Football News: Review of the Current Liverpool FC Goalkeepers and Defence 9 May 2018

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I wanted to share my own review of the current Liverpool FC Goalkeepers and defence. Of course this is just my opinion, and I expect some may disagree.

I truly believe we are on the verge of something great. In recent times, as Liverpool fans, we have become accustomed to false dawns, but right now it feels so close. The big difference in our rise this year is the steady improvement over the last 3 years, it is not a sudden spike which could die away. In my opinion it has not come from changing the way we play, it is the players in the system who are better and have become accustomed to it.

Players who didn't suit the system have been replaced, and every new player we add looks like they fit perfectly or have a role to play. That is why I think this window is so important again for our long wait for a league title. The drop in our game when a few players from the first team are missing is staggering. It is why good players like Sturridge, Clyne, Ings (maybe Origi) and youngsters like Woodburn, Wilson, Grujic, Ejari may not be part of the plans for the future. (the youngsters will hopefully prove otherwise)

Keepers:

Karius - I am convinced he should be our first choice keeper and is much better than he sometimes get credit for, I have said this since he was bought in and even after he was dropped last season. I think his greatest attribute is the 1 v 1 duels (he has some mistakes with penalty shouts recently, but all keepers are second best when a striker is running through on goal), his kicking is improving, catching is good, punching needs some work but it will improve over time. He is a confident young player and I would much rather let him make this position his own, than spend a crazy amount for a keeper who will still struggle with the pressure GK are put under in this league.

Mignolet - It should not be forgotten how big a part he played in our top 4 push last year, but sadly in his long time here has not shown enough to say he will go to the next level or he has that in him. He has too many weaknesses in his game and doesn't give confidence to the team, defenders or fans. Instead he encourages the opposition. Needs to be sold.

Ward - I would ideally love him to be backup to Karius, it would leave us with 2 young relatively inexperienced keepers. However both seem eager to learn and fight for the shirt, and I can see them becoming great keepers. I would play him in cups and the earlier stages of the Champions League. It is down to the player if that is enough for his aspirations. If not we should allow him to leave, we have already wasted a year of his career.

If Mignolet and Ward leave I would spend a decent amount on a good backup/ rotation keeper. Otherwise with Ward backup buy an older and experienced keeper as 3rd choice.

Defence:

Trent - Many discussions on this player and his eventual position. I personally would love him to play his career at RB. Based on his current rate of progression it would give us a chance to have one of the best RB in the world for a long time. I look at Lahm who like Trent was too good to play at RB but spent most of his career in this position. With the way we play there is no doubt he can still use his talent to affect games. I have no problem in later years to give him games in midfield if necessary to the team. But I want to solidify the RB position for years to come and Trent could do that.

Clyne - He really could have been a good player, however what he had shown at Southampton has not been replicated. It is not about ability because he is perfectly suited for the position, however in his time at Liverpool he has shown a big lack of awareness and creativity. The fullbacks in our system receive the ball, and with Salah floating around in central areas we need a RB who can play as a winger when required. Clyne just hasn't shown that for me, quick passes into dangerous areas is not in his game. He should be sold.

Gomes - I really like Gomes, the only thing imo which puts him behind Trent is a lack of passion. He has all the ability but plays without the aggression I want to see when defending or attacking. Currently I do not think he is good enough to be our RB, as he does not offer enough on the ball (he is capable of it just not his natural game) . He is also not ready to be a CB, not unless we change to a 3 CB system which will affect the whole team. I know people are against loans but if we could find a club where he could be first choice CB for a season, and therefore play against different types of strikers. It may bring a level of consistency to his game, which he will never get playing as a reserve CB or RB, it's the only way I see to turn the promise he shows into a first choice CB.

Robertson - I can honestly say I could never see him reaching this level. As much as some try to claim otherwise I don't think anyone predicted it, not the Hull fans and not even Klopp. To say he struggled at the start would not be fair to him, however in the first few games while showing signs of promise he was not great, when you also considered Klopp leaving him out of the side for so long, we all thought our doubts were justified. But with each game leading up to and after the Man City game he has become a huge fan favourite in the team. His attitude, aggression, passion just epitomises everything I want in a Liverpool player, when you add his ability to that it makes all our doubts look stupid.

