Speaking to ESPN, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has expressed his concerns over Nathaniel Phillips and Joe Gomez ahead of the Reds’ clash with Man City on Sunday.
Sunday’s game could be season-defining for Liverpool, and Nicol believes that the result hinges entirely on the performances of their centre-backs.
However, he doesn’t seem to believe they’re up to the task, expressing that he thinks Man City have a better centre-back pairing.
“If Phillips and Gomez have a good day, I think Liverpool win this game,” Nicol said.
“Because, going forward right now, they’re way better than Man City. Man City recently have been struggling recently to get the ball in the back, so if Liverpool’s backline is at its best and can shut that City line down then it looks to me like a Liverpool victory.
“But, it really depends on Liverpool’s backline, you know, I’d certainly swap what City have right now. I would swap Laporte and Ake for Gomez and Phillips right now, that’s how worried I am, because Laporte and Ake are ok.”
Nicol doesn’t seem to rate Laporte and Ake all that highly, describing them as only ‘ok’, but he still thinks they’re better than what Liverpool have.
That’s before he even began to factor in £65 million signing Ruben Dias into the equation.
Liverpool’s defenders will have a big job on their hands keeping Pep Guardiola’s side out on Sunday, and that’s exactly the type of game where you want Virgil van Dijk to be playing.
Unfortunately, van Dijk remains sidelined and the Reds will have to work with a makeshift pairing, and that seems to have Nicol fretting.
Gomez and Phillips will certainly have to be at their best if Liverpool are going to win at the Etihad.
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