Richard Buxton: Reds' new buys offer solutions to old defensive woes
Their arrival allows Henderson to return to midfield, where he is sorely needed
Throwing caution to the wind is what Juergen Klopp does best as Liverpool manager.
It has guided virtually every principle during the German's Anfield reign - except one.
Before yesterday morning's (Singapore time) trolley dash as the transfer window closed, the Reds never previously compromised on transfer targets, with a well-established recruitment process in place.
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The last time they tried to panic-buy their way out of a problem, an ill-suited and injured Andy Carroll arrived from Newcastle United as Fernando Torres' replacement in 2011. But desperate times clearly called for a return to those unconventional measures.
Centre-backs Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies' respective deadline-day arrivals offer belated solutions to a problem which the defending English Premier League champions had largely attempted to fix with creative solutions until it became obvious it was no longer possible to do so.
Klopp sought to circumvent a growing centre-back shortage by any means possible, with an array of combinations in the position to limit the impact of losing both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to long-term injuries earlier in the campaign.
Yet it was Joel Matip's absence for the rest of this season that finally forced his hand.
By Klopp's own admission, Davies' arrival from Championship outfit Preston North End would not be remotely near Liverpool's radar under normal circumstances.
The 25-year-old comes as a bargain - with the Reds reportedly paying just £500,000 (S$912,000) upfront and about £1.1m in add-ons.
But, with no top-flight experience, he represents a relatively low-risk gamble after a month when they dropped 10 points in the EPL and exited the FA Cup's fourth round with little more than a whimper.
Kabak's season-long loan from Schalke, too, affords Klopp a rare opportunity to try before he bids for the £18m-rated Turkey international this summer.
Both players may not be preferred signings, but will allow their new manager to properly recalibrate his side in a potentially defining week for Liverpool's defence of their crown.
Shunting square pegs into round holes helped his side temporarily cope at the heart of defence, but what they lost further down the pitch as a result was far more profound.
Since the axis of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho took a literal backseat in mid-December, opponents have largely been able to nullify Klopp's midfield at will.
The Brazilian's immediate future is likely to still lie as an auxiliary centre-back, helping Kabak and Davies acclimatise to their new surroundings, but Henderson's presence is urgently required in the engine room again with two must-win games on the horizon.
Liverpool's captain thrives when given the freedom to play at his own breakneck pace.
Games like tomorrow's visit of Brighton & Hove Albion and next Monday morning's clash with leaders Manchester City are tailor-made for Henderson to dictate the pace.
Encounters between the EPL's two most recent winners often boil down to a case of fine margins; the 30-year-old proved that difference in last season's Anfield meeting with a tee-up for Sadio Mane to score their third which underpinned his creative influence.
His organisational skills also proved invaluable, as his teammates regained their composure after an initially shaky start against Pep Guardiola's erstwhile champions.
Surrendering his dynamism for the greater good let Liverpool naively try to soldier through their backline issues but Henderson needs to be leading from the front again.
It is their only real chance to stop the latest iteration of City's juggernaut.
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