Liverpool twice gave up the lead to draw 2-2 with a lowly Sunderland on Monday, giving Chelsea the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points should they beat Spurs on Wednesday.
After dominating possession and having 21 shots on goal, the Reds should have cruised to victory at the Stadium of Light, but two errors in defence meant that Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe scored twice from the penalty spot to deny the visitors.
Jurgen Klopp would have been furious with the mistakes that led to the penalties, with Sadio Mane’s late handball adding to Ragnar Klavan’s clumsy tackle on Didier Ndong in the first-half.
It isn’t the first time that the Merseyside outfit have come under fire defensively, and Klopp may well be considering his options this month.
Here are THREE ways Liverpool showed against Sunderland that they must bring in a new centre-back during the January transfer window…
Klavan isn't up to it
The summer signing struggled to get first-team minutes in the Liverpool side prior to the last couple of weeks, with midfielder Lucas even preferred to the Estonian when Joel Matip or Dejan Lovren were missing.
While he has helped the side pick up clean sheets against Middlesbrough, Everton and Manchester City – although, admittedly, he had little to do during the 1-0 success over the latter – it was his clumsy challenge on Ndong on Monday that gave Defoe the chance to level following Sturridge’s opener.
The 31-year-old certainly didn’t look like a title-winning centre-back when he made that tackle, and it could be mistakes like that that cost the Reds dearly.
They can't rely on injury-hit Matip
Another summer signing – this time from Schalke – Matip impressed Liverpool fans with his performances at the back as he brought some pace and intelligence in possession to the Reds’ rearguard.
However, a recurring ankle problem has seen him miss ten matches already this term, and if Jurgen Klopp’s side are to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title, they need a settled centre-back partnership like the leaders Chelsea have had in recent months – Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz have been a constant in defence during the Blues 13-match winning run.
The Cameroon international has turned down the opportunity to play at the Africa Cup of Nations to focus on his Liverpool career, and it could be a positive as he needs to shake off this injury once and for all.
Lovren is good, but he isn't a leader
There were times last season when Dejan Lovren was widely criticised by Liverpool’s supporters for his poor performances at the back, but the Croatian has shown he is capable this term as the Reds look to mount a Premier League title challenge.
While he has improved significantly, he doesn’t seem to have that strong leadership you feel the likes of Chelsea’s Gary Cahill bring to the backline, and he could be a much-improved player if he had a more dominant centre-half alongside him. Over to you, Mr. Klopp.