Liverpool’s defensive statistics fail to justify the heavy criticism of Jurgen Klopp’s back four.
The Reds have been guilty of leaking soft goals so far this season, with familiar frailties at the back continuing to crop up.
A defensive partnership of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren, in particular, has come under pressure of late- even if the figures do portray them positively.
The Matip/Lovren partnership have lost only 1 of the 22 PL games they have started together, conceding 19 goals & keeping 9 clean sheets pic.twitter.com/Ma3CGN4gD8
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) October 14, 2017
One defeat in 22 Premier League games as a duo isn’t a bad record, at all.
It is a record, however, that should be even better and one that the pair have partially stopped from being better. Were if not for the errors across the entire team, it could be even fewer than nine draws within those 22 games together.
Both regained some respect on Saturday as they stood up well to the task of dealing with Romelu Lukaku during the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Anfield.
Whilst Jose Mourinho’s men, admittedly, showed little attacking ambition, Matip and Lovren looked as commanding and as assured as they have in months.
Any opportunities Lukaku may have had to kick-start an attack, they more often than not snuffed out.
A clean sheet to build on, regardless of how the game panned out, needs to be a boost for the two centre-backs.