Liverpool supporters have arguably never been as disillusioned with their club as they are in the wake of Sunday’s defeat against Manchester City.
It is not the City match itself which has upset fans so, but it is the latest cherry on top of what has been a truly disastrous six months.
The Reds have had rotten luck at times, but there is nothing unlucky about the way in which the Liverpool squad has been stripped back to its bare bones.
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Marc Guehi pictured in action during Manchester City's Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA
Another blow befell Arne Slot on Sunday after he watched Dominik Szoboszlai pick up a bizarre red card against City. The Hungarian, who was filling in as an emergency right-back, will now miss Wednesday’s visit to Sunderland.
Szoboszlai’s suspension leaves Slot without his first, second, third and fourth-choice right-back. But after Liverpool failed to address what was already a glaring problem in the January transfer window, fans’ sympathy will be in short supply.
Liverpool already paying for ridiculous January decisions
Liverpool did not need a right-back when the transfer window opened on January 1st. But having seen Conor Bradley’s season ended on January 8th, they should have sprung into life.
By the time Jeremie Frimpong picked up a hamstring issue 20 days later, Liverpool still had time to find a suitable player who could help in the short-term.
Arne Slot throws his arms wide during Liverpool's Premier League match against Manchester City at Anfield.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
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They did briefly try to sign Lutsharel Geertruida on loan, but with the Dutchman already enjoying a temporary spell at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, it was always going to be a tough deal to get done. Ironically, Geertruida could line up against the Reds this Wednesday.
Firstly, fans questioned why Liverpool decided to wait so late to act on something which had been a disaster waiting to happen, and secondly, why was the only player they targeted one who was highly unlikely to be able to join.
Szoboszlai does not want to play right-back for Liverpool, and continually shunting him there is damaging the Reds in midfield. Now they can’t even rely on their No. 8 to fill in out of position.
How many points are we getting from the next five? 😑
Arne Slot pictured before Liverpool's Premier League match against Manchester City at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images).
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Curtis Jones is the most likely candidate to play against Sunderland, but that is not ideal in what will be an extremely tough away trip for Liverpool. This has quickly gone from being a real problem to a catastrophe for Slot and the Reds, but it is clear that they only have themselves to blame.
Liverpool must revise their transfer strategy
There are plenty of reasons for Liverpool being as bad as they have been this season. However, one of the biggest issues has been the size of the squad.
The Reds spent more heavily than they ever have during the summer, but they still managed to leave themselves short in several areas of the pitch.
You cannot legislate for two right-backs being out at the same time, but Liverpool knew that Joe Gomez, the third-choice in the position, would be injured at some stage and even if they could not have prepared for this in the summer, they absolutely could have reacted in January.
The worst part is that every Liverpool supporter knew that the club would acknowledge the problem at right-back without even attempting to address it. Yes, they want long-term solutions not short-term fixes, but sometimes you have to pivot. That the Reds did not is not surprising, but it absolutely should not be tolerated.
It is fans who have to suffer these performances and results, and there will be little understanding from those who make the long trip up to Sunderland on Wednesday night for another game of spot the right-back.
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