Former Chelsea player Craig Burley has stated that Liverpool will not win the Champions League with their current back four. The Reds kept two clean sheets in both legs against RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 in the Champions League and are now in the quarter-finals of the competition that they won in 2019.
Despite several injuries, the Reds managed to put in two good displays against RB Leipzig. Burley, however, feels that the duo of Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips will struggle when Liverpool come up against top-quality opposition in the coming rounds.
“Well, Liverpool are not going to win the Champions League with that centre-half pairing, it's just not going to happen," Burley said on ESPN FC. "That was two of their best performances against RB Leipzig."
"But you're not going to get that leeway if you play City if you play PSG, if you play Bayern Munich and one or two others. It's just not going to happen. So that was down to Leipzig more than it was down to Liverpool but you're not going to win - well it's very, very unlikely that you're going to come close to winning this competition with that back four," Burley added.
Liverpool fans will hope they get a favourable draw in the Champions League
Liverpool have done well in the Champions League this season and it has been a pleasant distraction from their poor performances in the league. The Reds have played away from Anfield and could continue to do that if they get a favourable draw in the next round.
There are a few teams the Reds will fancy facing and fans will hope their team can make it to the semi-finals at the very least. Although the duo of Kabak and Phillips are inexperienced, they are starting to form a good understanding with each other, which will only improve with time.
There is also some hope that Virgil van Dijk will be available before the season ends as he is back to individual training on the pitch. No timeline has been set on van Dijk’s return, but if Liverpool are still in contention for a top-four finish and in the Champions League, his return will be a massive boost for Jurgen Klopp.