Liverpool will be disappointed they dropped points against Tottenham at home despite taking the lead twice. Their defence was not all that bad, but it was another game without a clean sheet. For all the flashy football they play, unless Liverpool sort out their issues at the back, it’s unlikely they’ll win any silverware, which is the ultimate goal right now.
Despite playing with as many as three centre-backs towards the end, Liverpool’s low-block couldn’t secure a win as a Harry Kane penalty denied them the three points. The quality at the back was supposed to go up after the arrival of Virgil van Dijk, however, Liverpool haven’t been able to keep it tight in defence.
In a bid to add more solidity, they’ve been linked with Lazio centre-half Stefan de Vrij according to reports. The Dutchman has been linked with quite a few clubs, though, so Liverpool won’t find it easy signing the 26-year old. Lazio could renew his contract but the release clause could be a paltry £20million which is hardly a fee that the big-wigs of the Premier League can’t afford.
De Vrij – fact file
The centre-back rose to prominence at Feyenoord before Lazio secured his services in the summer of 2014. Though he moved to a new league at a relatively young age, De Vrij managed to put in consistent performances unlike a lot of his compatriots who have flopped elsewhere (players like Memphis Depay, Jeffrey Bruma and Luuk De Jong).
A pretty strong defender who reads the game well, the De Vrij is perhaps one of the most underrated defenders in the Serie A. Having played a few seasons and developed really well at Lazio, perhaps the time is right to move to a bigger club at present who can compete in the Champions League at least.
What will he add to Liverpool?
Quite a lot. While fans have lambasted Dejan Lovren more often, Joel Matip hasn’t really covered himself in glory in some of the games. Van Dijk is a good front-footed defender, so De Vrij could play the ideal foil as the covering defender alongside his compatriot. Having said that, Liverpool have failed to prove the protection to their centre-backs, so they could still have problems.
Regardless of who the club manages to sign, they’ll need a player to sit in front of the defence and not allow the back four to be exposed in case of the turnovers, something the fans haven’t seen since the days of Alonso and Mascherano.
