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When Real Madrid took on Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, they faced the giants Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren knowing that their defensive struggles were changing with the Dutchman’s presence.
They meet again in 2021 with the Reds losing their leader at the back due to injury, while second and third options Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are also out.
Jurgen Klopp has had to adapt and in doing so he relied on two players that most Liverpool fans had hardly ever heard of at the start of the season.
One of them is Nathaniel Phillips, 23. He joined the club at the age of 19, was on the sidelines and was loaned to VfB Stuttgart for the 2019/20 season.
He initially struggled in the 2. Bundesliga, only establishing himself in winter and even coming back for a rare Liverpool debut, coming back from his loan period for a game before coming back.
This season, no suitors could be found and he remained at Anfield for the final year of his contract, but a defensive crisis has thrown him into the abyss.
Making his Premier League debut against West Ham in October, he could never have expected that his strong aerial dominance and reliability would make him a regular, starting seven of the club’s last 11 games.
“He’s a brilliant guy, smart, all smart, he’s a monster in the air, he’s not Messi but who cares?” Jurgen Klopp said of his man after a man’s debut of the match.
Joining him in Liverpool’s latest defensive duo, their 18th of the season, is Ozan Kabak, who joined on loan in January.
The 20-year-old defender joined the ranks of Galatasaray in his home country of Turkey, where he has played seven international matches.
He then moved to Stuttgart and played every game but two before joining Schalke 04 just six months later for € 15 million.
Liverpool sought to incorporate him as an addition in late January after another Jordan Henderson injury, and Kabak signed on loan with a call option.
After a rocky start, making a high-profile mistake against Leicester City in his first Premier League appearance, he has now settled down and gained consistency alongside Phillips.
“Great potential, 20 years old, already quite experienced, he didn’t take the easy path in his career until now and it looks really promising,” Klopp said of his signing.
The two are building a strong partnership together, but between them they only have 19 appearances for Liverpool.
In 2018, two dire mistakes by goalkeeper Loris Karius gave Real Madrid a 13th Champions League title, but in 2021, Real Madrid may be even more confident of forcing defensive mistakes to help them on their way to Istanbul.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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