Speaking on the ITV Football Show, Jose Enrique has claimed that Liverpool won’t win a league title with a player like Rhys Williams in the team.
The young centre-back has been thrown in the deep end this season due to a plethora of high-profile injuries in his position, and while he’s not performed poorly, it’s been clear to see he’s not at the level of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez or Joel Matip.
Enrique believes that he could become a player capable of playing in a title winning team in a few years’ time, but they can’t battle for top honours with a player like him at the back.
“You have van Dijk, Gomez and Matip. Three main centre-backs, top centre-backs injured. Then you put Rhys Williams, a 19-year-old, with zero experience. Do you really think you’re going to fight for the title with a player like this? I’m not saying in four or five years’ time, but definitely not now.“
As harsh as it sounds, Enrique may be right.
It’s been said so many times, attacks win you games, but defences win you titles, and unless you’re one of the world’s best, you can’t expect to come into a team at the age of 19 and be at that level straight away.
Now, that isn’t to say that Williams is a bad player, it has to be said that the opposite is true, but he’s inexperienced and that has hampered him.
As Enrique says, he could be in a title-winning side in four or five years, but he’s not at that level quite yet.
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