Liverpool are facing a defensive crisis after Jeremie Frimpong was ruled out until December with a hamstring injury, but Arne Slot has a forgotten star who can help him avoid a full-blown emergency
With Jeremie Frimpong sidelined until December due to a hamstring problem, Liverpool are once again confronting potential defensive worries. The Reds have already witnessed Giovanni Leoni suffer a season-ending ACL setback, leaving Joe Gomez as the only central defensive backup.
The England international can step in at full-back on either flank when required, though Arne Slot has typically steered clear of using him in that position during most of his Anfield tenure. Prior to Saturday’s clash with Aston Villa, the Dutch manager was asked whether he’d considered deploying Gomez at right-back to tackle his side’s ongoing defensive frailties.
While Slot admitted he was prepared to adjust his approach when circumstances demanded it, he insisted he hadn’t yet identified any reason to change his current set up.
He said: “I have won games in the past – we can talk about (Manchester) City away last season – that went against my beliefs, but it was necessary to play it over there like that in the second half.
“I would be more than open to adapt in certain situations. But I don’t think the story, at least in my opinion, is that we concede chance after chance after chance and are too open. It’s absolutely not like this.”, reports the Mirror.
As such, it would be somewhat surprising to see Gomez filling in at right-back in Frimpong’s absence. However, with the Dutch star potentially out for another seven matches, extra strain will be put on Conor Bradley in the interim.
The Northern Irish defender has had a tough season so far, missing a significant part of pre-season and the start of the campaign due to injury. This led Slot to use the player as an example when explaining his heavily rotated squad for the midweek League Cup loss to Crystal Palace.
Speaking after the match, he said: “I only have one right full-back, Conor Bradley, as an example, and every time I had to play him twice in three days or three times in seven days [last season], it led to him… that I had to take him off with a hamstring injury or something else. Are you willing to take that risk with such a big week coming up?”.
Slot may have given Bradley a breather against Palace with an eye on future fixtures, but it’s a tall order to expect him to play every game while Frimpong is out of action, especially given his history with injuries. This might explain why Dominik Szoboszlai, one of Liverpool’s standout players this season, has already been used in the unfamiliar role of full-back on several occasions.
If needed, the Reds do have another right-back option – Calvin Ramsay.
The Scottish defender made his first appearance for Liverpool in three years during the midweek match against Crystal Palace, shining as the team’s best player on a difficult night and earning praise from Slot afterwards.
The 22 year old’s future at Anfield seemed uncertain after a string of injuries and unsuccessful loan stints at Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Kilmarnock. The young right-back, who was snapped up from Aberdeen for an initial £4m in June 2022, has only made 29 senior appearances in the past three and a half years, with just 10 starts.
However, He’s only managed to complete the full 90 minutes twice, both times for Liverpool rather than during his loan periods, and has been training with the Under-21s squad.
Although he’s no longer categorised as an Under-21s player, he’s still eligible to play in the Premier League this season. He was a surprise inclusion in Slot’s 24-man squad for the first half of the campaign, announced back in September, with the defender filling Liverpool’s 17th and final overseas slot.
Admittedly, it would probably take a few more injuries for Ramsay to be suddenly thrust into Premier League action. But after three years without playing for the Reds, his impressive performance against Palace served as a timely reminder that the previously overlooked Scot remains a viable option.
Whether or not he’ll get another chance at Anfield is yet to be seen.
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