Liverpool were hoping to continue their perfect start to the season, but they’ve taken a huge blow. Defender Jeremie Frimpong, one of the key players in the title race, will be out until after the September international break. Frimpong sustained a hamstring injury during Liverpool’s opening-night victory against Bournemouth, raising concerns about the team’s defensive capabilities in the upcoming matches against Newcastle United and Arsenal.
The injury came on August 19 after Frimpong had a brilliant performance in an important match for the club. His absence leaves manager Arne Slot with some difficult decisions to make. Worst of all, he needs to replace a right-back with limited resources that will only exacerbate the lack of quality and depth on this roster.
Defensive Options Under Scrutiny
With Slot forced to be creative following Frimpong’s injury, the new boss has plenty of options at right-back, but potentially none look perfect. Conor Bradley, then, would have been a natural option, but he only just resumed training after a hamstring injury. The young fullback clocked a modest 67 minutes in the Saturday afternoon joint-feature match against Bournemouth. As Slot noted, “The first of them is Joe Gomez without a doubt.” For him to go and to already play 20 minutes, that was already a heavy load. It wasn’t a wash, but he was off the pitch for three days from training with the team. Yet that hampered his advancement. It’s completely normal if you’ve been out for so long and all of a sudden the manager needs you for 20 minutes.
Joe Gomez is a part of the equation, but he’s still coming back from an Achilles injury. This injury has something really killing his ability to train. Alternatively, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai can both fill in at makeshift right-backs. Curtis Jones has already shown he can dominate in this guise for club and country.
Though those alternatives exist, Slot voiced worry over the damage caused by Frimpong’s absence. He agreed, “The medical staff were completely correct on Jeremie. They told me to take him off because he’s out until the end of the international break. This development should be a cause for concern regarding Liverpool’s defensive solidity after their wobbly display against Bournemouth.
Concerns Over Defensive Form
Liverpool’s backline was getting raked over the coals after their first game of the season against Bournemouth. Pundits labeled their backline performance as “ever so embarrassing.” Sky pundit Jamie Carragher was critical of Liverpool’s defensive inadequacies, sternly warning the team they needed to fix those errors before facing bigger matches.
Newcastle United to Anfield, August 25. Arsenal to come August 31, and Slot is well aware of these early matches are offering extreme challenges. In making his points about Liverpool’s alarming situation, former Red and Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson stressed the need for real concern, saying, “That’s dangerous. The style that they play, them letting [Mohamed] Salah stay up top and not having to track back. This strategy would unveil holes in defense without Frimpong’s figure.
Slot admitted to being concerned with defensive transitions, a throwback to some of the transitional gaffes against Bournemouth in the debut match. As he mentioned, “If you watch the second goal we conceded against Bournemouth, they went from the right side of the pitch to the left without us even attempting to defend them. And if you think back to last season, there is no exception—every single game that Ryan played, he would have been in that situation.” Those kinds of mistakes won’t do against tougher competition and could be fatal.
The Road Ahead for Liverpool
As Liverpool awaits their next fixtures, Frimpong’s absence will be felt. Slot needs to balance this in-game decision with the long-term. While hoping for Bradley to get fit, he’s focused on players who can really hold serve defensively in the meantime. He does train with the team, though. How he makes out on Monday and if he’s able to participate fully or even start will be telling. Those aren’t the only alternatives,” Slot said.
With little time left before taking on Newcastle, Liverpool’s coaching staff will have to strategize smartly. The rest of the team has to do better and pick up the slack from injuries. This will be important for them to continue being able to compete within the league.
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