Defensively, Leeds United were simply not good enough last season, shipping 78 in total – the most in the Premier League – as they suffered relegation to the Championship in just their third season back in the top flight.
In a frantic campaign, the Yorkshire club went through three managers, starting with Jesse Marsch, before handing Javi Gracia the task of keeping them up, and eventually having one more desperate throw of the dice, hiring Sam Allardyce. None of the three managers could address their defensive issues, however.
Now, it is up to new man Daniel Farke to get them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. And to do that, he may need to replicate the leadership of the likes of Liam Cooper by securing summer target Nat Phillips – something that transfer insider Dean Jones believes the Liverpool defender is capable of doing.
Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said: “I mean, Liam Cooper was never someone you would typically get most excited about seeing on the ball or anything like that, but when you see the team sheet, he was a player as a Leeds fan that you’d always want to be on there on their rise to the Premier League.
"And they need to find that again, and maybe Nat Phillips has the determination and the focus and the talent to replicate that. They certainly have got to find figures like that if they’re going to bounce back.”
How does Nat Phillips compare to Liam Cooper?
When compared, Phillips and Cooper have been incredibly similar players throughout their respective Premier League careers.
As per FBref, the Liverpool man, who has a "colossal" frame, just about edges the Scot when on the ball, with a better pass completion rate and more progressive passes per 90 – something that could prove crucial in the Championship when Leeds will likely enjoy more possession than in the Premier League.
Off the ball, Cooper makes more blocks, wins more tackles, and makes more interceptions than Phillips, who, to his credit, is still within touching distance of all three statistics.
It must be said, too, that Phillips has played in a Liverpool side which holds the majority of possession, reducing the need to block, tackle, and intercept compared to that of Cooper's in a Leeds side who were pinned back in their own half in the Premier League.
Praising his defender back in 2020, Klopp said: "He's a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything. He's not easy on the eye, he's not Messi but who cares?'
"In the air, he's a monster! He was incredible.
"For the first game, I think everyone can imagine how nervy that must be after a long wait. It's a crazy story, three years ago he was on his way to America to college.
"Twelve Championship teams wanted him and to me it was clear he was going, and I was fine with that – and it didn't work out for whatever reason, and it's great! Tonight he was spot on, helped the team incredibly."
Currently valued at £10m by Liverpool, according to The Athletic, it's the 26-year-old's experience in such a possession-heavy side that could be crucial for Farke.
He has played at the very top, winning at the San Siro in the Champions League against AC Milan. Phillips can not only replicate Cooper's ability, he can exceed it.
