'Unsettled' Liverpool did not do enough business in the transfer market, says Phil Babb

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp did not do enough to solve his side's defensive woes in the summer and the constant rotation of his defence has "unsettled" the Merseysiders ahead of their crucial clash against Manchester United on Saturday (14 October), according to former defender Phil Babb.

Klopp's men have endured a rather infuriating start to the season and are just as frail defensively as they were last season having failed to recruit Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, who is still keen on moving to Anfield whether it be in January or next summer.

Van Dijk would no doubt improve Liverpool's susceptible backline, but for the time being they must make do with Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren at the heart of a defence that has conceded 20 goals in just 12 games this season.

Babb, who spent six years with Liverpool between 1994 and 2000, is unimpressed with his former club's rearguard which will be severely tested by United, who have scored 30 goals already this season.

"Liverpool have conceded almost two goals a game. That's not really good enough at Premier League level," Babb told Sky Sports. "What have stayed the same for the past couple of seasons, are the defensive frailties.

"The recruitment in those areas - I don't think he [Klopp] has done enough."

Liverpool will lie 10 points behind Manchester United if they lose on Saturday, but a victory over their arch-rivals will offer renewed hope for the rest of the season. Babb is all too aware of what a win would do for Liverpool's fortunes but is worried that the lack of stability on Merseyside, which he believes is caused by the situation surrounding Philippe Coutinho and Klopp's constant defensive rotation, is having a detrimental effect to the squad's confidence.

"If Liverpool stay unbeaten in this month, and they've got a big test this weekend, that expectation will be there again," Babb said. "As long as they're keeping pace with the big boys above them, then there will be some hope.

"The whole Philippe Coutinho saga went on and on, so they are maybe a little unsettled. The manager was changing the personnel in the back line and that probably unsettled things.

"He [Klopp] keeps persisting in goalkeepers that probably aren't good enough to win the Premier League.

"Centre-halves, game by game, their confidence is ebbing away. Almost conceding two goals every game in the Premier League is just not good enough."