Liverpool: no case for the defence.

Death and taxes: apparently, these are the only two certainties in life.

Wrong.

Death, taxes and a cataclysmic defensive display from Liverpool. Those are life’s certainties.

From the moment Jürgen Klopp’s illegal approach for Virgil Van Dijk became public, from the moment that it became crystal clear that there was no Plan B for central defensive reinforcements during this transfer window, from the moment Dejan Lovren crossed the white line against Sevilla on Wednesday, it was a certainty that there would be at least one monumental defensive fubar from the men in red during the opening fixture of the ECL. And we didn’t have to wait long.

Emre Can’s feeble tackle coupled with Lovren’s impression of a paralytic baby giraffe as the ball flew across the six-yard box, left Wissam Ben Yedder looking faintly embarrassed as he poked the ball into a gaping net. Not five minutes had passed.

That said, Liverpool were clearly the better team. Their attacking troika of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah was, at times, utterly irresistible. The two goals they mustered were excellent, but could have – should have? – been built upon. Philippe Coutinho made a welcome return and was warmly received by the Kop. Although he played well within himself, as if he somehow had a metaphorical tail caught between his legs, there is no doubt that Liverpool will be a stunning attacking prospect this season.

But as a defensive prospect?

It’s not a recent problem. For years, Liverpool’s detractors have been quick to seize upon and mock their defensive frailties. However, even for the neutral, I suspect, this has probably gone beyond being amusing. Silly, silly mistakes at the back are becoming so monotonous in their regularity that you wonder whether the defensive coaches at Anfield are, in reality, secret agents from Old Trafford and Goodison, sent to Melwood to destroy Klopp’s plans for world domination from within.

Klopp has had two summer windows to rectify the situation; his solution has been to bring in Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Andrew Robertson, promote Trent Alexander Arnold, reintegrate Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno, deploy James Milner as a makeshift left back, and effectively sack Mamadou Sakho. Aside from these, Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne and Lovren remain from the Rodgers’ administration. You can’t accuse Klopp of not making changes; it’s just that the changes have simply not been good enough. Therefore, it can clearly be argued that, essentially, this is Klopp’s defence; furthermore, this is Klopp’s mess, and he needs to get on his hands and knees and start cleaning it up quickly.

Klopp’s affable charisma will only offer him limited protection, and the veneer is papery thin. The question is how long will Liverpool’s fans and Liverpool’s owners put up with the sort of amateurish performances seen on Wednesday. If Klopp wins matches 4-3, all will be forgiven. However, the 5-0 excoriation at the hands of Manchester City last Saturday suggests that Liverpool could struggle against the ‘big’ teams this term, not usually a problem over the past two seasons. The truth is, blitzkrieg has only worked against Arsenal this year; every other fixture has had a measure of disaster or frustration or both.

At present, my glass is half-empty. I’m worried.