Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool defence has improved but Manchester City will be its greatest test yet

Liverpool are conceding fewer goals and managing games better since the turn of the year, but there are still questions over Klopp's defence

The opening half hour of last week’s first leg at Anfield may have provided most of the clips for the highlights reel, but the hour of football that followed was perhaps more significant in the development of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

That this team blew away Manchester City in the space of a 19 minutes is nothing special – after all, in January, they did it in nine – but preventing a Pep Guardiola side from registering a single shot on target was remarkable.

Considering the occasion, the quality of opponent and the significance of a home clean sheet in European knockout competition, last Wednesday was Liverpool’s best rearguard display of the season so far.

It also coincided with a growing sense that Klopp is making progress on his biggest problem. There has been a notable improvement in Liverpool’s defence since the turn of the year and, roughly, since the arrival of Virgil van Dijk.

In their last 12 matches, Liverpool have kept eight clean sheets. A team that used to routinely offer up a handful of excellent chances in every match is now only conceding a few half-decent ones.

‘Game management’ is improving as well. In the first half of the season, Liverpool dropped 10 points from winning positions. In the second, with six league games remaining, they have dropped just two.

Their most recent outing, Saturday's goalless Merseyside derby draw, was far from a spectacular performance but Klopp hailed it as the most mature of his reign. “To deliver a game like this,” he said, “that’s a big compliment for my team.”

The temptation is to attribute much of this improvement to Van Dijk, who has brought direction and authority to a previously timid and indecisive defence, but there are other factors too.


 Karius deserves credit for his improvement this season 
 (Getty)

Loris Karius deserves credit. Though not flawless, the former City youth has gained an air of composure since taking over from Simon Mignolet indefinitely and has eased the clamour for a new goalkeeper, if not totally eradicated it.

There also used to be a player called Philippe Coutinho. He was quite good and many people in Liverpool were sad when he decided to leave but he has arguably left a better balanced midfield behind him, or at least one that offers more protection.

The question is, will it be enough? Despite their marked improvement at the back, few expect Liverpool to leave the Etihad with a clean sheet.

Only Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers have prevented City from scoring at home this season, and Guardiola’s side will treat Tuesday night with a touch more importance than that EFL Cup fourth round tie.

Jordan Henderson, meanwhile, provided an excellent shield in front of Klopp’s defence in the first leg but is suspended after picking up a late yellow card. Emre Can’s back problem will prevent him from replacing the skipper. It will instead be Georginio Wijnaldum, who showed promise as a ‘No 6’ against Everton but is largely unfamiliar with the role.


 Can Jürgen Klopp's side survive it's biggest defensive test yet? 
 (AFP)

And then there is the fact that given this team’s recent history, even after an emphatic first-leg victory, such concerns have to be raised. It is only five months since Liverpool surrendered a 3-0 lead in the space of 42 minutes against an average Sevilla side.

The second highest-scoring team in Europe will have 90 minutes to do the same on Tuesday night. This is an improved Liverpool defence, no doubt, but it is about to face its greatest test yet.