It’s still very early.
I’m certainly not going to start claiming Liverpool have suddenly solved all of their defensive problems after one clean sheet.
But I’ll admit something.
I really like what I’ve seen from Ronald Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet.
Both players arrived at Liverpool with plenty of expectations, and the early signs are extremely encouraging.
Araújo looks like exactly what Liverpool needed
Let’s start with Ronald Araújo.
Against Ipswich, he started at right-back rather than his more familiar centre-back position — and I thought he was excellent.
He gave Liverpool something they haven’t always had on that side:
Defensive security.
Araújo is strong.
He’s aggressive.
He’s quick enough to recover.
He’s excellent in the air.
And he isn’t afraid of a physical battle.
Against Ipswich, he won all six of the aerial duels he contested, while Liverpool as a team looked considerably more comfortable defensively.
That matters.
Liverpool have looked vulnerable at times during the opening weeks of the season.
Against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, there were moments when the defence looked too open.
At Ipswich?
It was different.
Liverpool looked more controlled.
More compact.
More comfortable.
And Araújo was a big part of that.
Maybe right-back isn’t such a problem after all
This is where it gets really interesting.
Liverpool didn’t sign a specialist right-back before the deadline.
That frustrated me.
But perhaps the answer was already sitting in the squad.
Araújo playing at right-back gives Andoni Iraola a completely different option to Jeremie Frimpong.
Frimpong gives you attacking explosiveness.
Araújo gives you defensive strength.
And there will be matches where Liverpool need one more than the other.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, having different profiles could become a major advantage.
And then there’s Jacquet
I have to say, I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen from Jérémy Jacquet as well.
He’s young.
He’s still learning.
And he’s inevitably going to make mistakes.
But there’s something about him that I really like.
He doesn’t look overawed.
He’s aggressive in his challenges.
He’s comfortable on the ball.
He’s willing to step forward.
And he looks like a defender who wants to impose himself on the game.
That is exactly what you want from a young centre-back coming into Liverpool.
Iraola is throwing him in at the deep end
The Ipswich game was particularly interesting because Jacquet had to deal with the pressure of playing on a yellow card.
He was eventually left on the pitch by Iraola, despite the risk of a second booking. The manager later explained that Jacquet needed to experience that pressure as part of his development.
I actually like that.
Of course, you don’t want your young centre-back getting sent off.
But you also can’t protect young players forever.
At some point, they have to learn how to manage those situations.
And Iraola clearly believes Jacquet is capable of doing it.
Imagine what this defence could become
This is the exciting part for me.
You’ve got Virgil van Dijk providing experience and leadership.
You’ve got Jacquet developing alongside him.
You’ve got Araújo capable of playing centre-back or right-back.
And you’ve got other options coming back from injury.
Suddenly, the defensive picture doesn’t look quite as worrying as it did a few weeks ago.
And remember, Liverpool’s first clean sheet of the season came at Ipswich after the team had conceded in nine consecutive matches.
That’s a significant improvement.
It’s only one game.
But it’s a start.
Araújo and Jacquet could complement each other brilliantly
What I particularly like is that they’re different types of defenders.
Araújo is physically imposing.
Jacquet is more of a developing modern centre-back who looks comfortable stepping out and playing football.
Put those qualities alongside Van Dijk and Liverpool have plenty to work with.
And if Araújo eventually becomes a permanent Liverpool player, we could be looking at the foundations of a very good defence.
That’s obviously a big “if” because he’s currently on loan.
But his debut has certainly made me want to see more.
Have Liverpool actually improved defensively?
It’s far too soon to answer that definitively.
Two 2-2 draws were followed by a 2-0 win.
That’s encouraging.
But Liverpool will face much tougher tests than Ipswich.
The Champions League is coming.
The Premier League will get more demanding.
There will be injuries.
There will be suspensions.
There will be games where Liverpool have to defend for their lives.
That’s when we’ll really find out how good this defence can be.
But I’m much more optimistic than I was a couple of weeks ago.
The early signs are very good
For me, that’s the key phrase.
Early signs.
Not finished product.
Not guaranteed success.
Not Liverpool suddenly having the best defence in the Premier League.
Just early signs that two new additions could become extremely important.
Araújo has already shown that he can give Liverpool defensive security.
Jacquet has shown that he isn’t afraid of the challenge.
And both players still have room to improve.
Liverpool may have something here
I was worried about Liverpool’s defence.
I’ll admit that.
But watching Araújo against Ipswich and seeing Jacquet continue to develop has changed my mood slightly.
Maybe Liverpool’s defensive rebuild doesn’t need to happen overnight.
Maybe the club have already made two very important additions.
Araújo could provide the strength and versatility.
Jacquet could provide the future.
And with Van Dijk still leading the defence, Liverpool have a really interesting combination.
It’s only the beginning.
There will be difficult days ahead.
But if those two continue developing at this rate, Liverpool could have found themselves two excellent defensive additions.
And that would be very good news indeed.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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