Could Klavan become Liverpool's new unsung hero?

Ever since the good old days of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia, Liverpool haven’t had a composed and coherent centre half pairing. Martin Skrtel tried to fill the void but did more trouble than good while Kolo Toure tried his hand at right centre back but failed to maintain the role for a sustained period. As a result, fans have been left with mere distant memories of what it means to have a stable back line.

When Ragnar Klavan joined Liverpool from Augsburg for £4.2million, many questioned the clubs decision especially after Toure was allowed to leave earlier in the window. Injuries to Joe Gomez and Mamadou Sakho meant Jurgen Klopp needed further reinforcements but with Klavan a relatively unknown player in England, the consensus was that fans were largely unconvinced. However, having featured in Liverpool’s pre-season clashes against Chelsea, AC Milan and AS Roma it seems the new man could provide much needed defensive stability to the side ahead of a new Premier League season.

Source: liverpoolfc.com

The centre back build a strong reputation in Europe for Augsburg, showing terrific aggressive with his no nonsense style defending. It’s been a long time since Liverpool had a player who did exactly what was required and didn’t impose unnecessary pressure on the equally questionable Simon Mignolet, but Jamie Redknapp believes Klopp may have found his man, stating that he “might be just what they need at centre-back.”

The Estonian is somewhat reminiscent of Daniel Agger’s bullish nature that saw him become such a cult hero at Anfield. Putting his body on the line and wearing his heart on his sleeve, the Danish defender was a reliable figure for the Reds. Klavan’s “no airs no graces” style, as described by John Aldridge, should give fans optimism ahead of the new season with individual errors playing a key part in their shortcomings last season.

At 6’1″, his presence could be invaluable to Liverpool’s upcoming campaign, especially given the untimely injuries to Mamadou Sakho and Joel Matip which could see him making his competitive debut easier than many would have expected. Despite his aerial prowess, Klavan has looked relatively quick on his feet during pre-season.

Alongside Dejan Lovren, the Estonian has remained composed and stable in Liverpool’s build up, including an impressive performance against Barcelona. Up against the likes of Messi and Suarez, you wouldn’t have been criticised for thinking the Reds would be in for a torrid time at the back but the 31 year old extinguished all the fires at Wembley, coming out on top. Having only finished higher than sixth place in the league once in the last seven years, Jurgen Klopp will know just how pivotal plugging his leaky back line will be and the rigid veteran could be his man.

Klavan is by no means the finished article despite a wealth of experience but his rigidity and no-nonsense style could provide a much needed sense of control to Liverpool’s defence. Everyone knows pre-season encounters are a far cry of Premier League games but the Estonian has already begun to develop a partnership alongside Dejan Lovren and could well play a much bigger role in the upcoming campaign than many would have expected.