I just went through the coaching list on the off chance that, like the goalkeeper coach, there was somebody in charge of defensive work that was carrying over from previous regimes. The answer is no.
I’ve been beating up Achterberg for years and I’m sure folks are sick of it. I won’t rehash again. As disastrous as he seems to be with the goalkeepers, I’d be hard pressed on my most cynical day to link something he’s doing to the constant lapses of the back line. Karius and Mignolet aren’t telling TAA or Gomez to switch off.
What causes two different groups of defenders to have similar lapses under two management regimes? The only thing that seems to be left is coincidence.
It’s decision making, concentration, awareness, and commitment. I don’t think this team has had any type of strong, intelligent leadership in the back since Agger or, maybe more likely, Carragher. While it would be great to have a goalkeeper that truly marshaled the defense like a Buffon, those guys don’t exactly grow on trees. I get the sense VVD, for all his individual talent, is intended to fill that role. I’m hoping this was the major intent of his signing- Klopp identified a lack of second by second organizational ability with his guys that VVD brought to Southampton. The guy hasn’t been here a month yet- I’ll hope to see some progress with this over the coming weeks.
If not... Fuck these guys.