While it was a blow to lose Philippe Coutinho, the signing of Virgil van Dijk has made Liverpool a better team, says Jamie Redknapp...

Liverpool's 4-3 win over Manchester City last weekend was such a big result for the club - for a number of reasons.

But perhaps most importantly it will have given them the belief that they can still demolish a team as good as City without Philippe Coutinho.

They've still got a fantastic front three there, in Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revitalised his career since joining them. I've got no problems with them going forward; they play some great football.

That's not to say they're not going to miss Coutinho. Who wouldn't? He's a little genius. But in terms of the business they've done this January, I stand by it.

They sold Coutinho to Barcelona for a huge fee, £146m, and have brought in Virgil van Dijk for £75m - a player they badly needed. Ultimately, they needed a centre-back more than they needed Coutinho.

If they can get Van Dijk to the level they're hoping they can get him to and he can be the leader they need in that defence, then he can elevate them to the next level. And then, next season, they can look to compete with Manchester City.

Given Liverpool's strength in attack and weaknesses at the back, it looks like it has been a great trade for them.

The next position on Jurgen Klopp's list to address will be a goalkeeper - but I think that will have to wait until the summer.

Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius are both good goalkeepers but you just have to look at Ederson at Manchester City to see what a difference a top goalkeeper can make to a team. Last season Claudio Bravo was shaky, nervous. But while Ederson makes the odd mistake, such as his misplaced kick last weekend, he's been brilliant for City.... <<< read more >>> @ www.galatixnews.com

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