The biggest concerns I have around our defence is the lack of communication, the lack of aggression and just all round lack of desire to actually defend. Moreno for example, yeah he will defend when he needs to but does anyone honestly get the feeling with him that he has a desire to do it? Same with Lovren. Same with even Matip.
This is as quiet a defence as you are likely to see. Nobody is screaming at each other to get in to position, or to track runners or to just switch on. Look at the state of our defensive line for the first goal at the weekend. Not a single defend in line with another. None of them paying attention to the position of their other defenders never mind the position of the attackers. Carragher was constantly switched on. Desperate to defend. He was always talking his fellow defenders through every second of a game and leading the defence. It was everything to him. This defence just feels so laissez faire. Oh if they need defend then they'll try when it gets to them personally, but they don't work as a unit in the slightest. They aren't constantly thinking and aware of where they should be and where their team mates are.
I was just thinking back to our team from a decade ago, and it was just so different in attitude. Yes, we didn't always win. Yes we would lose games etc etc. But we had communicators and people who really CARED if we concede. It made them angry. Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano. If you didnt pull your weight with them they'd rip your head off. Who gives out that impression now? It's all to nice. Every one of them. Even lads like Arbeloa were snide fuckers. Lads who cared about defending. Carra got in his face and he didnt back down in the slightest. Who would do that now if Carra shouted at them?
Joel Matip, our first choice CB, a good player. But far too nice and far too passive. When have you ever saw him get in the face of a CF he is playing against? When has he ever got in a heated argument with anyone? Any time he fouls lads, he's putting his hand out picking them up and apologising right away. Nasty fuckers like Costa last season for example. I remember him trying to leave one on Matip. A couple minutes later he fouled Costa and was apologising profusely right away.
It's the biggest issue our defence has. The lack of absolute desperation to defend well. And it is hard to sign lads who will fix it because it is difficult to know who has that drive. It was the thing I adored most about Suarez. Not his skill. Not his creativity. Not even his work ethic. But his absolute desire to do anything and everything to win. He'd put his life down if it meant winning a game of football. He was so driven. He'd lose his shit more if we conceded a throw in than our current lads do if we concede a goal. When did you last see someone lose their shit at conceding a goal. It's just shrugs. Nobody willing to dig each other out and pull someone up. It's all about drive. Remember Suarez going fucking mental at Sturridge for not passing him the ball when we were 4-0 up in a derby? That's the attitude our defenders and in general everyone needs to have. Thankfully we have Naby Keita joining next summer and I think he has that mentality from what I have saw of him.
We need leaders and communicators in that back line, and we need them ASAP. I'll be honest, it obviously won't happen because it would be too much change at once, but I'd have no problem with Klopp replacing any of our back 6. Matip is the one I like most in there, but even he has questions marks around him due to his mentality.