He almost looks the complete player defensively and in attack. I find myself congratulating something he does in every game. There was a moment near the end of one game where the whole team was under pressure of an attack, the ball fell to him, most players would kick the ball as far as they can out of play but he took one look up and played a perfect pass into the middle of the park straight to a player in space, who turned and started an attack. Sounds simple, but for so many years we have had players who crumble under little pressure and it is so refreshing to see. I could go on for a long time but I think he has rightly got the plaudits this season and long may it continue.

Moreno - I am on the fence with him but not really. I love him as a member of the team, he has the right passion attitude and skill level to play for Liverpool. However defensively the lunging tackles and being caught with a little dummy from the winger is causing too many problems to the team. We cannot carry a player in the team, as it affects everyone. It looks like he may be kept on but I would ideally want a refresh in this position with Moreno finally making way.

Maybe I am being too optimistic for one window, but I would love 2 players who are relatively older and experienced to rotate with Robertson and Trent, to allow them both the space to fulfil their potential. After which we can experiment with players from the academy as backups. This will make these 2 important positions solid for a long time.

VVD - He gets a lot of praise and I think rightly so, some people try to use any goal we concede to say he is not that great. As if his price tag means we should never concede a goal or make a defensive error. What he brings to this team and the defence cannot be understated. He never gets bullied, the ball is like a magnet to him and the amount of headed clearances in the box every game is so good to watch. If the ball is there to win he will win it. He is calm on the ball and what pleases me is knowing that players/ strikers are scared of facing him. For too long teams have come up against Liverpool thinking I could cause their defence a problem. Take Rodriguez for West Brom, he is the type of player who would cause mayhem in the past and even this year with our other CB, but VVD made him look insignificant. He is everything we paid the money for, a leader and a big player for our future.

The one weakness in his game, which we were aware of before he joined, is that he can be prone to a positional error. It concerns me how at times he can be out of position and not race to get back when we lose possession. Even though he has plenty of passion and qualities I would not have him as my captain, as some have suggested. I actually think he would benefit from a strong vocal defender next to him who will push him and ensure he keeps his concentration in every game.

Matip - When he first came in after the season in the Bundesliga where he was rated as the second best CB with Hummels, I was expecting great things. His first few performances were very positive and I had a very high opinion of him, he made so many clearances and no mistakes, calm on the ball and passing it out with comfort and accuracy. I really thought he was the real deal, but he has regressed since then. His positioning as a CB is the worst from all of the players we have there, and his lack of pace and desire means he never recovers to be in the right position.

This causes panic and leaves his CB partner alone in the box, increasing the chances of a mistake and making them look worse. I have noticed a few occasions this seasons where we have conceded a poor goal and Matip is out of the picture just watching it happen. I would love for Klopp to coach him to get that into his game, but the lack of desire he can show on the pitch goes against what we want at Liverpool and makes me think he should be sold.

Lovren - Different to Matip in that he plays with his heart on his sleeve, when given time and asked to make a decision he comes short. But as a CB to just defend the box he is the best partner for VVD. I don't think he can be first choice but I do think we should keep him as a good option.

Klavan - A good utility player, who surpassed his initial role to be a backup. He is always committed in his game but he is not at the top level we require. He is still good enough to be backup so again I would keep him.

I think we need a really good CB who is going to be VVD's partner for years to come. Someone at his level to balance our defence and make it our strongest position and a solid foundation to build on for the first time in years.

The big issue with our defence was the number of chances we gave away, every team will concede a goal/ chance. If you were making it simple you would say 1 in 10 chances conceded will lead to a goal, the issue was we would give the opposition 10 or more chances every game, and because of the bad defenders we had, the chances we gave away were very good chances which led to 3 or 4 out of every 10 chances leading to a goal. The change has come because the number of chances we allow the opposition has reduced considerably. If we still take the 1 out of 10 chances and spread it to 2 or 3 games it leads to a much better defensive record. When you add the better defence and keeper to that we can reduce it even further. Of course real football does not follow that but I believe the idea is not too far away from the truth.

This is the options I want to go ahead with for next season to give us a chance to actually compete in more than one competition at a good level.

Karius
TAA - VVD - CB - Robertson

Ward
RB - Lovren - Klavan - LB

That is a turnaround of 7 players in just the defence and very unlikely to happen but in an ideal world that is what I would want to see. I am not going to get into what players I want in those positions for various reasons. One of them being I am for the first time in years relatively confident in the recruitment team and Klopp to find the right players.

Written by Reus May 09 2018 18:35:04