Liverpool analysis – Reds receive double defensive boost as Ben Davies deal draws closer

Another huge week

So Liverpool will start their biggest week since, well, the last when they meet on Monday morning.

What a difference a few days can make in football.

They certainly have it for Jurgen Klopp as he examines the new landscape of the Premier League title image.

Six out of six points against the two teams on either side took the champions to third and they are only looking upwards.

Stumbles and slips for Manchester United and Leicester have helped, but Liverpool’s conviction, belief and desire have been there to keep everyone in awe this week.

After being written off prematurely by so many people, they came out of their mid-season slump in amazing ways.

Now they’re looking at every inch of the side that swept everything before them in the last quarter.

Add some much-needed cover to the center-back on transfer deadline day and Liverpool’s prospects look a lot healthier than they were eight days ago when they were kicked out of the FA Cup by a Manchester United team who were six points ahead of them. in the league.

The six goals scored also sidelined discussions of fruitless runs and scoring drought and gave the Reds the much-needed kick in the arm at the right time.

But the big games don’t stop for Liverpool as they prepare to host Brighton at Anfield on Wednesday.

Burnley’s recent slip will ensure no looks will watch Sunday’s showdown with Manchester City, but the win over the Seagulls will mean the visit of Pep Guardiola’s men will take on even greater significance.

A title maker? Maybe not quite.

But maybe it is the game that brings the momentum back in their favor.

Jones has arrived

For the better part of an hour, Liverpool had worked hard in the capital.

The effort was not lacking, but the inspiration from Thursday night at Tottenham had not drifted across London on Sunday afternoon.

The time was approaching and Liverpool were again kept at bay by a worker from West Ham.

Enter Curtis Jones.

James Milner had made a frustrated figure next to Jurgen Klopp after realizing his departure.

Moments later though, Jones’ dribbling opened up West Ham’s defense, Salah made it 1-0 and it was all smiles between the vice-captain and his manager.

As Naby Keita continues to regain his fitness, Jones is offering the Reds midfielder something that no one else in this engine room does.

The former Under-23 captain has the ability to move forward and lead the fight. It is a quality which is also capable of unraveling tightly injured tusks.

Last season Jones will never forget as a Liverpool player.

In addition to goals against Everton, Shrewsbury and Aston Villa, he also became the youngest captain in club history at just 19 years and five days old.

In many ways, however, this season has been even more impressive than the last as he has become more mature in this Liverpool side.

The local boy is no longer just a promising youngster, his importance is increasing every week.

Turning 20 this weekend, Jones, with 23 appearances to his name this season, is now a full-fledged first-team player at Anfield.

With that comes responsibility, but took that perfectly in its stride.

Here is the cavalry – but doubles can be proud

Thankfully, belatedly, the search for a Liverpool center-back after 31 days appears to be over.

It’s research that has gone from a curious gaze to a frantic hunt over the month.

But the Reds, it seems, have found their man.

However, speculative bettors would have earned a good crust if they had invested their money in a £ 2million deal for Preston North End’s Ben Davies.

The 25-year-old is expected to undergo a medical exam on Monday before adding much-needed cover to an exhausted area in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

The fact that Davies could line up for a Liverpool side that entertain Manchester City on Sunday afternoon is further proof, if needed, of the sport’s oddity.

But even taking into account an impressive defensive performance at London Stadium – and, in all fairness, Tottenham on Thursday – Liverpool could not allow this paper to trick them into believing the cracks were sealed.

Nat Phillips has answered the call several times for Klopp this season, playing his part in three wins and two draws in five Premier League appearances.

Here he was against the Hammers again, offering a no-frills brand of defenders and winning heads, keeping it simple and making sure hosts were kept at bay.

Pick your LFC Man of the Game here

The way this unpredictable season has played out so far, you wouldn’t rule out that Phillips still has a key role to play in Liverpool’s campaign.

But while Davies’ impending arrival will likely see a reduced role for Phillips in the future, the Bolton-born defender will once again become a background performer with a huge sense of pride.

Rightly so too.