Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premier League beating Wolves 1-0, away from home and defender Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak were key to this success.
The pair featured at centre-back vs Leipzig last week in the Champions League and Liverpool managed to keep a clean sheet in that game. So naturally, Klopp chose to use the same pairing against Wolves as well.
Similarly to last week, Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak were at the top of their games on Monday as well and according to Jamie Carragher, this particular pairing could help Liverpool find their rhythm back since both of them complement each other really well.
The pundit said on Monday Night Football, as cited by The Mirror: “He[Phillips] played a huge role in the game and he [Phillips] is a monster in the air.
“So when you talk about what Liverpool lack when other ones are playing, they get a great deal in terms of defending set-pieces and his ability in the air. He’s a real monster in that position.
“[Klopp] mentioned the centre-backs there, two clean sheets on the bounce. I think the last three they’ve played together, all three have been clean sheets. I think being in that position myself as a young player, when you’re a young centre-back, you don’t want the fella next to you to be a young centre-back.
“It’s the same when you’re talking about old players as well, you want a nice balance. Certainly in that position, you want experience when you can get it, but Liverpool are not in a position to have that and I thought the two of them were really good tonight.
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“What they did was they helped each other out. Now because they’re young, they’re going to make mistakes. Just little things that maybe I see through my experience and mistakes I made myself as a young player. But like I said, the great thing was the other one was always there to help them out.”
Phillips and Kabak have surely won the trust of their manager and barring a really horrible mistake we don’t think the Liverpool boss will be eager to change this centre-back pairing anytime soon.
This particular combination also allows Fabinho to play his natural role which makes Liverpool look like a more cohesive unit.
Next up, Liverpool face Arsenal after a three week break and this stoppage might not have come at a great time since the Anfield outfit were just beginning to build some momentum. On the other hand, with the number of injuries that Liverpool have had to deal with this season, Klopp will not be complaining one bit.
