Liverpool 2-3 West Bromwich Albion: 5 Talking Points

#1: A £75 million acquisition but defensive woes persist for Liverpool

van Dijk's arrival is yet to add to Liverpool's defensive solidity

While the critics were quick to judge the eyewatering cost of Virgil van Dijk's move to Liverpool, there were no real doubts surrounding the Dutchman's abilities. Having proved himself at Southampton, it appeared now was the right time for him to make the leap into European football once more - representing a club of Liverpool's stature and quality.

Plenty of fanfare surrounding his arrival at Anfield earlier this month and they saw his signing as the beginning of the end in terms of their defensive woes. Little did they know what the near future had in store for them.

West Brom - who are notorious for their defensive qualities - managed to breach the Liverpool backline and score on three separate instances in the first-half. All of the goals themselves could have been dealt with, had the defenders organised themselves more effectively. Due to the lack of leadership though, it all fell apart for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp must know by now that buying a quality defender and failing to put in the hard work on the training pitches by working on defensive positioning within the squad is not going to reap long-term benefits. The German has to stress the importance of maintaining shape to his side, and could possibly look to alter his tactics in future if his defenders are continually incapable of this.