Jacquet Watch: Liverpool’s Defensive Future Comes Into Focus
Credit to Paul Joyce of The Times for the original reporting, which offers more than just insight into Arne Slot’s immediate pressures. Tucked within the wider story of noise, scrutiny, and imbalance is a telling detail that may shape Liverpool’s medium term future, the growing interest in Rennes defender Jérémy Jacquet.
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At 20, Jacquet represents more than a name on a scouting list. He is a signal. A signal that Liverpool’s defensive situation has reached a point where short term fixes and long term planning are colliding.
With Joe Gomez injury issues and Ibrahima Konate absent and his expiring contract, Liverpool are reduced to Virgil van Dijk as the only recognised centre back. That reality gives extra weight to Joyce’s report that Rennes’ Jérémy Jacquet is under consideration. It frames the current crisis not as a blip, but as part of a wider structural issue.
Thin margins at the back
Slot’s comments on improvement in both boxes land differently when viewed through the lens of recruitment. “If we can improve in both boxes, we can do very special things this season,” he said. That is not just a tactical observation. It reads as an implicit acknowledgement that personnel, not just patterns, will decide whether Liverpool’s season stabilises or continues to wobble.
With either Ryan Gravenberch or Wataru Endo set to deputise at centre back, the limits of squad depth are being exposed in real time. For a club competing on multiple fronts, that is a precarious place to be.
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Jacquet’s profile fits a familiar Liverpool model. Young, high ceiling, capable of development within a defined structure. However the interest seems to be for the summer rather than this January window.
“Bad cocktail” meets recruitment reality
Slot’s most striking phrase remains central to the story. “There is a complete disbalance in how many times we arrive in promising positions and how many times other teams arrive there. But there is not a disbalance in the goals that are scored and that’s a very bad cocktail we are having.”
That cocktail is not purely tactical. Defensive instability, injuries, and lack of depth all feed into it. A young centre back like Jacquet is not a quick fix, but he represents an attempt to rebalance the mix for the future.
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Europe as pressure and opportunity
Liverpool’s Champions League campaign offers short term relief. A win over Qarabag will secure a place in the last 16, buying time and easing some pressure. But even in Europe, the defensive situation looms large.
Slot was clear about the consequences. “If we can’t improve in both boxes, it’s going to be a lot of noise throughout the whole season.” Recruitment, as much as coaching, will determine whether that noise fades or grows.
Jacquet’s name, quietly inserted into this report, feels like the start of that next phase.
Our View – Anfield Index Analysis
For supporters, the mention of Jérémy Jacquet is arguably the most revealing part of this entire piece. It acknowledges what fans have been saying for months, Liverpool’s defensive depth is not good enough for a side with serious ambitions.
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Relying on makeshift centre backs might get you through one or two games, but over a season it becomes a risk multiplier. Every injury, every suspension, every knock suddenly has outsized consequences. That is how small problems turn into big ones.
Jacquet feels like a profile Liverpool have trusted before. Young, mouldable, and likely viewed as someone who can grow into the role rather than dominate it immediately. Fans will see both promise and concern in that. Promise in the long term planning, concern that the club may again be asking development players to solve immediate problems.
What this report really underlines is that the “bad cocktail” is not just about finishing chances or conceding soft goals. It is also about squad construction. If Liverpool want to truly change that mix, investment in the back line is not optional. It is foundational.
Whether Jacquet is the answer or just part of it, his inclusion here feels like an early chapter in a much bigger defensive rethink.
Read the full article here
