Danny Murphy Highlights Liverpool's Full-Back Dilemma
Danny Murphy believes Liverpool’s defensive rebuild still has a glaring hole – and it’s out wide, not in the middle.
The former Reds midfielder, speaking to GOAL in association with Snabbare, expects the club to keep scrutinising Ronald Araujo’s performances “game-in, game-out, week-to-week”, but he does not see the Uruguayan as a ready-made heir to Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the back line.
Could Liverpool move for Araujo permanently next summer and slide him into Van Dijk’s role, freeing Andoni Iraola to chase a new full-back? Murphy isn’t convinced.
“I don't think they'll be necessarily thinking he's the one to come in and take Van Dijk's place because of his age,” he said. “I think they'll always be open-minded to what else is out there.”
Where he is convinced, though, is that Liverpool’s long-term problem sits in the full-back positions.
For years, the club’s success leaned heavily on two full-backs who were devastating in possession, relentlessly aggressive going forward and protected by a midfield drilled to cover when they surged on. That structure underpinned everything. It gave Liverpool width, creativity and control.
Murphy looks at the current options and sees a sharp drop-off.
“There’s a problem at Liverpool with the full-backs,” he said. “The full-backs at the moment aren't good enough with the ball and that's a real problem when, in a lot of games, Liverpool will dominate the ball.”
The modern game, he argues, only amplifies that issue. Central areas are packed, pressing schemes are intricate, and opponents routinely shut down the middle of the pitch. The space appears on the flanks. That means full-backs see more of the ball than almost anyone.
“Generally, the space will come in wide areas and teams will defend the middle of the pitch. So, the full-backs are getting lots and lots of the ball, the numbers tell you that. And the end product of Frimpong and [Milos] Kerkez is certainly not up to the level Liverpool need.”
Murphy then goes a step further. If you’re going to accept limitations going forward from your full-backs, they need to be rock solid defensively to justify the trade-off. He doesn’t see that either.
“There is an argument also saying, are they good enough defensively to sacrifice that forward quality, if you like, and the answer is no. So, it is a problem. Both of them have failed, in terms of so far, let's say, in their Liverpool career.”
Jeremie Frimpong’s situation, in Murphy’s eyes, comes with an important caveat. The Dutchman has built his reputation higher up the pitch, not as a traditional right-back, which makes his struggles easier to understand.
“Now, the argument for Frimpong, he never really did play as a right-back, so what was the thinking behind that? That's a fair argument and I feel for him a little bit at times. I'm not just digging him out. He's played the best season of his career in a different position than he's been asked to play when he's come to one of the hardest leagues in the world.”
Araujo, by contrast, has adapted impressively when used wider, but Murphy still sees him as a defender first, not the kind of rampaging creator Liverpool once had on both sides.
“I don't think, although Araujo does it really comfortably because he's got a defensive mind and I know he had the wonderful flick against Atletico for [Dominik] Szoboszlai for his assist, but generally you wouldn't class him as a marauding full-back who's going to whip crosses in and create goals.”
The conclusion, for Murphy, is blunt. Whatever happens with Araujo and Van Dijk, Liverpool’s recruitment team cannot ignore the flanks.
“I think it's a definite area for Liverpool to look at, even in January.”
