Can Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho provide the quality Liverpool desperately need at the back? That is the question that is now being asked after their latest performance together.
The pair were outstanding in the weekend's win over top-of-the-table Leicester City. With Martin Skrtel out through injury, Dejan Lovren put in a remarkable shift to keep in-form duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez quiet, preventing the Foxes from scoring for the first time this season.
Duo finally starting to repay huge transfer fees?
Does that suggest this partnership could be the start of something great for the Reds and Jürgen Klopp? Perhaps. Both defenders played for arguably the two biggest clubs in France before making their way to Liverpool and are experienced players.
The pairing of these two is not something that we have seen too often enough at the club and with the recent performances of the two, although Sakho has looked shaky since his return from injury, in addition to the management of Klopp - there is potential for them to become a real success together.
Sakho was bought back in the summer of 2013 for a fee of around £18 million, with Lovren arriving a year later for massive fee of around £20 million - the highest fee ever spent on a defender by the club - so it is fair to say expectations of the pair are particularly high.
Those expectations inevitably led to tough starts for both players, Sakho initially struggling to get into the first-team with Lovren persistently earning criticism for a poor first 12 months on Merseyside - though they have also both had a number of difficult injuries whilst being in England, meaning they've spent a number of games out on the sidelines.
Skrtel the problem?
When partnered with Skrtel, either defender seems to lose their positioning and be caught out whilst holding the line, due to Skrtel wandering freely at the back. When both Sakho and Lovren are alongside each other, however, it is a different story.
Instead, they both seem calm and composed because both players are also good players of the ball, passing strongly and swiftly. As an example, Lovren finished Boxing Day's game with a pass completion rate of 92%, whilst Sakho is generally seen as one to drive the team forward from defence.
The pair of centre halves regularly play the ball forward and can start attacks from the back, despite the fact Sakho is still somehow labelled as 'clumsy' though he is actually a very composed player when under pressure.
With Skrtel's injury leaving the Slovakian out for the next four or five weeks at least, Lovren and Sakho should be given time together to prove themselves to the manager and any doubters.
Lovren and Sakho can form formidable back-four
And with a fast quick-witted full-back either side of them in Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno, they should be able to play the ball out with confidence.
With Liverpool struggling massively with set-pieces, both in defending and attacking them, the pair could also prove useful atboth ends of the pitch. Lovren has won 78.85% of his total aerial duels, with Sakho winning 66.67% in the current Barclays Premier League season, demonstrating clearly their prowess in the air.
In addition, between the pair, they have made only three defensive errors this term, with one leading to a goal. Whilst this is obviously not good, none of these errors have come when playing together and so time should be afforded to them to see whether they can help solve the Reds' susceptibility to conceding errors.
Whether the Croatian and the Frenchman truly are the answer to the club's defensive woes is a debate to be had, but at the very least the pair should be given a chance in central defence before new enforcements are brought in.