Paul Merson has claimed that Joel Matip and Joe Gomez ‘aren’t in the same class’ as Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and believes Jurgen Klopp will have to rejig his team on a tactical level because of the Dutchman’s absence.
Earlier this week the Reds were rocked by the news that Van Dijk won’t kick a ball again this season, with Klopp subsequently leaving him out of his revised Premier League squad.
The big Netherlands centre-back picked up a knee injury after a nasty challenge from Everton’s Jordan Pickford in last week’s controversial Merseyside derby.
Fabinho deputised superbly for his team-mate in midweek, dropping into central defence to keep a clean sheet in the 1-0 Champions League win over Ajax in Amsterdam.
And Merson has suggested that Klopp continues with the Brazilian midfielder in that role, claiming that neither Matip and Gomez – the obvious pairing in terms of recognised centre-backs – are a patch on Van Dijk.
He told The Star: “They are going to have to adjust how they attack because before they would press so aggressively and sometimes leave themselves two-on-two at the back. That’s okay when you’ve got Van Dijk but Joe Gomez and Joel Matip aren’t in the same class. I would play Fabinho ahead of both of them but even then it’s not the same.
“They should go and get a defender in January and not just a cheap one who can fill in but someone who can play alongside Van Dijk when he comes back.”
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