When Robbie Fowler and I were at Liverpool, we scored a shed-load of Premier League goals between us.

Seventy-two, to be precise — 30 more than Andrew Cole and Eric Cantona managed for Manchester United in the same two seasons.

Yet those two ended both campaigns — 1995-96 and 1996-97 — with Premier League winners’ medals, while at Anfield we ended up finishing third and then fourth.

Why? It’s simple.

In the Sir Alex Ferguson era, United had a great goalkeeper, great defenders, great midfielders and great attackers — and they mopped up.

At Liverpool, even then, we had better attacking options than we did in defence.

Collymore and Fowler got more league goals in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons... (
Image:
Daily Mirror)
...but on both occasions, it was Cantona and Cole who lifted the champions' trophy (
Image:
Sunday Mirror)

You’d probably have to go back to the days when Kenny Dalglish was a player to find a time when Liverpool were great at the back and great up top.

Under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, they were good at the back and average up front, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres aside.

And under Jurgen Klopp they are great in attack but bang-average at the back.

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that teams need balance if they are going to compete for Premier League titles, and it will be evident again at Anfield on Saturday when Manchester United visit.

United boss Jose Mourinho is the arch-pragmatist when it comes to setting up teams.

He gets his defence right first, then worries about his attack later. It seems to have worked pretty well in the past — and be working pretty well now — for him.

Antonio Conte did the same at Chelsea last season.

Mourinho is on his way to Anfield with a Man United side built in his traditional style (
Image:
Getty)

Whereas at Liverpool it’s the opposite.

Klopp’s front-men now find themselves in a situation whereby they go into games knowing they have to score at least two to stand a chance of even a point.

The statistics tell us teams which win the league concede between 0.82 and 0.92 goals a game — and already this season Liverpool are at 1.7.

So there’s not much wiggle-room and until Klopp addresses his back four — and I hope he does so in the January transfer window — his side are going to find it very difficult to keep up with Mourinho and co.

I don’t know how far back Klopp looked at Liverpool’s history when he arrived at the club but there is a recipe for the success they had in the 1970s and Eighties.

Dalglish, who will have a stand at Anfield named after him on Saturday, played alongside Ian Rush up front, and behind him in midfield had talents such as Graeme Souness and Terry McDermott.

In defence, there were Alan Hansen, Phil Thompson, Phil Neal, Mark Lawrenson and Steve Nicol — so don't tell me that balance is not key.

Liverpool are still waiting to celebrate a title they last won with Dalglish and co in 1990 (
Image:
Allsport)

Those heady days are one of the reasons Dalglish will be honoured when the club name a stand after him on Saturday.

Although it’s not just because of the way he played the game or the trophies he won as a player and manager.

The way he conducted himself and represented the club around the difficulties of Hillsborough was different class, and he doesn’t just deserve a stand for that but a knighthood as well.

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