Liverpool concede more goals WITH Virgil van Dijk but have much better win rate when £75m colossus is in team

VIRGIL VAN DIJK’S absence has been highlighted as one of the main reasons Liverpool have stuttered in their title defence – but the Reds actually do better WITHOUT him in the side.

Van Dijk faces missing the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from the knee ligament injury suffered in October, surgery which left the Reds squad heartbroken.

Liverpool are missing their talisman at the back in Virgil van DijkCredit: Reuters

But while the Dutchman’s presence around the team has been missed, the total collapse of Jurgen Klopp’s defence predicted by many has not materialised.

In fact, the defending champions have actually performed better without the 29-year-old – both this season and throughout his entire career at Anfield.

And that should give Klopp and the Liverpool fans confidence as they prepare for Sunday’s huge clash with leaders Manchester United as the race for the title begins to hot up.

Van Dijk played in five Premier League games this season before suffering his nightmare injury in the Merseyside derby – and in those matches the Reds conceded 13 goals.

But in the 12 games since then, Klopp’s defence has only been breached eight times – averaging 0.7 goals against without their talisman but an alarming 2.6 conceded with him in the side.

Those figures do include the 7-2 loss at Aston Villa, but even if you separate that as a freak result the champions still let in more goals with Van Dijk playing than without.

At set-pieces, the Reds shipped three goals with the Holland star organising the back line this season, and the same number without him – in double the amount of games.

United will be licking their lips at the prospect of taking on a Liverpool side having to make do with midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson playing in the middle of the defence.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

Joel Matip is battling to regain fitness from a thigh injury in time to face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, and if he misses out then it could well be Henderson who slots in alongside Fabinho at Anfield.

The other options are Nat Phillips or youngster Rhys Williams – but Liverpool should approach the game safe in the knowledge whoever starts can be expected to do well.

For ever since Van Dijk moved to Merseyside in a £75million move from Southampton two years ago, the club have defensively performed better without him than with him.

In the 95 games he has figured in, Liverpool average 0.8 goals against per game when he has played, compared to 0.6 goals against when he has been absent.

Klopp’s side taste defeat once every 11.8 games when their inspirational defender is around, but only one in 13 when he is not available.

So thoughts of coming up against a vulnerable defence this weekend would be wrong for United – Liverpool are anything but weakened, regardless of who Klopp is able to select.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk