OPINION
Rewind to a few weeks ago, and Liverpool had one – if not the – best centre-back pairing in the Premier League in the shape of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
However, fast forward to now, and that could not be further from the truth.
Gomez has recently been ruled out for six weeks due to a fracture to his left lower leg, while Joel Matip is also on the sidelines for the same amount of time due to a broken collar bone he sustained in the recent Champions League clash with Napoli.
These are no doubt crushing blows for Jurgen Klopp, as it now puts him in a little bit of a pickle in terms of team selection.
Dejan Lovren was out for the three matches prior to the Napoli fixture, and ended up being named on the bench, with Matip taking his place – however, whether he will feel up to it this weekend against Manchester United remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure though, in a situation like this, Klopp is no doubt wishing that the club never sold Ragnar Klavan to Italian side Cagliari in the summer [BBC Sport], as he would have instantly put the manager’s worries to bed.
Yes, admittedly he only made 39 league appearances during his time with the Reds after signing in 2016, but he would have provided the much-needed steadiness to the back four in a time like this.
Perhaps the club sold him too hastily, becasue as it turns out, he has been playing well for his new club this season.
Klavan obviously wanted to seek first team opportunities elsewhere as he was unlikely to get it at Liverpool due to the preferred pairing – however, he will be the one laughing, while Liverpool will be the ones kicking themselves regarding the decision to sell him.
