When Alexis Mac Allister hobbled off the field in Liverpool’s latest friendly against Bayern Munich, you could almost hear the audible gasp coming from every Liverpool fan around the world. Not only was there concern for the Argentine himself, but the understanding that the depth behind him doesn’t exist or is very limited.
The Reds have seen a large exodus this summer with the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho. Fabio Carvalho also left on loan for the season in Germany.
The exciting signings of Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai gave hope to fans that this was really going to be a revolution for the club.
Unfortunately, those two are the only incoming business to be completed at Anfield this summer. Even for all the talent both men possess, replacing 7 or more 1st team players with 2 just does not add up.
Liverpool’s starting XI can compete with any team in the world on their day. However, the drop-off in talent amongst the substitutes typically is significant.
This has been the case for some time during the Klopp era. If Liverpool can stay healthy, they win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and more.
When the injury bug catches fire at Liverpool, it becomes hard for the squad to overcome multiple long-term injuries. Flashbacks to seeing Jordan Henderson or Fabinho having to play center-half in the defense is a place nobody wants to go back to.
A glance at the defense right now, and the rotation is probably 7 total players. However, Matip and Gomez, two of those presumed on the bench, are either in decline or have never lived up to their own hype.
The only defensive substitute that is serviceable for the Reds comes at Left-back in Kostas Tsimikas. He has proven to be solid in relief of Andy Robertson.
The club is one major injury to Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold from disaster.
During the FSG and Klopp era, when Liverpool buy a player, he typically turns out to be a strong asset to the squad. However, the problem arises when it’s a maximum of two 1st team signings per window.
The odd occasion will see a 3rd new arrival. However, this gets off-set with the sell to raise funds business model for Liverpool. Quality depth is never built when you are constantly working only with like-for-like swaps.
The best teams in the world such as Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all boast an overabundance of talent across the board. Depth is second nature to these teams.
It has become frustrating for fans when one of the biggest clubs in the world refuses to heavily invest in the squad and instead relies on the management skills of Klopp to patch together youngsters and whoever appears to be around the stadium at the time for his depth pieces.
The only area of the pitch that has the most talent in numbers is the attack. Luis Diaz, Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota are all top tier players. However, even then, if an injury occurs to 1 or 2, the pipeline quickly becomes bare.
The major concern right now though should be the midfield and in defense. The club will be competing in the long slog of the Europa League this coming season in addition to the Premier League and domestic cups. Going deep in multiple competitions will test the depth of any side.
The starting XI cannot be relied upon to turn out 60 times again as they did a few years ago. We saw how that derailed the side the following campaign.
With the first kickoff of the Premier League season fast approaching, it does not appear as if Liverpool will be splashing the cash for multiple new assets. We might see one new addition, but no matter how good they are, every harsh tackle on a Liverpool player will be watched with extreme angst.
It’s a position a club like Liverpool should never find themselves in, but that is the business model that has been embraced by the powers that be.
For now, we will once again need to hope for a season of health and rapid growth in the youngsters around the squad. One can only hope this method holds up again. If it doesn’t, it could quickly become a living nightmare at Anfield.