Liverpool fans already knew this, but stats now confirm it: Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren is easily our best centre-back pairing.
The Echo has crunched the numbers, discovering that Liverpool have only ever lost once in the top flight with Matip alongside Lovren.
When Ragnar Klavan plays alongside one of them though, it’s a different story, with our win-percentage dropping when he’s in the Premier League XI.
Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren
Games Played: 20
Games Won: 12
Games Drawn: 7
Games Lost : 1
Goals Conceded: 16
Win Percentage: 60%
Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan
Games Played: 8
Games Won: 4
Games Drawn: 3
Games Lost: 1
Goals conceded 12
Win percentage: 50%
Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan
Games Played: 9
Games won: 5
Games drawn 2
Games lost 2
Goals conceded: 12
Win percentage: 55.5%
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Matip and Lovren together is not a poor pairing, but their inability to stay fit for lengthy periods of time is damaging. The longest run of matches Lovren has ever had in Klopp’s league team, for example, is 11 – very low for an established central defender.
It’s for this reason that not buying a new centre-back in the summer was so stupid. Klopp would have known he cannot select Matip and Lovren every week, yet decided Klavan and youngster Joe Gomez was adequate backup.
Virgil van Dijk is not the only centre-back in the world who would have helped us, especially considering our £150m transfer war-chest which was largely unused.