Van Dijk

Liverpool experienced some turbulent times in the early part of the season due to unfortunate injuries and missed opportunities in the league that put them in a tough spot looking up at City in first place, but the Champions League was quite the bright spot in the Reds’ season to date. Jurgen’s boys took...

Alisson Becker - 7.5 Back after international duty, and a good stop early on from Maddison. Was fairly routine after that till the break. Rarely called into action in the second break, but was in command throughout. Trent Alexander Arnold - 7.5 A little loose with a pass early on presented a chance for Maddison, but recovered...

Caoimhin Kelleher - 7.0 A good first half, with lots of possession against Arsenals press. Solid composure under pressure, and another good outing. Trent Alexander Arnold - 9.0 A great moment for the opening goal, and the playmaker is looking imperious on the ball. Gave good solidity at the back, and tracked runners well. Kept sliding into...

Alisson Becker - 8.0 Some important stops allowed Liverpool to avoid any issues. The most important goalkeeper in Liverpool’s Premier League era, and irreplaceable in this side. Trent Alexander Arnold - 8.0 So impressive in his game. The elegance and natural ability he has is unmatched by any other attacking fullback. Another assist for this sensational talent,...

The centre-back situation  Last season, Liverpool had no centre-backs. Now, the Reds allegedly have too many.  According to a report, albeit not the most reliable ones, Joe Gomez isn’t happy with his situation at Anfield. The 24-year-old is yet to start in the Premier League this term and the majority of his minutes have arrived in...

What a difference a few months make. The majority of last season saw Liverpool’s central defenders fall away, in an horrific series of season ending injuries. Once Dejan Lovren and Ki-Jana Hoever were sold last summer, it was predictable that the failure to recruit, in defence, would come back to bite the reds. That...

Ibrahima Konate has made just two starts for Liverpool following his £36million transfer from RB Leipzig this summer.  The first arrived in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League and then he was included in the starting XI for the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City. It has now been close...

Centre-back partnerships can offer sublime foundations and turn teams into serial winners. Alessandro Costacurta and Franco Baresi jump to the front of that formidable list, as a partnership that allowed the rest of the side to dominate literally everyone. In the modern game (especially within the Premier League), the ferocity of play and sheer culmination...

Under the Roy Evans regime, Neil Ruddock, John Scales, Phil Babb & Mark Wright were the options in defence. They were the central defenders in the mid nineties that saw a period of great attacking football from the reds. The likes of Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman were part of an exciting line up...

Earlier on in pre-season, Liverpool journalists claimed Ibrahima Konate was likely going to start the season alongside Joel Matip in defence. It was something of a surprise to see Virgil van Dijk named alongside the former Schalke man in the starting XI against Norwich City on Saturday. He'd come through the friendlies unscathed but it...