Virgil van Dijk remains a “leading figure” at Liverpool even if his form has dipped slightly, says Emile Heskey, with the return of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson expected to make the Reds even stronger.
A Netherlands international centre-half has become a talismanic presence at Anfield on the back of a £75 million ($93m) transfer.
So impressive has Van Dijk been that he is the reigning UEFA Player of the Year and a leading contender to land the 2019 Ballon d’Or.
Setting such lofty standards is always going to see any wobbles highlighted and Liverpool are not considered to be as watertight in 2019-20 as they were last season.
Heskey concedes there may have been a step back, but the former Reds striker believes Jurgen Klopp still has one of the best centre-halves on the planet at his disposal.
He told bwin: “Players are going to up their game when coming up against Van Dijk. When you’re at the top, players are always going to want the challenge. After playing a season where he didn’t put a foot wrong, even one mistake is going to be brought to everyone’s attention.
“Van Dijk controls Liverpool’s defensive line and is a leading figure in the Liverpool team. He brings the best out of his team-mates and they bring the best out of him, which is why they look so much stronger when he’s in the team.”
GettyThe general consensus is that Liverpool’s defensive unit will look more settled once Alisson returns to the side, with the Brazilian shot-stopper having been out of action since the opening weekend.
Heskey added: “Liverpool’s defence will be back to their best once Alisson is back in goal. He’s obviously an excellent goalkeeper, but he has an excellent understanding with the defence which will give the back-line more confidence when he’s back.
“As a striker, it is a lot harder when you’re coming up against a keeper who basically plays as another defender and that’s what Alisson does. The defenders will have an understanding of when he’s going to come and when he’s going to stay, which gives them confidence.”
With Alisson ready to step back in and Liverpool well stocked in just about every other area of the field, Heskey is not expecting Klopp to dip back into the transfer market when it re-opens in January.
He said: “Liverpool wouldn’t have been able to improve their squad over the summer with the players that were available. They’ve managed to avoid any major injuries, which has been a massive help, but they’ve still got depth should an injury occur. Liverpool are at a stage where only a top player would get in the team, so unless that’s available, you won’t see them enter the market.
“Unless there’s a long-term injury, I can’t see Liverpool signing anyone this season. They’ve started well and now have a good amount of time to assess if they need to make a move in January. The squad is very well balanced at the moment and every player knows their role, so Klopp will be looking to keep it that way.
“Liverpool’s only slight worry is their midfield doesn’t chip in with enough goals. The team rely heavily on the front three to score and assist most of the goals, which is something Klopp may want to address.
“When you look at City’s midfield three, there’s a lot of goals and assists there, which frees the top three attackers up a little. By bringing in a player of that ilk, Liverpool could risk losing that grit that they currently have in the midfield. The three players in there work very hard to cover ground and give [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Andy] Robertson the licence to attack.”
Liverpool are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table and will return to action after the international break with a trip to Manchester United on October 20.