Back to the Liverpool Newsfeed

Liverpool had a staggering TWENTY different centre back pairings last season with favoured duo Virgil van Dijk and Gomez conceding the most goals... but where does new £36m signing Ibrahima Konate fit in Jurgen Klopp's defensive plans for the new campaign

In a difficult 2020-21 season which ended on a high, Liverpool played a grand total of 20 different centre back pairings amid a horrendous injury crisis.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip missed most of the campaign with long-term injuries, leaving Jurgen Klopp no alternative but to play midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as the defensive pairing at times.

But now the Reds' defence has been bolstered after Ibrahima Konate joined the club last week on a £36million transfer from RB Leipzig. And with Van Dijk and Gomez slowly but surely on the mend, Sportsmail takes a look at the stats as Klopp mulls over his defensive options ahead of the new season in August.