Liverpool have much to sort out over the coming weeks.
It’s perhaps a measure of the club’s reputation and the expectation that comes with their football that three defeats in succession have been met with such hysteria from outside and dismay from within.
But Liverpool sit just one point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, and Arne Slot demonstrated last season, when he led the Reds to the title, his ability to overcome obstacles and create a formidable system.
But after such heavy expenditure, the scrutiny is on the Anfield side.
The players will no doubt have been remonstrated for their error-strewn performances, a consistent problem throughout the campaign, but there’s no question the system needs oiling besides.
Defence, in particular, has been a pressure point for the outfit this season, and all is not right within Virgil van Dijk’s domain.
The state of play in Liverpool's defence
All is not right. Imbalanced and bereft of confidence at the back, Liverpool are littering their displays with mistakes. At the epicentre is Ibrahima Konate, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign and wanted by Real Madrid. The France international’s performances have led Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to brand him as “absolutely shocking”.
And Van Dijk is not infallible. The legendary Dutchman turned 34 this summer, and while he has still been monstrous as Liverpool’s captain and defensive leader, against Chelsea, he flattered to deceive, with GOAL writing of his faults during both of the Blues’ goals and giving him a 4/10 match rating.
Leoni’s long-term injury is a cruel one; after FSG failed in their late-window bid to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, Liverpool’s centre-half options were already limited, and the young Italian might have earned his fair share of chances to impress.
Now, Slot’s central defensive line is somewhat threadbare, and the rumour mill is already churning, with Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck emerging as a target. However, Sky Germany have since put a dampener on that budding saga, with Bayern Munich’s interest building.
While there’s an anticipation lingering over Liverpool’s interest in Guehi, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, many feel January reinforcements are needed if the squad are to compete for silverware across the different shoots.
Well, Liverpool might actually have an academy star, gunning for a first-team spot at Anfield, with the quality and confidence to play a part at the senior level this season.
The Liverpool teen who can fix Konate & Leoni blow
Last season, Slot showed he was willing to promote youth at Liverpool when unleashing teenage defender Amara Nallo in the Champions League. But Nallo suffered a nightmarish senior bow, sent off during that defeat to PSV Eindhoven.
Nallo hasn’t featured since, but in Wellity Lucky, Liverpool might find another up-and-coming talent who could earn his keep in Slot’s system this season.
Lucky, 19, is a core member of Rob Page’s U21 set-up, and he has captained the team once already this season. No doubt, the youth has looked at Jarell Quansah’s own ascension from the Reds academy and believes he can emulate his countryman, now playing for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Born in Spain, Lucky has been capped for England U16s but remains open to either nationality as his career progresses. He left Real Zaragoza’s youth academy aged 13 and signed for Liverpool, since featuring 27 times for the U18s and 28 times for the U21s.
Journalist Bence Bocsak has already singled out the “highly-rated” prospect for praise, commenting that he is “composed on the ball” and boasted the highest pass completion of any Liverpool U21 player last season.
It was only this summer that the rising star was awarded a new three-year contract with the club, and the expectation is that he will earn a chance at getting some minutes at the highest level with a continuation of hard work and promising performances.
It was only this week that Lucky stood out for the U21s in their 2-0 EFL Trophy defeat to Crewe Alexandra. Lose though they did, he produced an impressive performance at the back, and Slot may well have taken note.
Minutes played
90′
Touches
111
Accurate passes
88/94 (94%)
Possession lost
7x
Chances created
1
Dribbles
2/2
Recoveries
6
Tackles won
3/4
Interceptions
2
Clearances
2
Duels won
6/6
It’s particularly interesting to note Lucky won all six of his contested ground duels, underscoring his natural composure and timing. Moreover, that crisp possessional play was on full show, with 94% of his passes completed against the League Two opponents.
This all points toward a potential future in Slot’s senior set-up. Liverpool may well be reaching a point at which left-field solutions are required to see the club through to the end of the campaign, and Jurgen Klopp’s success with the aforementioned Quansah emphasises the gains that can be found in adding a youth talent to the ranks when alternative, senior options have been exhausted.
With Konate sent home early from international duty with France this month after sustaining a slight injury issue during the loss at Chelsea the other week, Joe Gomez may be called upon for the forthcoming Premier League meeting with Manchester United.
Gomez is a seasoned professional, but what about the bench? Might Lucky find himself taking a seat among his senior peers? Certainly, it would be a steep risk to throw him right in at the deep end, but the teenager’s underlying data and the noise around his name suggest he might just provide the depth and quality required over the campaign – and maybe beyond.