US-style transfer policy
The buying and selling story of Liverpool and Manchester United is similar. Everyone kept the same view, did not buy anyone more or did not spend too much money, if they had not been able to liquidate all inventories. The reason why M.U did not take strong measures in the Sancho or Haaland case is because there are too many redundant players in the squad. As long as they can't sell all, the team will not spend big to keep their finances balanced.
Man United has a large squad but is not elite, the opposite is true for Liverpool. The Kop's squad is not big, but almost all of the players on the field are world-class stars. American owners see it as enough, buying more will become a surplus and will have to have a headache to see who they are. That is why, despite winning consecutive Champions League and Premier League titles, Liverpool only welcomed Thiago.
That is why Liverpool's current squad only has 3 core defenders with enough strength to fight. Van Dijk is of course number 1, the remaining two are Matip and Gomez who can take turns after lovren has just left. When everyone was healthy, Klopp easily rotated players to pair with Van Dijk, but when he lost the Dutch midfielder, disaster came.
American owners are top economists, don't let anyone show them how to manage a team in the top 10 clubs with the most assets on the planet. In the context of the football world having just suffered a great shock from COVID-19, an empire like M.U or Liverpool has not collapsed financially, that is the talent of these billionaires. Other professional factors, Klopp and the coaching staff must accept if they want to continue living and staying healthy.
Consequences for the defense
There are two sides to every story. In addition to balancing finances to keep the club out of the COVID-19 mud, spending hesitation by US owners has harmed the club itself.
Back to Liverpool's only three centre-backs. Klopp has actually seen this through his first training session of the season. He has gradually oriented Fabinho to play centre-back as Pep pulled Fernandinho down from midfield. However, to get used to playing like Fernandinho of Man City, Fabinho needs a lot of time, even the whole season. When Fabinho had not yet yet become accustomed to the new task, his assistant on the pitch, Van Dijk, had been out for about 7-8 months.
Klopp knows what a disaster it is to lose Van Dijk. In the Merseyside derby against Liverpool, Liverpool's 2 goals conceded came from aerial situations. Keane's goal due to a defensive arrangement error, Calvert-Lewin's goal came from a poor level in hand-to-hand combat. Those are Van Dijk's 2 strongest points.
The tournament is getting more and more severe, the only team that has won all the way up to now is Aston Villa - a team that last year was still struggling to avoid relegation. Liverpool lost 2-7 to the same opponent and could not beat Everton (the top team). When losing the best player in the past 2 years, will The Kop be able to stand firm before the winter market?
Is Van Dijk's return guaranteed?
The knee injury is a nightmare for every player because in many cases recovery cannot play as before.
Some opinions say that Van Dijk plays as a central defender so he moves less than the players at the top, so it is not too much to worry about. But no, when the Dutch midfielder still holds the record of more than 60 consecutive unovertaken spots, he is the nightmare of "runners" like Vardy (Le Leicester) or Sterling (Man City). High and massive but not slow, that helps Van Dijk stand firm in the No. 1 position for the past 2 years as a center back.
When he returned to the leg after surgery, it was difficult for Van Dijk to accelerate to block opponents who were inclined to speed. That is a difficult problem for Liverpool.
Van Dijk has successfully gone under the drugs and surgery, wishing him a speedy return and continued to perform his crowning moments. If Van Dijk returns and loses form, it will be a sad thing for the football world.
