Liverpool’s most impactful change since the arrival of Arne Slot is a more measured approach to games with their defence playing a huge role in the first part of the season. We’re looking at the partnership at the back, and how the fans are taking to them this campaign.
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00:00On to Liverpool's defence, there was massive conversations last year in terms of defensive
00:08partnerships and Saliba and Gabriel were brought up a number of times for Arsenal of course,
00:15but Ibrahima Kanate coming back into this side, he had his injury problems but him and
00:21Van Dijk are seeming unstoppable at times. What's your take on them and are they the
00:26best current partnership in the Premier League?
00:29Well, if you look at the Premier League table, you'd probably say that they have to be because
00:35Liverpool have conceded six goals in 11 matches, so almost one in two games that they conceded
00:43and if you look at the next best, I think it's Nottingham Forest on 10. They've been
00:49magnificent. I think one big pass on the back iron slot deserves is Kanate managed to stay
00:57fit so far. Maybe it's not him because it's not like he's changed anything drastically
01:06but he won all of his duels. He's definitely one of the best centre-backs in the Premier
01:12League in terms of performances this season and Virgil van Dijk, what can you say about
01:16him? He's just in a mood but like Jeffs, Udai Emery after the Villa game was raving about
01:22him calling him one of the best players in the world, not just one of the best defenders
01:26in the world but one of the best players, which is probably the biggest compliment that
01:30you can give a centre-half when you're saying that he's one of the best in the world.
01:34Obviously, van Dijk in his eighth season with Liverpool. Do you think him and Kanate, that
01:41Kanate partnership is probably his favourite so far?
01:45I don't know. It's a good point. I think he'd like playing next to Joel Matip, who is a
01:52cult hero at Liverpool. A very underrated player, Joel Matip, to be honest with you.
01:58It was disappointing the way his career ended ultimately because when he got that knee injury
02:02last season, he was actually ahead of Kanate in the team and they started the Champions
02:08League final victory together. Also, Joe Gomez, who came off the bench recently, was absolutely
02:16monstrous against Brighton. Van Dijk and Gomez, they were the main partnership when
02:23Liverpool won the Premier League. So, there's good options there. Obviously, they've got
02:27Charles Quantzer, who's available as well. He hasn't played as much as he would like
02:32but I don't think he can complain. He's come out and said that he can't have any complaints
02:37given the defensive performances. But if Liverpool go and achieve something special this season,
02:44you might look at them and think, yes, Van Dijk and Kanate because towards the end of
02:48that 2021-22 season when they just missed out on the Premier League and the Champions
02:53League, it was Kanate as well who was the main partner. But I don't really think Uwe
02:58van Dijk minds.