Whereas the midfield rebuild has dominated discussions round Liverpool’s summer season switch enterprise thus far, the shortage of defensive reinforcements is a significant trigger for concern.
With subsequent week’s switch deadline looming massive, it’s honest to say that Liverpool nonetheless have some vital work to do if this window is to be thought of an total success.
Regardless of the shock signing of Wataru Endo from Stuttgart final week, there stays an apparent want for yet one more excessive calibre midfielder, ideally of a youthful age – whether or not it’s a specialist quantity six or a extra versatile, multi-functional kind.
It stays to be seen whether or not Liverpool make a transfer for one of many perpetually linked targets comparable to Cheick Doucoure, Ryan Gravenberch, Khephren Thuram or Manu Kone, or maybe one other title that emerges completely out of the blue.
Nevertheless it does appear as if Liverpool are not less than nonetheless contemplating their choices on this regard.
By full distinction, there isn’t any indication, at current, that Liverpool are actively pursuing a centre-back signing.
Given the notable absence of credible hyperlinks to defenders all through the window, aside from the transient strategies of curiosity in Levi Colwill – a deal that by no means appeared remotely on the playing cards – it appears more and more doubtless that Liverpool can be urgent forward with their current defensive choices.
If that is still the case, it’s an infinite threat to take, leaving Liverpool dangerously reliant on the provision of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, which is under no circumstances assured.
Strolling an pointless tightrope
Presuming that Jurgen Klopp is dedicated to the ‘field midfield’ system, which all of the indicators all through pre-season and within the opening two video games actually level in direction of, then the presence of Konate is totally integral to creating it work.
He’s the one participant within the squad with the mix of velocity, physicality and positional sense to successfully cowl such an infinite quantity of floor in that right-hand channel – and as sensible as he’s, it’s an especially powerful process even for him at instances.
Though Joe Gomez would possibly’ve been completely suited to that position up to now, it’s troublesome to establish what his true degree is as of late, and the unconvincing nature of his performances at instances final season means that accidents have taken a substantial toll.
He could be ok to fill in often in opposition to sure ranges of opposition, however it’d be a priority if Liverpool all of a sudden needed to rely on him for a chronic time period.
Likewise, Joel Matip’s ranges have declined fairly dramatically, and the gulf in school between him and Van Dijk is far bigger than it as soon as was.
A system inhibiting Robertson
Even placing apart questions round Gomez and Matip’s capability to carry out on the required degree, there’s additionally the difficulty round whether or not you possibly can truly rely on them to be obtainable once you want them to be, given their susceptibility to harm (each gamers have missed greater than 40 video games by means of harm since 2019/20).
You might make an analogous argument in regards to the drop off from Andy Robertson to Kostas Tsimikas as effectively, however neither participant appears a very comfy slot in that left-sided centre-back position, which requires rather more positional self-discipline versus continuously bombing up and down the wing like a typical full-back.
Robertson is actually ok to do an affordable job there in sure matches (as he did within the 3-1 win in opposition to Bournemouth), however it’s a place which inhibits lots of his best qualities and tends to reveal the weaker components of his recreation.
In a perfect world, Liverpool would’ve signed a left-footed centre-back this summer season – not essentially to completely displace Robertson, however to offer a extra pure, defensively minded different, just like what Pep Guardiola has accomplished at Man Metropolis with Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and, most not too long ago, Josko Gvardiol.
By selecting to not bolster their choices, it feels as if Liverpool are leaving themselves in an unnecessarily fragile scenario on the again, which they’ve accomplished earlier than within the latest previous and suffered closely from because of this.
A difficulty a number of years within the making
One of many peculiar points of Liverpool’s switch exercise in recent times is that they’ve accomplished an immaculate job of replenishing the attacking division and planning for the longer term by bringing in Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo over 5 switch home windows.
By doing issues steadily and letting the likes of Divock Origi, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino transfer on on the proper time, the evolution of Klopp’s ahead choices has been fairly seamless.
It’s been a very totally different story with the midfield, which had been left to stagnate for much too lengthy, straight contributing to final season’s failure to safe Champions League qualification and resulting in this summer season’s overhaul, with 5 main departures and three arrivals thus far.
The scenario with the defence hasn’t been mismanaged to fairly the identical diploma, however once you boil it down, the one vital centre-back signing within the final 5 years has been Konate (the one others being Sepp van den Berg, Ben Davies, and Ozan Kabak on mortgage).
As excellent as Konate has been, his optimistic influence alone doesn’t masks the truth that Liverpool haven’t invested sufficiently on this a part of the squad for fairly a while now.
It actually must have been a precedence on day one among this summer season switch window, with a complete listing of targets drawn up in order that if the primary selection didn’t work out, contingency plans had been put in place.
Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio, for example, appeared a perfect selection with a really beneficial launch clause (£42.9m) earlier than not too long ago signing a brand new contract, whereas Marc Guehi and Armel Bella-Kotchap would tick numerous containers if Liverpool had been to go down the route of pursuing a younger, excessive potential centre-back with Premier League expertise.
For no matter purpose, although, Liverpool seem to have been content material to kick this explicit can down the highway as soon as extra moderately than transfer proactively to strengthen their defensive choices each for the brand new season and for years to return.
It’s too early to say what impact that call will finally have on Liverpool’s fortunes in 2023/24, but when nothing modifications within the subsequent few days, it might hardly be a significant shock if it proves to be a pricey error within the months forward.
For a squad blessed with such an array of riches, it might be an infinite disgrace to limit the probabilities of success by leaving a few key positions understocked but once more.
