Liverpool have 'top-class' secret weapon with in-form duo leading their title charge ahead of Arsenal

Liverpool’s defensive foundations have been key to their successes so far this season - with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate impressing.

All the talk has been about Arsenal in recent seasons, with William Saliba and Gabriel forming one of the best centre-back partnerships in the league and it is clear their form has carried Arsenal into being title contenders.

Yet, so far this season, Liverpool have kept five clean sheets and Konate and Van Dijk have been imperious, keeping another against Crystal Palace in the victory at the weekend. The age-old adage is that goals may win games, but a defence wins titles.

Antonio Rudiger recently hailed Van Dijk as ‘one of the best’ centre-backs in the world on a podcast, but also cited the Arsenal pairing as two of the top defenders. “He [Van Dijk] had times when people doubted him and stuff like this. But he’s doing so well after a big injury that can change careers,” Rudiger told The Inside Scoop. “People also said he’s done, but he’s not done and he’s a top-class defender. Definitely, in the last couple of years, [Van Dijk is] one of the best centre-backs.

"Saliba, and I really like Gabriel from Arsenal as well. You just have to look at Arsenal and see how these two centre-backs have been performing together for the past two years—it's been fantastic. Their presence has been pivotal in transforming Arsenal from what it once was. Gabriel is that more aggressive leader, while Saliba plays with such precision. He’s almost like a silent leader on the pitch, but you have to give credit where it’s due."

In terms of comparisons for their performances this season on an individual level, Van Dijk and Konate are currently operating at a higher level. Seven games is a small sample size but it just backs up the fact that the Liverpool duo have been brilliant and perhaps deserve more praise.

For example, both Van Dijk and Konate have superior figures aerially (73% and 86%) total duels won (66% and 75%) tackles won (68% and 75%) and ball recoveries (3.1 and 3.3 p90). The Frenchman has also not been dribbled past but he is the only one out of the four to make an error leading to a goal which came against Wolves.

There are other factors that include Arsenal’s defensive setup is far different to Liverpool’s, especially with the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White at full-back compared to Slot’s more traditional flying full-backs. And yet, Liverpool have the lowest expected goals against figure in the league with 5.1 ahead of Aston Villa (6.7) and Arsenal (7.2) which is a statistic that, if they can maintain, could see them triumph in a title race.