Is Diego Godin The Man Who Liverpool Need?
Jurgen Klopp has done a tremendous job with the options at his disposal at Anfield as he helped Liverpool back to the Champions League for the first time in three years, helping them to a 4th-place finish last season. He is already looking to improve his squad and former Liverpool great Steve Nicol now has some advice for the manager.
The 55-year old feels that the Reds should look at Uruguayan defender Diego Godin as an option this summer to shore up their defence. Klopp is desperate for a centre back to stop the errors at the back and was extensively looking at Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk but Nicol, speaking in a recent interview, felt that the Atletico Madrid man is perfect for the job at Anfield. So, should Liverpool make an approach for £32.30m rated Atletico man?
The former Villarreal defender has established himself as one of the best defenders in Europe in his stint at the Vicente Calderon, where he moved to, back in 2010. He has more than 300 La Liga appearances to his name in his entire career and has also made 108 appearances for the Uruguay national side, standing as one of the most experienced defenders in Europe.
He was the first choice for Diego Simeone as he started 31 league games last season in Spain, picking up 3 goals and an assist as well. A strong and a hard-tackling defender who loves to bully the opponents, Godin is impeccable in the air and is hard to beat in a one-on-one situation. His concentrations level and the ability to read the game make him an even more assured centre-half at the highest stage.
He is a no-nonsense defender who does not believe in taking risks but that does not mean that he is a dud with the ball at his feet. He has decent dribbling abilities that allow him to get out of dangerous areas with ease and is a player who will improve Liverpool’s backline by multiple folds.
Dejan Lovren was superb at times but he is prone to silly mistakes, which Liverpool cannot afford next season. Van Dijk could solve most of those problems but the only reason he is a better option than Godin is his age.
The Atletico Madrid man has already turned 31 this year and is not going to be at the top of his game for too many years. He will no doubt be a huge asset next season but Liverpool will be pushed into the search of a centre back in the near future, which is not the best way to go about in this situation.
Though Godin is top-class, he is not the long-term solution for the problem, and Klopp should avoid this piece of advice from Nicol.