OPINION
Liverpool’s opening-day demolition of West Ham was as convincing as it was thrilling to watch.
Jurgen Klopp’s side overwhelmed the second-biggest summer spenders with swaggering attacking football built on solid foundations at the back.
Joe Gomez won a late fitness race to take his place as Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner and delivered a smooth display in the heart of the defence.
But far bigger tests lie ahead, starting with next Monday’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, when Wilfried Zaha will pose an enormous threat to the Liverpool back line.
Certainly, Van Dijk, the leader of the defence and the outstanding member of it, will start.
But the identity of his partner is a subject of some debate and will probably provide the biggest selection headache for Jurgen Klopp going into the match.
Dejan Lovren has been ruled out with a pelvic injury sustained in the World Cup that ESPN FC report will now sideline him for a month until after the next international break.
Joel Matip hasn’t featured for the first team since March and, having returned to fitness during pre-season, suffered a thigh problem that forced him home from the tour of the United States.
But the giant Cameroonian took a big step in his rehabilitation on Wednesday night by coming through a practice match at Melwood.
The centre-back looked fit and strong in a 60-minute game involving senior players who didn’t start against West Ham United, and who were joined by a handful of Academy players.
Gomez is a fine back-up option at centre-back and did little wrong against Mark Arnautovic and company.
But Matip is the ideal replacement for Lovren, who had established himself as Van Dijk’s first-choice partner in the final months of last season following a series of outstanding displays en route to the Champions League final.
The 6ft 5in centre-back has the class and experience to deal with Zaha and company, and nail down a regular starting slot in the subsequent matches against Brighton and Leicester City.