Liverpool's Premier League title defence has been repeatedly undermined by injuries at centre-half this season. 

The second half of the Reds' 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night illustrated just how big a problem the position has been for them in 2020/21.

With Joel Matip withdrawing due to injury at the interval, Liverpool were looking to protect a lead away from home against a Premier League title rival with midfielder Jordan Henderson and Nathaniel Phillips - a 23-year-old who spent the second half of last season on loan in the German second division - at the heart of defence.

Indeed, Matip's injury was just the latest in a series of major blows at the back for Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez haven't featured since being sidelined in October and November respectively, and could be out for the rest of the campaign. 

Likewise, while Fabinho certainly hasn't disappointed since moving into the heart of defence, he missed the Tottenham game due to injury as well - although it appears to be largely innocuous

Unsurprisingly, the subject of signing another centre-back was brought up more than once in The Athletic's match discussion thread, and journalist James Pearce gave some insight into just how much Liverpool have struggled to find adequate candidates in this transfer window.

He said: "It's been clear for a long time that signing a CB was crucial this month. So far due to cost and availability it hasn't happened. So far they haven't been able to find even a suitable short-term option. I hope that situation changes before the deadline because it could have a major impact on the rest of the season."

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

Under sporting director Michael Edwards, Liverpool have developed a reputation for being one of the Premier League's shrewdest operators in the transfer market - famed for bringing in the right players at the right time and therefore securing maximum value from them. 

But Liverpool's centre-back nightmare this season has presented a different kind of transfer challenge for the club, one that they've not exactly risen to thus far.

Liverpool's failure to identify a single defender who could be brought in to address their problems, whether on a short or long-term deal, is frankly a little laughable considering how on-point their recruitment has been in recent years. 

Of course, there's no point in Liverpool bringing someone in who doesn't fit the bill.

But in between the array of centre-backs whose contracts are expiring, the number of long-term defensive targets Liverpool surely have and the central defenders who, for one reason or another, find themselves in need of a new home this month, surely at least one is available for an acceptable price and meets the majority of the desired criteria. 

With a few days of the transfer window to go, we could still see something happen before Monday's deadline.