Liverpool were dealt a blow this week when Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out for ‘a few weeks’ with a knee injury he suffered during the Reds’ 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday.
The influential England man joins a list of absentees that includes the likes of Mohamed Salah, Andy Roberson, Kostas Tsimikas and Wataru Endo ahead of an upcoming fixture list that sees a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final and Premier League clashes against Chelsea and Arsenal on the horizon.
With the 25-year-old playing a hybrid role between full-back and midfield, replacing him won’t be straightforward as there are no like-for-like replacements in the Reds squad. So what are Jurgen Klopp’s options as he looks to seal a Wembley final and fight off the chasing pack at the top of the Premier League?
Conor Bradley
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Should Klopp look to youth, 20-year-old Conor Bradley showed during his late substitute appearance at the Emirates at the weekend that he has the potential to break into the first-team. Thrown into a frantic FA Cup tie and up against a seasoned Arsenal attacker in Gabriel Martinelli, Bradley did not panic despite being repeatedly targeted by the home side, with his calm nature shining through.
While Liverpool can be confident in his defensive ability, asking him to take on the mantle of Alexander-Arnold’s out-of-possession midfield role could be something of a risk for Klopp at this stage of the season.
Joe Gomez
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Another option is to shift the back-line around and move Joe Gomez into the right-back position. The 26-year-old has plenty of experience playing all across the back, but has recently been filling in at left-back in the absence of Robertson and Tsimikas, so this would create a fresh issue there.
Liverpool would then be down to untested academy left-back Luke Chambers on that side, making this an unlikely option.
Curtis Jones
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The other way to look at the issue of replicating what Alexander-Arnold does in this Liverpool side is to look for a midfielder who can adapt to the role. With Stefan Bajcetic also injured, Curtis Jones is probably the player who most fits the bill here, having the passing range and forward-thinking instincts that a player requires to succeed in this role.
A new face?
It’s January, which means the transfer window is open, so does bringing in a new face to solve the problem make sense?
Not really, no. None of Liverpool’s absentees have been ruled out for the long-term, so throwing money at the problem and bringing in a new player who would need time to adapt in this side would be something of a panic move and not how Liverpool tend to operate.