Jurgen Klopp given stark reminder of who Liverpool need to sign in the transfer window

Jurgen Klopp played down the fact that Liverpool shipped four goals to second-tier opposition.

The recent schedule that he called exhausting was the mitigating factor behind the frantic 4-4 draw against Greuther Furth.

The opening 45 minutes couldn't have gone much better for the Reds bar not augmenting their tally. Luis Diaz scored the only goal yet home goalkeeper Jonas Urbig should have picked the ball out of his net more than on the solitary occasion. Diaz forced a decent save out of Urbig, Diogo Jota spurned a one-v-one and also hit the post while Ben Doak also went close on two occasions.

To Liverpool's credit, their forward players were scarcely toothless in the second period. They continued to torment Furth, with Darwin Nunez firing a double and Mo Salah notching.

Yet those of Liverpool persuasion watching likely wouldn't have exactly been mesmerised by what was happening at the other end of the pitch after the interval. Alisson Becker didn't have a save to make in the opening 45 minutes. Clutching one cross was as much in the way of goalmouth action as he saw.

However, Adrian, who replaced Alisson in goal, would concede three times. One was his own fault because of a poor pass to youngster James McConnell. Marcelo Pitaluga, who come on for the final 15 minutes, also could not keep a clean sheet.

Granted, Liverpool had their second-string defence out. But it was hardly like it was a rearguard made up of four under-21 players. Jarrell Quansah was the only youngster involved and was partnered by Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas.

"It wasn't a good look in the second half," former Reds defender Jason McAteer said in the LFC TV studio. "I know we finished the game 4-4 but there were some bad moments, certainly defending when we looked all over the place and shouldn't be conceding the likes of the goals that we did."

The transfer talk for the past week or so has been dominated by the midfield - as it has all summer. Jurgen Klopp must have thought chitter-chatter about his engine room would be quashed after signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £90 million. But with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho attracting bids from Saudi Arabia clubs Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad respectively, the subject of the middle of the park has again dominated.

However, Klopp may have got a reminder, if he needed one, that it's not just midfield that he may need to improve before the transfer window closes.

When speaking about his summer plans towards the end of last season, the Anfield supremo was asked candidly if a defender was on his shopping list. It brought out one of his gregarious, trademark chortles before delivering his answer.

"We look in all departments apart from goalkeeper at the moment," said Klopp. "Yes, if there is a good one (defender) out there, I would not deny it. That's all. We look at all areas of the pitch, definitely."

Virgil van Dijk looks set to take over the captaincy from Henderson. He's started the opening two friendlies of the summer alongside Ibrahima Konate. Plenty would agree that is Liverpool's best defensive duo, although van Dijk came under scrutiny last campaign. Konate's injury record is also a concern.

What's more, Matip is now approaching the age of 32 while Gomez has never got back to the sort of levels that made him a regular in the 2019-20 Premier League-winning season since he recovered from a serious knee injury. Nat Phillips, meanwhile, is fifth choice but hasn't played at all so far this summer. He will likely depart if a suitable offer comes in.

Liverpool ideally covet a young, left-footed defender. Several names have been linked but look unlikely. In truth, it's hard to see Chelsea parting ways with Levi Colwill. The Reds are admirers but recently-appointed Stamford Bridge boss Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out an exit.

In addition, Micky van de Ven, who sporting director Jorg Schmadtke knows all about from his time at Wolfsburg, has reportedly agreed personal terms with Tottenham Hotspur. There will undoubtedly be a few other targets pencilled in who Liverpool could turn to. Recruiting a defensive midfielder will be a priority yet the Furth performance only reaffirmed that bringing in a new defender is another necessity.