There is currently much speculation and discussion about the Liverpool defence and how to improve it. However often one man is overlooked and that man is the young Tiago Ilori. The rumours lately are that the defender will get his chance next season, this would fit with Brendan Rodgers claim that Tiago was one for the future when he was signed by the reds. His increased presence on social media of late has also lead many to believe that the Portuguese centre back will soon get his chance to perform for Liverpool Football Club. Although there are many that think he isn’t ready, just as there are those who believe he shouldn’t have been allowed to leave on loan again this season, along with those to whom Ilori is an unknown quantity.
Tiago was born in London to a Nigerian father and a Portuguese mother. He returned to Portugal with his mother and began his footballing journey at Imortal Desportivo Clube’s academy where he spent the 2006/07 season. He then made the move to Sporting CP’s world famous academy in order to further his footballing education. Surprisingly, Tiago Ilori was being played as a striker when he first joined the renowned academy of Sporting CP, However he was loaned to Estoril Praia for the 2007/08 campaign where he plied his trade in the Junior C Division and returned with a new position as he had been moulded into an elegant ball playing centre back. On his return to Sporting he progressed well and the management were impressed. He continued to improve for the Sporting youth side in the Junior B Division from 2008-2010, when he also got his first call up to the u18’s national squad.
Ilori had somewhat of a breakthrough in the 2011/12 season where he made the step up to the Portuguese u19’s and was called up for the u19 European Championships. This led to Tiago’s involvement in the senior Sporting set up, firstly as an unused substitute followed a week later by his full debut for the club in the Europa League vs. Lazio. Tiago didn’t feature for the Verde-e-Brancos first team again for nearly a year, due to no fault of his own, however, as Sporting were experiencing management problems at the time which meant confidence in youth players was low. However this may have been a blessing in disguise for the Portuguese youngster as his performances for Sporting B in the Segunda division and the NextGenSeries were catching admiring glances from fans and coaches alike. Tiago made a brief return to the first team squad in this season under Franky Vercauteren, however Jesualdo Ferreira took over the managerial post and opted to promote several youth players permanently. This was Ilori’s big break and he took it with both hands, he formed a solid defensive partnership with the now Manchester United defender, Marcos Rojo. That summer he was part of an impressive Portugal U20 world cup team that helped to further his ever growing reputation.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Ilori signed for Liverpool Football Club on the 2nd September 2013 for a fee of around £7 million. Around this time it was also reported that the FA were in talks with Tiago about switching nationality in order to represent England on the international stage. Ilori was loaned out to Spanish side Granada CF before making an appearance for the reds, he struggled with injuries during his time at El Graná, however when he did feature he impressed. Ilori had two stand out moments during his time with the club, the first one being his second game against Real Betis where his talents were brought to the attention of the Spanish media and fans alike. In an otherwise dull affair in the South of Spain, Ilori carried the ball out of defence and hit a 70-yard cross field pass to the Granada striker Piti who managed to score, leading to a 1-0 victory over their Andalusia rivals. The pass was described by Marca as: ‘A Koeman like pass by Ilori which gave Granada the victory’. High praise indeed. The second was an impressive man of the match performance at the heart of the Granada defence that helped secure a 1-0 victory against a high flying Barcelona team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBia7Zgo5pk). Ilori returned to Liverpool at the end of that season however was then loaned out again to the French side; FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Once again, Tiago has struggled with injuries during his time in the Aquitaine region of France, although as usual, he has impressed when he has played, most notably in a 1-1 draw with Saint Etienne where he scored and put in a man of the match performance.
Ilori’s time playing further forward as a youth player has helped him develop into a centre back who is comfortable on the ball. He also possesses an excellent vision, coupled with a superb passing ability means that Tiago can bring more to the team than a standard centre back. Ilori stands tall at 6’3″ meaning he is well suited to winning the ball in the air and protecting his side from set pieces. His stature, though, doesn’t slow him down. Unlike most centre backs, Tiago is extremely quick. At Sporting’s academy players are subjected to speed tests and Ilori was quicker than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in these tests. Although being quick is not a necessity for a defender it can be a huge asset. Ilori enjoys having the ball at his feet and is calm and composed, willing to take on the opposition to ensure he can find a team mate rather than nervously and aimlessly clearing the ball. He has the ability to start attacks and is often seen threading passes that would make many midfielders green with envy.
Tiago is comfortable playing a high line as he is always looking to push forward, on the ball or off it. It becomes readily apparent that Ilori has been through a footballing education found only at the best academies as his reading of the game and his awareness of player’s positions around him, especially at such a young age, are impressive to say the least. His ability to read the game and in turn step out to make interceptions without being caught out of position is one of his most important qualities. Ilori has many of the strengths of a traditional central defender but what makes him stand out even further is his ease and composure on the ball, however Tiago believes that his defensive capabilities are much more useful to him, when asked if his passing was one of his main attributes he replied: “Honestly, I wouldn’t say it was a strong point. I think other parts of my game are much more effective.” (http://fanscorners.com/tiagoilori/). This shows how much focus he places on being a defender first and foremost, where some talented ball playing defenders can become unstuck is when they focus on their ability on the ball rather than their defensive responsibilities, such as David Luiz. Ilori is aware enough to ensure that this does not happen and although he is not shy when it comes to driving forward with the ball, he is always found back in position when the team are defending.
However, Tiago would benefit from bulking up somewhat, his height gives him an advantage but he is often muscled off the ball, his speed and intelligence make up for this for the most part however to potentially play in the Premier League his strength needs to be improved, however, Tiago himself has realised this and has stated that one of his main focuses is becoming a stronger athlete (http://fanscorners.com/tiagoilori/). This could also help to improve his fitness record as the young defender has struggled with injuries throughout his career, especially in his recent loans to Granada and Bordeaux. Ilori can also be caught out when he over commits, something he needs to work on but something that will also no doubt come with age and experience.
Overall it seems that if Tiago Ilori can stay fit, he would be an important and useful addition to the Liverpool squad for the 2015/16 season and he would likely be able to force his way into the starting 11 as he is a pro-active defender that would complement Sakho’s style in a similar way to which Varane does when the pair play together for the French national side. This could lead to an impressive centre back partnership for the long term as Ilori and Sakho are only 21 and 25 respectively. Whether or not he remains with the club next season or is loaned out, Ilori is one to watch. Young centre backs with his ease and composure on the ball along with such an impressive reading of the game and an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses are few and far between.
Jack
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Thanks for the writeup on Ilori, Jack. Would be great to see another ball playing defender in the squad, since Agger left, and add to Cans addition to midfield next season.