Liverpool is right about not wanting to sign players for the sake of it this summer but failing to add some more quality to Arne Slot's side would be a risk. There are legitimate grounds for concern, albeit work is continuing behind the scenes.
While the Dutch head coach is right that he inherited a strong squad from Jurgen Klopp , getting in even just one player before the August 30 transfer deadline could make a substantial difference. Without that, there would be a worry about how long Liverpool could realistically compete on as many fronts as it wants to.
As is the case with many managers moving to England, Klopp didn't realize when he first arrived just how intense things were going to be. He didn't want a "bloated" roster because consistently telling certain players that they are not part of your matchday plans is not a nice job but he eventually relented and was convinced to move for squad players like Xherdan Shaqiri .
READ MORE: Arne Slot has clear plan to get even more out of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia move, Ayman deal completed, Jarrad Branthwaite latest
In 2021/22, for example, there is only one reason that the quadruple was a genuine possibility: Liverpool's relative lack of injuries. That happens only because there are enough options to rotate significantly, even if some tough conversations needed to be had with the likes of Takumi Minamino , who only sporadically featured.
Klopp admitted himself that he didn't see the value of the domestic cups to begin with but once Liverpool had won them under his tenure, his view changed. Even if Slot is thinking along the same lines, eyeing up bigger things, one "smaller" trophy can lead to success in the others.
You can't guarantee any silverware but a Carabao Cup or an FA Cup is not something to be sniffed at. For long runs in those competitions, you need two things: good fortune in the draw, and a deep squad of players to choose from.
More importantly than any of that, though, is a concern over something more fundamental. As it stands, Liverpool has lost more than 1620 senior minutes — the equivalent of 18 full 90-minute appearances — from last season in its roster with the players who have departed either permanently or on loan. And those will have to be taken over by someone.
Slot was very good at keeping players fit during his time with Feyenoord but history tells us that Diogo Jota tends to pick up knocks that turn into months on the sidelines and Curtis Jones gets the odd muscle issue here and there. They are far from the only two who fall into that category.
It doesn't take much for things to spiral, either. Ibrahima Konate being out for a month, for instance, could lead to Jarell Quansah or Joe Gomez playing more, and that increases their risk of injury issues. It is no coincidence that injury problems tend to stack up in concentrated areas: one has a knock-on effect on another.
It is for that reason that not replacing Joel Matip could be a gamble. If Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas get injured for a spell, Liverpool would then only really have three center-backs, because Joe Gomez would become a full-back. That specific example might not happen — but it did last season, and it almost certainly will in at least one area of the pitch.
No one knows yet what the impact of the extra Champions League fixtures will be on Premier League rosters but it would be fair to say that Liverpool needs more depth than last season, not less . The Reds played in the Europa League last year and could rotate more often because of facing easier opposition — that won't be the same this time around. And there are two more games.
Ideally, Liverpool would have added a sixth senior attacking player to its ranks this summer as a result, but once a move for Anthony Gordon broke down, that was unlikely. More urgently, in both midfield and defense, especially now Bobby Clark has departed , it looks a little light. The evidence of the last few years would suggest that two players per midfield position is not enough to compete on all fronts and Liverpool has been made to pay at center-back before.
Without any new signings, Liverpool would need the existing options to play more than 18 more games between them, plus the additional two European games. That figure will change slightly depending on the progress made in each knockout competition but the aim has to be to go all the way in each.
It could work out fine. Jota might have the first injury-free season of his Liverpool career, Jones might get through a full campaign without being out, Liverpool might be luckier with suspensions this time around, and Dominik Szoboszlai's energy might not wane like it did during his first year at Anfield.
The chances are, though, that won't be the case. And if one part of that falls down, there could be a domino effect. Not signing anyone else to help carry the load would be a significant gamble on the future being different from the past — with under a week to go until the transfer deadline, though, time is running out.
Most Popular
Comments / 0