Pundit Micah Richards has shared his thought on a problematic dynamic that he has observed in the Liverpool team this season. The Reds booked their passage into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday after a 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
Richards spoke on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, touching on the inconsistent displays of the reigning Premier League champions in defence this season. The former right-back put it down to the inconsistency of their captain Virgil van Dijk and the team's over-reliance on the Dutch defender to set the tone for them.
“When Van Dijk plays well, the team plays really well. When he plays well at the back, the whole of Liverpool play. If he has an off game, because everyone relies on him so much, it ruins the whole team. It really does because they’re so used to him being perfect in every single game. If you look at him in the last couple of games, he’s been brilliant", he said.
Liverpool have won their last two games, keeping back-to-back clean sheets against Sunderland and Brighton. Captain van Dijk featured in both games for Arne Slot's side, scoring the winner against Sunderland in his 36th appearance of the campaign.
The Reds have failed in their Premier League title defence and are in sixth place, 15 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal after 26 games. They will hope to compete for silverware in the UEFA Champions League, where they are through to the last -16, and the FA Cup. They will need their captain to be at his best if they are to stand a chance of ending the season with a trophy.
Liverpool down Brighton, enter into Monday's FA Cup draw
Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners over Brighton & Hove Albion to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup this season. The Reds are hopeful of securing silverware this season after a fine display at Anfield on Saturday.
Arne Slot's side took the lead shortly before half-time through stand-in right-back Curtis Jones, who found the net for the first time this season. Their second goal came in the 56th minute as a sensational touch from Mohamed Salah set up Dominik Szoboszlai to rifle home from inside the box.
Salah turned from provider to scorer in the 68th minute, as he dispatched a penalty he had won himself to round off the scoring in the game. Liverpool will now be part of the draw for the fifth round of the competition when it takes place on Monday evening.