German wall is the perfect defence for LFC

I am sure work has begun in earnest by Brendan Rodgers and his scouting department to find the natural replacement for Jamie Carragher.

A few names have been mentioned recently – notably Stefan De Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi of Feyenoord, Dejan Lovren at Lyon, Celtic’s Efe Ambrose and of course Ashley Williams of Swansea.

Me personally, I would like to see Brendan spend money on a quality centre-half who would potentially play in the first team for many years to come.  That player in question would be Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund.

I know that the transfer fee may be a stumbling block and the fact that the team are not playing in the Champions League (or Europe at all) next season, therefore he would likely turn us down.  However there is no harm in looking at the possibility of a transfer.  He is the kind of player that would take the team to the next level and could potentially help us achieve European qualification and to challenge within the Premier League – improve on our league position.  Scoring goals this season hasn’t been much of a problem; it has actually been conceding goals which has raised a few eyebrows.

Hummels is a product of Bayern Munich’s academy, joining them at the tender age of six.  He joined Borussia Dortmund initially on loan in January 2008 and established himself as first choice centre-back.  He then signed permanently for €4 million.

Mats formed a valuable partnership with fellow centre-back, Neven Subotic.  The duo helped Dortmund to the best defensive record in the German Bundesliga.

Hummels has won the Bundesliga title with Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, with the 2012 campaign seeing the team set a league record with the most points in a season with 81.  Hummels was an instrumental cog in the machine of Borussia Dortmund, leading a defence which conceded considerably less than a goal a game domestically on their way to retaining the Bundesliga title.

Joachim Löw gave Mats his senior debut for the German National Team in 2010 against Malta.
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In terms of European achievements, Hummels has been ever-present in a defence that conceded only five goals on their way to topping a group which contained Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax; a group many considered as ‘the group of death’ in the Champions League this season.

Hummels’ style of play

Playing at centre-half, he enjoys coming from the back four to start attacks for his team, but has also played in the defensive midfield role when asked.  Mats has excellent technique in the tackle and also out-muscles his opponents due to his immense strength and height (6ft 3in).  He also has superb pace to catch up with fast opponents and will win the ball back, whilst he reads the game exceptionally well.  He has many strings to his bow: an example of this would be his well-timed interceptions and long passing capabilities.  Mats is very much like a modern-day sweeper.

Overall he has played 161 times for Borussia Dortmund scoring 13 goals and 24 times for Germany scoring once against Switzerland.

At 24 Mats fits the bill of what FSG want within a player.  He is a rare breed within the modern game; not reliant on one or two stand-out aspects to his game, but boasting quality in a broad range of attributes, making him as close to the complete defender as one could hope for.

Final thoughts

He has shown through his performances for club and country that he could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for LFC.  His almost unique blend of marking, anticipation, aerial strength, composure and passing ability, in a modern game where the term ‘world class’ is used all too loosely, makes him one of the few who is genuinely worthy of the status, and the best is probably yet to come.

Follow me on Twitter @MRSSG
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