in the coming weeks, however, with some of the toughest challenges yet coming up in the Premier League, which will truly show where Liverpool stands against the teams around it.

That all starts with a clash against Brighton in the Premier League next weekend, with the high-flying Seagulls sitting comfortably in the top four and seemingly making themselves one of the form teams in the division.

Fabian Hurzeler's side has scored 23 goals in the opening seven matches of the campaign, which is comfortably more than any other team in the division. Manchester City, which tops the league with a perfect record, has scored four fewer goals, while there is a huge 14-goal difference between the Reds and their upcoming rivals.

What makes the prospect of facing Brighton all the more challenging is the fact that the team is doing all of this without their best forward players, Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh.

It shows where the biggest test of Iraola's defensive improvements will be, with the thrashing from Man City tainted by having one player fewer when the side scored three.

The fixture also sets up the week that Liverpool is likely to have after, with an EFL Cup clash with Chelsea in midweek, with the Blues having found some scoring form, while current champions Arsenal then follow in the Premier League.

If there were ever a run of games that would test Liverpool's defensive capabilities, it would be those three games. That is, before getting into the areas that need improvement.

That particularly surrounds the attacking ranks, with both Brighton and Chelsea showing the Reds they still need to click in the forward areas to score some more important goals.

That could come with time, while the three upcoming matches may offer a different dynamic that could create more space for those key forward players.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will be able to get through those matches while moving in a positive direction, with the next few weeks setting up an important run for Iraola's early tenure.