Season 2024-2025 of the Premier League is well underway, and at the time of this writing, Liverpool FC has been consistently in the top five of the League’s rankings for five consecutive years, starting with that year they took home the title, season 2019-2020. This season promises to be another good year for Liverpool, so ready your Liverpool home kit, watch the matches, and spend some time getting to know the Liverpool squad.
Since defence is critical to winning games, here’s a look at Liverpool’s defence lineup.
The Last Line of Defence: The Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper’s goal is a clean sheet or a zero for the opposing team. So far, jersey number 1, Alisson Becker from Brazil, is doing an excellent job of accomplishing just that.
In 2018-2019, he logged a total of 21 clean sheets at the Premier League, which earned him that season’s Golden Glove award. In the 2021-2022 season, he earned another Golden Glove. Coincidentally, Liverpool landed second place in the League during both seasons – an indication of how crucial keeping a clean sheet is to a campaign doing well.
This season, he’s once again up there in the list of goalkeepers with stellar clean sheet stats. The Premier League season is not over yet, but Liverpool FC fans can be sure they have an excellent shot at the title with Becker between the goalposts.
Aside from Becker, the following also play as Liverpool FC keepers:
- Number 62, Caoimhín Kelleher from the Republic of Ireland: Liverpool’s penalty shootout specialist and Liverpool player since 2015, Kelleher made remarkable saves in the Carabao Cup final in 2022.
- Number 56, Vitezslav Jaros from the Czech Republic: Jaros joined Liverpool in 2017, helping the Reds win the FA Youth Cup in his second season.
- Number 95 Harvey Davies from England: Davies signed with Liverpool in 2021, becoming part of the squad that won the FA Youth Cup in 2021 and taking on the role of substitute goalkeeper in the July 2022 match with Manchester City that won the team an FA Community Shield.
The Defensive Line: The Defenders
A team’s defensive line consists of two outside and two central defenders. The outside defenders, the left and right backs, occupy the outer left and right portions of the field goal-side to defend, particularly against the opposing squad’s wingers. The sweeper and central back stay near the penalty line. Their job is to block attackers and shots — anything to prevent a goal — as well as to intercept passes and steal the ball.
Club captain and number 4 Virgil Van Dijk remains the backbone of Liverpool’s defence. He signed with the team in 2018 and immediately won Player of the Season during the 2018-2019 Premier League. He was part of the historic lineup that won the Premier League title in 2019-2020, playing every minute of that year’s campaign. At the time of this writing, Van Dijk already has 274 Premier League appearances and 107 clean sheets in his record.
The following are other Liverpool defenders:
- Number 5, Ibrahima Konaté, centre-back from France: Konaté joined the club in 2021 and played 37 times in the 2023-2024 season. He offers power, a no-nonsense approach and resilience against fast-paced opponents.
- Number 66, Trent Alexander-Arnold, right-back from England: Alexander-Arnold was a Red from the very start, joining the club at the age of six, developing his skills at the Liverpool FC Academy, and debuting at the seniors in 2016. He is Liverpool FC’s current vice-captain and was part of the historic 2019-2020 squad that won the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup titles. He played all 38 games of the 2019-2020 Premier League season and even bagged the Young Player of the Season award.
- Number 26, Andy Robertson, full-back from Scotland: Robertson is among the club’s highest-assisting defenders. A key player, he defends the team’s left flank and helped Liverpool reach the European Cup final in 2018 and clinch victory at the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and the Premier League in 2019-2020.
- Number 2, Joe Gomez from England: Gomez is a versatile defender who joined Liverpool in 2015 and has been posted at the centre, left and right of the backline. He played 43 times in the 2019-2020 season that saw the Reds win the Premier League title.
- Number 21, Kostas Tsimikas from Greece: Tsimikas is a left-back who joined Liverpool in 2020. He was part of the team that won the Champions League in his debut year and the FA Cup in 2021-2022.
- Number 78, Jarell Quansah from England: Quansah is a centre-half from the Liverpool FC Academy. He joined when he was five, signed with Liverpool FC in 2021, broke into the seniors in 2023, and, in 2023-2024, was part of the team that won the Carabao Cup.
- Number 84, Conor Bradley from Northern Ireland: Bradley, primarily a right-back, joined Liverpool in 2020.
Defending the Reds
Clean sheets mean the opponent could not score. This means clean sheets are as crucial to victory as scoring goals because a team that can repress their opponent’s scoring ability can ensure that opponent’s loss. As such, defence players are essential. It’s the reason the Reds celebrate Liverpool’s goalkeepers and defenders so much that their shirts are quite popular at the Liverpool store in Dubai.
