Liverpool vs Burnley the acid test for Jurgen Klopp's decision to swap Philippe Coutinho for Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk arrived at Anfield in January 2018 - the same month Coutinho joined Barcelona
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David Lynch8 March 2019

Liverpool’s last home meeting with Burnley provided a handy snapshot of a team in transition under Jurgen Klopp.

It came two weeks on from the closure of a summer transfer window that saw Philippe Coutinho fail to secure a dream move to Barcelona and Virgil van Dijk remain at Southampton despite the best efforts of his Anfield suitors.

But, rather than signings, the Reds’ focus that September afternoon was on ensuring an immediate return to winning ways following a chastening 5-0 defeat to Manchester City seven days earlier.

Unfortunately, Sean Dyche’s team were intent on highlighting unaddressed issues and sowing early seeds of doubt over their hosts’ hopes of securing back-to-back top-four finishes.

Just 27 minutes had elapsed at Anfield when the absence of a dominant defender in the Van Dijk mould was hammered home.

In Pictures | Liverpool vs Burnley | 16/09/2017

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Joel Matip’s hesitance led to a high ball into the box being allowed to bounce, prompting Ragnar Klavan to leave his position in a bid to clear the danger.

But the Estonian’s attempts at helping his team-mate out simply left space for Chris Wood to tee up Scott Arfield for a straightforward finish inside the area: 1-0, Burnley.

Liverpool responded admirably to the setback, Mohamed Salah controlling a long pass and sending a snapshot under Nick Pope just three minutes later.

However, what followed was a masterclass in wastefulness, with the wantaway Coutinho offender in chief.

Getty Images

By the 90th minute, Liverpool had clocked up 35 shots to their opponents’ five while managing a solitary goal en route to a disappointing 1-1 draw.

Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge were responsible for seven of those each but, unlike his English colleague, the Reds’ No.10 failed to send any of his efforts on target.

That isn’t to say the Brazil international is a poor player, of course, but it does serve to shed a different light on claims that recent goalless draws would have been avoided in his presence.

Conversely, it doesn’t seem too great a stretch to suggest that, had Van Dijk been secured in the summer of 2017 as intended, it is in games such as Burnley’s last visit to Anfield that his presence would have been most felt.

A clean sheet on that occasion would have been enough for all three points, as four 1-0 victories in the League this season attest to.

Action Images via Reuters

Of course, Liverpool’s results since a blockbuster January 2018 transfer window are the best evidence that Klopp was entirely right to believe his team would be improved by swapping Coutinho for Van Dijk.

But perhaps the true acid test of this theory comes on Sunday, when Dyche & Co. return hoping to put on a quintessentially Burnley performance built on long diagonals, physicality, and the taking of rare chances.

Victory for Liverpool would not only get their title challenge back on track, but once again prove their manager’s judgement to be sound.

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