Commenting on Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid mid-week, Trevor Sinclair highlighted the Reds’ defensive fragility in Madrid as a potential cause for concern.
The Merseysiders stamped their authority early on in the Champions League encounter with two goals in the space of five minutes to put them ahead in Madrid.
“I think that will be a big concern – not just for Klopp and the players – but also for the fans, the way that they conceded them goals,” the former Manchester City star told talkSPORT (via the Express).
“Defensively they didn’t look great, I’ve got to say.
“I’ve been a big fan of them this season. They’ve surprised me in how well they’ve started the season because Virgil van Dijk is just back from injury, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was back in the side, [and Andrew] Robertson.
“They had their A-team out but defensively they looked a little bit suspect.”
A relatively feeble midfield was deemed responsible for enabling a comeback via a first-half double from Antoine Griezmann before Jurgen Klopp’s men saw their way through the clash courtesy of a Mo Salah penalty-winner.
Whilst we’d be inclined to agree that some mistakes were made in the tie, which could have been avoided, it says a lot about us that we managed to take home a rare three points from the Wanda Metropolitano.
We’re not defensively perfect, of course.
However, as Sinclair has rightly pointed out, the return of the likes of Virgil van Dijk to the first-team will have made a world of difference.
That’s not to forget either that we’ll be coming up against a side with some serious defensive concerns – as has been demonstrated by Harry Maguire’s poor recent outings for the Red Devils.