Jurgen Klopp might have reached two finals and finished in the top four in his two years in Liverpool yet one thing appears to be dragging him to the mud and that is defensive frailty. While it is easy to lay all blame on Lovren who has been abysmal since Klopp's appointment one thing that should be noted is that the German has not helped his team due to his inability to field a recognised defensive midfielder who can shield the defence. A player is only as good as his team mates they say, hence the reason the likes defenders who play behind of Victor Wanyama, Nemanja Matic and Ngolo Kante who interrupt passes, make hard tackles and disposess attackers appear better than their mates in other clubs .
With his emphasis on massive attack massive defence, there has been little or no man to man marking even in set-piece situations which leaves out space for opponents. Accepted Lovren isn't the best defender available yet this has been a reoccurring problem all through his time in Liverpool with the likes of Nathan Clyne, Kolo Toure, Martin Shktel , Alberto Moreno, Joel Matip and Klaven all deemed not good enough at one point or the other . The same problem plaguing the Merseyside club this season has always plagued them since the German's appointment in 2015. The only difference last season is that the attack papered the cracks with the likes of Sadio Mane and Philipe Coutinho (13 goals each), Firmino (11), James Milner and Adam Lallana (eight each). What this entails is that while Liverpool continued to concede goals at an alarming rate they outscored their opponents.
This season Mane and Coutinho have suffered with injury and suspension, Lallana is still out and yet to lace his boots and Roberto Firmino is out of form with only Mohammed Salah their only hope in attack. With so much emphasis on intensity and use of wings , the right and left backs bump forward recklessly leaving the centre backs exposed while the duo of Henderson and Emre Can do not possess the stamina to burst up and down to disposess opponents or the ability to tackle and win back the ball without conceding a foul , something mastered by both Wanyama and Kante. Even Spurs despite having the best central defence play with two holding midfielders in Wanyama and Erik Deir or Moussa Dembele which allowed the likes of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to play high up the pitch last season . Once known as a defensive liability Chelsea's David Luiz have turned the corner ending last season as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League due to Conte's style of play which makes Luiz the third central defender coupled with the protection offered by Matic and Kante.
Pep Guardiola might have been successful in playing without a recognised defensive midfielder yet one cannot argue his team is a disaster at the back and only win games due to the quality of their attack (Sergio Aguero, Jesus Gabriel, Kelvin De Bruyne, Sterling Raheem and David Silva to mention a few). Rather than sign a recognised defensive midfielder, to allow either Henderson, Can, Lallana or Wjinaldum go further up, Klopp has continued to try and make matters worse for himself. Even Jose Mourinho had to pay more than £40m to sign 29 year old Matic from Chelsea so as to reduce the pressure on his defenders and help Pogba concentrate in attacking opponents in this season.
Lovren might not best in his position but he was sure better while in Southampton when he had Wanyama ahead of him to protect him . To illustrate further , Matip who was dependable for Schalke has lost some form as well. Lying 14th in the table and 12 points behind leaders Manchester City, top four is Klopp's best bet for now. Time to Change is now.
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