Liverpool’s £118m quartet provide perfect platform for Jurgen Klopp to secure top four spot

Liverpool boast a strong defensive quartet that could carry them into the top four off the back of the 7-0 thrasing of Manchester United over the weekend.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Ibrahim Konate is a formidible defensive line but fans will be frustrated by the fact that they have only played together 14 times since Konate joined in the summer of 2021.

Safely standing as Jurgen Klopp’s best defence, it combines a blend of experience, attacking quality and defensive solidity that allows Liverpool to push higher up the pitch, which only benefits the two outstanding full-backs at their disposal.

In the 14 games they’ve played the four have been brilliant and it’s a funny coincedence that their first and last games together were in the 5-0 and 7-0 demolition’s of United.

Outside of the United victories, most of the other games on the list qualify as ‘big games’ such as FA Cup semi-finals and final of last year, Champions League knockout games and several tough Premier League encounters.

Their record stands at 10 wins, three draws and one loss, with the sole defeat coming in the Champions League final against Real Madrid - a game in which they dominated in chances resulting in an expected goals of 2.19 to Madrid’s 0.92.

It also includes wins over Tottenham, Villarreal (x2), Manchester City, Inter Milan, Benfica and Manchester United (x2). In total, they recorded 35 goals across those 14 games and conceded just 10 goals as they boast a goal difference of +25 for those set of fixtures.

Another thing to note is the fact that the nature of the results are impressive as it doesn’t matter what competition, opposition or stadium they’ve played in, this back-line works.

The only thing holding them back is the reliability of Konate’s physical fitness; the French centre-back has missed 13 games through injury this season, which accounts to nearly 100 days out of action.

Plus, whenever Joe Gomez or Joel Matip have stepped in, we’ve seen varying levels of performance this season with the pair often criticised for their poor performances such as the away losses to Brighton or Wolves.

If Liverpool want to truly build on that crushing victory over United, ensuring that this four can play as often as possible should be their main focus. Especially considering they are out of both domestic cups.

Playing this four will give them outside chance of securing an incredible comeback over Real Madrid who have faltered in recent weeks. But there’s doubting that this four gives Liverpool that perfect balance, security and ability to play closer to the levels we’ve seen from them in the past.