Losing Virgil Van Dijk, Jurgen Klopp Admits He Doesn’t Have a Solution

DBasia.news – A visit to Ajax Amsterdam headquarters in the Champions League Group D inaugural match on Thursday (22/10), will be Liverpool’s first match without Virgil van Dijk this season. The Dutch defender suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in the Merseyside Derby match last weekend, and is predicted to be sidelined until the end of this season.

The Reds manager, Jurgen Klopp, admitted that he did not have the right solution regarding Van Dijk’s absence at the heart of the Reds defense. So far, the former Southampton defender has been the Reds’ mainstay at the heart of defense, both when he won the Champions League title two seasons ago and when he won the Premiere League title last season.

“For us, the situation is really far from perfect, but we must be able to overcome it. We will not have one of the best defenders in the world and our vice-captain for long. Right now, we have to find a long-term solution for that, but for now, I don’t know what the solution will be. The position of the center-back is rarely rotated, because it is quite difficult,” Klopp said on the club’s official website, Wednesday (21/10).

His condition was even more difficult for Klopp ahead of the visit to the Johan Cruyff Arena Stadium. The reason is, Joel Matip also cannot be played in the match against Ajax Amsterdam because of an injury. As a result, the Reds only have Joe Gomez as the only central defender who is still fit in the Reds’ first team.

One of the options that the German coach can take is to shift Fabinho’s playing position in the match against Ajax. Despite his original position as a defensive midfielder, the Brazilian is also considered capable of being a central defender. Not only that, Klopp can also take a little risk by lowering young players at center-back.

In the Liverpool squad that flew to Amsterdam, Klopp has indeed included Liverpool junior team center-back Rhys Williams. It is not impossible, the 19-year-old center-back can play in the match against Ajax Amsterdam. However, lowering young players in Champions League matches certainly presents its own risks because these players are considered to have not had much experience appearing in matches at European competition level.