In the absence of irreplaceable Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, a number of Premier League defenders have been granted a rare opportunity to set the standard in the absence of the world’s best. It’s fair to say that none have impressed more than Manchester City’s Ruben Dias.
Outstanding Dias
The 23-year-old has been a revelation since his £65 million [BBC] signing from Benfica last summer. Ever since his debut against Leeds United on October 3, Dias has been an ever-present figure in Pep Guardiola’s team.
More importantly, however, is that the Portugal international’s arrival has seemingly filled a void that was left at the club ever since Vincent Kompany left.
Last season, City suffered immeasurably in failing to replace their talismanic former skipper. It is one of the main reasons why City finished 18 points behind Liverpool last season.
Similarly to City in 2019/20, Liverpool find themselves without their chief organiser and defensive lynchpin Virgil van Dijk.
Jurgen Klopp, like Guardiola, has been forced to rely on his holding midfielder Fabinho to cover amid a growing shortage in defensive cover.
Guardiola had an almost identical scenario unfold when he was forced to utilise Fernandinho at centre-back as a result of injury to Aymeric Laporte.
Liverpool pay heavy price
With that said, it isn’t surprising, then, to see that Liverpool are struggling similarly to what City were last term.
It just goes to show how to dynamic and balance of a team can be corrupted through a few minor alterations to the set-up.
City paid the price last season, and Liverpool will fare the same this time around if they don’t quickly address their own defensive shortcomings.
The addition of Dias to City points to a long-term strategy that Liverpool inevitably will have follow next summer.
With the exception of Van Dijk, Liverpool haven’t had a central defensive figure they can heavily rely on in recent seasons to remain durable. Both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have been plagued by injuries, while Dejan Lovren has since left for Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Clearly, the Reds have been left to rue their inability to add another centre-back in the previous summer window.
So, it’s clear Liverpool need to address this in the summer. Buying a quick-fix in January will aid matters now, but the loss of Klopp’s first-choice centre-back pairing suggests a long-term strategy needs to prioritised, also.
Lessons learned?
To put into perspective the sole impact of Dias on Guardiola’s team, in the 17 league matches he has played since his arrival from Portugal, City have conceded just six goals.
Not only is he preventing goals but, similarly to Van Dijk at Liverpool, Dias is making the players around him better. Just look at John Stones. The England international has looked a man transformed since he was paired alongside Dias last month.
It’s fair to say that given City’s position in the league table, Dias undoubtedly represents the signing of the season.
It showcases also that similarly to Liverpool’s acquisition of Van Dijk, you can break your club transfer record and still secure yourself a bargain.
Unfortunately, City’s gain has been Liverpool’s downfall. The addition of Dias coupled by Klopp’s loss of Van Dijk and Gomez have evened out the gulf that existed between the two teams last season.
City and Guardiola have clearly learned from their previous mistakes in the transfer market. The question that remains is whether Liverpool will have done the same come next summer?
Only time will tell.
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