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The first derby of the season in Merseyside created a multitude of frustrations for Liverpool.
Much of that post-derby exasperation stemmed from a burning sense of injustice at VAR. The injury time winner for Jordan Henderson was scored after Sadio Mané was called offside before teeing off his captain.
Of course, Reds boss Jürgen Klopp had already been puzzled by the fact that the referees failed to punish Jordan Pickford for his wild tackling Virgil van Dijk, who limped off shortly after.
That incident could possibly have long-term repercussions for Liverpool as they await the results of the Van Dijk scan.
Klopp, however, described the Dutchman’s injury as “not good” during his post-match comments, suggesting that he could be without the 29-year-old’s services for longer than perhaps he initially anticipated.
The timing couldn’t be worse with Liverpool scheduled to play six games between now and November 7, including Champions League trips to Ajax and Atalanta and a heavyweight league clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
With his defensive backbone facing a possible extended period on the sidelines, we take a look at the various options available to Klopp as he seeks to fill the considerable void left by van Dijk’s absence.
Georginio Wijnaldum
While it wouldn’t be the first name that comes to mind, Wijnaldum has played as an emergency central defender for Klopp before.
The Dutchman took on the unknown role in December 2017 when Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 at Amex Stadium. Wijnaldum was forced to go back on defense following injuries to Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, and Ragnar Klavan was only ready to start on the bench after illness.
Wijnaldum lined up in a makeshift back three alongside Emre Can, another midfielder, and Dejan Lovren.
However, given the former Newcastle United midfielder’s harsh self-assessment of his defensive debut, perhaps we shouldn’t expect to see him there again.
“The coach was running out of options and he chose me and Emre,” Wijnaldum said after the game against Brighton.
“It was very difficult in the first half because I didn’t know what to do each time.
“We were training the day before the game. [Klopp] He didn’t tell me, he just picked the team and told me I was behind. Normally I am a player who can play in different positions, but never in defense ”.
Jordan henderson
Like Wijnaldum, Henderson was unexpectedly pushed to defense after an injury crisis when he teamed up with Gomez in the Liverpool Club World Cup semifinal over Monterrey in December last year.
Henderson performed well too, with Andrew Robertson and Gomez helping him navigate his first professional game as a central defender.
Henderson’s reinvention as a mainstay of defense was short-lived, returning to his regular midfield role when van Dijk returned for the final with Flamengo.
Like Wijnaldum, Henderson’s return to Klopp’s bottom line may seem unlikely, but given his relatively soft audition on the role last year, it may enter the German’s thinking.
Henderson is as vocal as he comes, which always helps on defense, and with the ability to carry Wijnaldum’s ball as a key feature at the top of the field, Klopp can charge his patron with putting himself in Van Dijk’s place. .
Fabinho
A much more viable option, Fabinho has a decent amount of experience playing center-back in Klopp’s Liverpool machine.
The Brazilian was first drafted for the position in January 2019 amid another accumulation of injuries when he teamed up with Lovren in the Reds’ FA Cup loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Six minutes after that game, Lovren was forced to retire with 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever entering for his competitive debut.
That night at Molineux didn’t go as planned, but since then Fabinho has produced more commanding displays in the heart of defense when needed.
A month later, he helped the Reds keep Robert Lewandowski, James Rodríguez and Kingsley Coman calm as Liverpool pulled off a 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, and as he returned to center from the field for the second leg in Germany, His solid performance against the Bundesliga giants at Anfield was yet another demonstration of his skills as a provisional center-back.
Fabinho played a role in the frustration of another group of illustrious attackers when he replaced van Dijk in a 2-0 win over Chelsea in September. Admittedly, with the help of Chelsea being reduced to 10 men, the former Monaco favorite hit three of his four tackles, made four interceptions and completed 97 percent of his passes, for choose .
A return to the central calls the Brazilian.
Nat Phillips
However, if Klopp uses the current situation to bring in a marginal player, Phillips seems as strong a bet as anyone.
Linked to a move over the summer, Phillips was retained by Klopp while others, including Harvey Elliott, Harry Wilson and Ben Woodburn, sealed deals with the Reds boss interested in using the 23-year-old as defensive cover.
With van Dijk ruled out, this could be Phillips’ big opportunity. Of course, the former Stuttgart loan player has only one senior appearance to his name, the one that came in the FA Cup win over Everton in January as part of an experimental Reds XI that included first-team opportunities to Curtis Jones, Pedro Chirivella and Elliott.
Given his inexperience, Klopp can wait before pitching Phillips at center back. Fabinho may be a stronger option for the trip to Ajax, but the home game against Midtjylland may provide the perfect opportunity to give Phillips some much-needed minutes.
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Rhys williams
Another contingency option, like Phillips, Williams has been largely untested with just two Carabao Cup appearances to his name after last season on loan at the out-of-league Kidderminster.
However, Liverpool have high hopes for the 19-year-old, and while he represents a riskier option than Fabinho or Henderson, this could be Williams’ chance to justify the hype.
Sepp van den Berg is another youth option after the Dutchman failed to get away during the transfer window.
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