Despite their decent run of form across Christmas and New Year, Liverpool continue to cause new problems for themselves this season.
The Reds have been a shadow of their title-winning selves this term, and an 11-game unbeaten run has done little to fix the issues on show.
After Conor Bradley went down with a season-ending knee injury at Arsenal last week, the spotlight has fallen on Liverpool‘s struggles at right-back.
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It was always going to be difficult for Liverpool to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold after eight years in the first team, but early injury worries for Jeremie Frimpong have made things even harder.
With Bradley now missing for the rest of the campaign, Frimpong is Arne Slot‘s only recognised right-back alongside the versatile talents of Joe Gomez. And according to former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby, the Reds are far from sorted in this position.
Jan Molby not convinced by Liverpool’s right-back options
Even before Bradley’s injury, there were concerns that Liverpool had not effectively replaced Alexander-Arnold.
As big a prospect as the Northern Irishman is, there are real concerns over his injury record, something Molby thinks will ultimately count against him at Liverpool.
Jeremie Frimpong runs with the ball during Liverpool's Premier League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
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“You need to be able to play 50 or 60 games and Conor has a real problem with that,” the Dane told Anfield Index.
“I feel that Conor’s body will never be given the time that he might need to adjust to be able to play that many minutes. So, it is an issue.”
On Frimpong, Molby pointed out that while he may be a serviceable option at times, the Dutchman’s lack of physical presence means he also cannot play every game at right-back for Liverpool.
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Andrew Robertson of Liverpool applauds the fans after the team's victory in the Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield.
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“We’ve got another right back, Frimpong, who I don’t for one minute believe that we’re going to be playing as a right back in at least 10, 12 away games because of the pressure you’ll come under as a right back, because of his his lack of of physical size and everything else,” he said. “So, we’ve got a lot of problems today.”
Arne Slot is not addressing right-back concerns at all
Few supporters will argue with any of Molby’s points on either Bradley or Frimpong. At this point in time, neither feel to be sure bets on the right of the Liverpool defence. Gomez is arguably better than both, but the 28-year-old cannot be relied upon to stay fit.
Liverpool could use Wataru Endo at right-back, and young Calvin Ramsay is also an option. But, asked about Ramsay during Friday’s pre-Burnley press conference, Slot suggested that the Scot is nowhere near the first team.
“When someone is unlucky with injuries someone has a chance and that’s the case with Calvin,” he said. “But I still think I have better options to play, but when I was running out of options he’s already shown he’s good enough to be in and around our players.”
Slot also appeared to confirm that Liverpool will not look to utilise the January transfer market for a new right-back despite their struggles in the position.
“I think everyone is aligned about the challenges we are facing,” he said. “That’s not to say that we are going to act, but everyone is aligned on what we are facing. There’s no-one who has a different opinion about it. But that’s not to say that anything is going to happen.”
With Bradley likely to be ready before pre-season, it feels probable that Liverpool will head into next year with the same two options at right-back. The only way to sort this is by targeting and purchasing a better option, but despite a glaring need, the Reds seem reluctant to do that.
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