The Player Nobody's Talking About That Liverpool Need in January

What is it with Liverpool and trips to London this season?

A fortnight after suffering a 4-1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur, the Reds reversed the scoreline on Saturday, putting West Ham United to the sword and putting Slaven Bilic out of a job.

After being thumped by Spurs at Wembley Stadium on October 22, manager Jurgen Klopp had to cope with a barrage of questions from the press about his team's defensive deficiencies.

"I cannot fix it here but we will fix it," he said defiantly in the aftermath, per James Benge of the Evening Standard.

Since that collapse in the capital, the Reds have reeled off three successive wins by a combined score of 10-1.

The defence was not the main talking point after their latest demolition job at the weekend. Instead, the written media quizzed Klopp about an intriguing tactical tweak.

It may just be a temporary band aid over what has become a deep wound for supporters, but the former Borussia Dortmund boss decided to field two sitters in central midfield against West Ham, veering away from his favoured 4-3-3 system to give the team greater balance, both in attack and defence.

"We did the 4-4-2, which looked maybe from the beginning like a very offensive lineup, but in fact had a very different idea," the German said, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.

"We wanted to defend deeper, more compact, and use the space for the counter-attacks."

So, Klopp has fixed it, right? Well, don't count on it just yet. Taking out the error-prone and unfit Dejan Lovren, plus switching formations, hasn't suddenly solved an issue that has plagued the Reds for years.

Liverpool had beaten a shot-shy Huddersfield Town and a happy-to-be-here Maribor at home prior to flattening a fragile Hammers side at the London Stadium. The one goal against, scored by Manuel Lanzini, was largely overlooked on Saturday because of the final result.

Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum both played at the position Klopp calls a No. 6. They did a steady enough job, too, but the former has an expiring contract and the latter lacks consistency.

Jordan Henderson missed the West Ham fixture through injury; the club captain often occupies the deep-lying midfield role in a 4-3-3, but Liverpool should explore the possibilities of an upgrade at the position.

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There are two outstanding, Brazilian-born candidates plying their trade in Europe right now: AS Monaco's Fabinho and Jorginho of Napoli.

At 6'1" tall, the versatile Fabinho—who can also be deployed at right-back—is more physically suited to the Premier League. He also has the defensive instincts to protect and serve a back line that, like a balloon juggled by Edward Scissorhands, could burst at any moment.

The 24-year-old is averaging 3.8 tackles a game and has a pass completion rate of 86.9 per cent in Ligue 1 this season, according to WhoScored.com. His willingness to do the dirty work would be welcomed at Anfield, allowing the team's creative talents to prosper knowing there is protection behind them.

And yet, despite all of Fabinho's many qualities, Jorginho has the edge due to one thing—passing.

The heartbeat of Maurizio Sarri's free-flowing Napoli side, Jorginho would be ideal for Liverpool as a No. 6. He is not physically imposing, nor renowned for his tough-tackling approach to playing in the middle. Instead, the 25-year-old relies on his footballing brain to prosper.

Per WhoScored.com, he has completed 92.3 per cent of his passes in Serie A in the current campaign. He also averages 1.4 interceptions per game, demonstrating his knack for reading the game both in and out of possession.

Dries Mertens is seen as the star turn for Napoli, and rightly so considering his goalscoring feats so far in 2017, but Jorginho's all-round contribution to the cause doesn't go totally unnoticed.

Peter Staunton of Goal.com pinpointed the importance of Jorginho at the start of October, even comparing him to a modern-day legend who demonstrated the game isn't all about how fast, or how far, you can run:

"Maurizio Sarri’s side are winning admirers all over the continent for their brand of football, perfected over the past couple of seasons. Their total dominance of the ball and their relentless commitment to positive attacking play has marked them out as Serie A winners-in-waiting this season—at a time when champions Juventus do not appear to be at their best.

"Most of it would be impossible without Jorginho, the 25-year-old signed from Verona in 2014. He fulfils much the same role in this team as Xavi did for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona."

Arsene Wenger is apparently impressed. According to Tuttomercato (h/t Football Whispers' James Nalton, via Sky Sports), the Gunners boss could bring the player to the Emirates Stadium, although the report added a move is unlikely to happen in the next transfer window.

Liverpool were linked in the past; Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) reported interest as far back as 2013, when Jorginho was playing for Hellas Verona in Italy. More recently, Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo) said Klopp was keen to bring him in as part of a squad overhaul.

The trail may appear to have gone cold since, but Klopp will be aware of exactly what one of Italian football's most consistent performers can produce. Giampiero Ventura has finally opened his eyes, too, with the Azzurri coach calling up Jorginho for the two-legged World Cup qualifying play-off against Sweden.

Having previously only appeared in two friendlies for Italy, there was still the possibility of turning out for the country of his birth. Quite how Ventura ignored such a talent for so long is a footballing crime, considering he had a potential replacement for the retired Andrea Pirlo sitting under his nose.

As for Liverpool, they could do with a controlling presence in their busy engine room.

Yes, a new centre-back—or two—would be most useful. Despite his public support for the current options in his first-team squad, Klopp's botched pursuit of Virgil van Dijk in the summer shows it is an area he wants to upgrade.

Yet the failure to sign an alternative option to the unavailable Dutchman—who saw his hopes of a switch from Southampton scuppered once his current employers made an official complaint about an illegal approach—is not necessarily down to poor planning.

Klopp had identified his chosen one, so when the deal died, he refused to panic. Money isn't burning a hole in his pocket. If he fancies fillet steak for dinner, he's not interested in making do with minced beef.

The same principal stands with midfielders. Naby Keita couldn't be secured before the start of September, but the Reds planned ahead by wrapping up a deal for next summer instead. The Guinea international—so pivotal for surprise package RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season—will be a welcome addition to the ranks in 2018.

Still, there's no need to think Keita's impending arrival rules out the need for further additions at the position.

Keita, like Can, Henderson and Wijnaldum, is an energetic type who can make a difference in attack. Rather than stifle any of them, Liverpool would do well to identify someone else to line up at No. 6.

That someone is Jorginho, a pass master who could dictate the tempo and even provide a measure of control in the hurly-burly world of the Premier League. Whether played in a two or lining up alone in the role, he is the type of pivot the Reds need if they are to move to the next level.