Liverpool played out a nervy clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, just about coming away with the win.
Alexander Isak scored the opener when Liverpool already had a man advantage before Hugo Ekitike made it 2-0 shortly after the hour mark.
However, the Merseyside outfit struggled to see out the fixture, and we nearly saw a repeat of the 3-3 draw at Elland Road earlier this month.
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Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?
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Thankfully, that didn’t come to pass, and Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 to move within touching distance of the Champions League places.
But it was still an underwhelming performance, and Jamie Redknapp has commented on the decline of two players in the aftermath of the tie.
Jamie Redknapp bemoans the decline of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate
Virgil van Dijk has been questioned by fans already this season, and his attempted block for the Richarlison goal in the 83rd minute on December 20 was poor.
Now, speaking live on Sky Sports after the tie, Redknapp has claimed that the Brazilian’s goal sums up the form of Van Dijk and his centre-back counterpart, Ibrahima Konate, this season.
He said: “The Spurs goal sums up the two of them [Konate and Van Dijk].
“They’re not playing with the class we usually see.”
Van Dijk hasn’t been terrible in 2025/26, though it’s fair to say he’s nowhere close to his best right now.
Meanwhile, Konate’s performances have been slammed this term, including by Jamie Carragher, who said after the 4-1 defeat to PSV last month: “I mean Konate. Listen, it gets to the stage now where you actually feel you shouldn’t criticise him.
“Because you feel, you’re watching something that’s not nice to watch when a player is going through something like this. I never thought he was top class, but he’s going through a nightmare.”
How concerned are you about Alexander Isak’s injury?
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Centre-backs linked to Liverpool
Liverpool have now conceded 25 goals in 17 Premier League matches, at least eight more than every team currently in the top four.
However, with Joe Gomez out of action and largely covering at right-back when he is fit, there’s not a lot Slot can currently change personnel-wise.
But the Reds have been linked with a few centre-backs as we head towards January.
It has been reported that Liverpool could try to sign Marc Guehi this winter despite the stopper’s deal at Selhurst Park running out at the end of June.
Nico Schlotterbeck will not sign a new contract at Borussia Dortmund amid interest from the Premier League champions.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have been made aware that Alessandro Bastoni could be available in 2026.
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