Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s defensive woes worsened as Jeremie Frimpong limped off just minutes into their Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday night at Anfield.
Arne Slot had already started Ryan Gravenberch at centre-back and lost Frimpong early when the right-back pulled up with a groin issue while tracking a winger. Frimpong signalled for the ball to be put out of play before being replaced by Wataru Endo.
The Premier League champions were already without Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez due to injury, with Conor Bradley also unavailable. After just four minutes, only Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson remained as specialist defenders, while Gravenberch and Endo, both midfielders by trade, filled the backline.
Liverpool secured automatic qualification to the Champions League Round of 16 with a 6-0 win over Qarabag, finishing third in their group. As a seeded team, Arne Slot’s side will face one of the play-off winners: Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, or Juventus.
When asked about a possible emergency loan signing, Slot told TNT Sports: “We as a club always make decisions, or we at least try to make smart decisions, so we not only look at the short-term, we also look at the long-term.
“Longer-term, that’s why we sign young players as well, very good players, but young ones that can still develop. Now we can see this development with a few. And it always depends on, are there players available that we think can help us, and if they are, can we afford them?
“Our players come back from injury as well, and I just said that we don’t have a squad where we have four right-backs and 12 midfielders and three or four number 9s, so we have to do smart things for the near future, but also for the longer future.
“Let’s first see how Jeremy is, maybe he’s not able to play Saturday, but maybe he’s able to play one or two days later. And we now go into a schedule with one game a week, so that will usually mean less injuries, but we’re never sure.”
Read more: Jeremie Frimpong injury update provided by Arne Slot
Liverpool possible Champions League opponents confirmed
Liverpool dealt Jeremie Frimpong injury blow vs Qarabag
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.