Liverpool news: Pundit reveals Virgil van Dijk fear after trend emerges
Frank McAvennie has claimed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp “does not know” his best defensive partnership.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former West Ham striker said the Reds need to figure out who works best with Virgil van Dijk.
Jurgen Klopp’s side drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace on Monday (15 August).
As revealed by talkSPORT (11 August), the fixture saw the Reds equal their longest run of conceding first in the Premier League games.
The current record dates back to 1997.
Klopp started Nat Phillips alongside Van Dijk against Palace.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo (12 August), fellow centre-back Joel Matip had to be withdrawn from training on Friday with a groin issue and was left out of the squad on Monday night.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of the latest, McAvennie said: “I don’t remember ever thinking somebody in the Liverpool defence could have stopped the goal, so they must have been good goals.
“Coming back, it’s a good thing to have. Letting the first goal in and coming back, it’s important. But if you’re doing it against top clubs like Man City you might not get it back.
“They’ll be working on it but I don’t think they know who their best partnership is. It’s Van Dijk and someone else. I think Van Dijk likes playing with Gomez but I think Matip is better.
“It’s a strange one, but not a good record for them.“
In other news, a pundit has backed Liverpool to complete ‘statement’ midfield signing after deal agreed.