As Liverpool attempt to dust themselves off following a fourth consecutive defeat, they must do it quickly as a tricky trip to Germany in the Champions League beckons on Wednesday.
Eintracht Frankfurt are next up on the docket for Arne Slot and his side as they continue to search for solutions to this rut of form over the last several weeks.
One huge factor in this downturn of form for the reigning English champions is a lacking output from their marquee star players, both new and old. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister, Ibrahima Konate, and Alexander Isak have all struggled at times thus far.
With that in mind, perhaps Wednesday's continental tie can allow Slot to give some other players a chance to truly leave a lasting mark.
These Liverpool players deserve every chance to shine in the fixture against Frankfurt on Wednesday.
Hugo Ekitike
Of all the new arrivals this summer to Anfield, it was the Frenchman that hit the ground running almost immediately.
He scored in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace and that was followed by more goals early on this season. He formed a good connection with Salah right out of the gates.
With the Isak transfer saga dragging into the campaign, Ekitike was allowed to play consistently as the No. 9, almost unchallenged. He thrived with this setup.
However, with the arrival of the record breaking Swede, Hugo has seen himself relegated to more bench duty with an occasional spot-start. This has clearly hampered his burgeoning form that we saw in the first month, as now with limited chances, he is pressing just a bit.
Having said that, on the whole, he has still looked better than Isak has in a Liverpool shirt to this point. Toss in this will be a homecoming for him as he scored 22 goals in all comps for Frankfurt last season, and it makes too much sense for him to start.
He can bring something a little different from Isak, which might not be a bad thing right now.
Federico Chiesa
On the whole, the Italian has largely outplayed Salah so far this season. He has made an impact almost every single time he steps on the pitch for Liverpool.
Chiesa has 2 goals and 3 assists from mostly reserve minutes this season, but that does not tell the whole story. He scored the winning goal against Bournemouth, provided two assists versus Southampton in the League Cup and most recently, bagged an assist on Sunday against United.
He's still such a talented player despite his injury history, but Slot simply refuses to give him a proper runout unless absolutely forced to do so.
Being marred in the midst of a four match losing streak might be that time. Frankfurt are an open side which could leave a lot of room for our No. 14 to operate. I also don't mean for 20 minutes, but from a starting role.
He could have left this summer, but decided to stay and fight for his place in the squad and it's high-time Slot rewarded him with a prime Champions League role.
Wataru Endo
With Ryan Gravenberch missing out on the trip to Germany from injury, the Japan captain is a prime candidate to step in and fill the void at the base of the midfield.
At times this season, the Liverpool midfield has been completely bypassed or non-existent, with gaps galore all over the pitch. An old-school defensive mid, Endo might be just what is needed to bring stability back into the heart of the side.
While he himself is just now returning from a minor injury, his experience and leadership qualities will still be very useful assets in what's expected to be a raucous environment.
Several Liverpool midfielders have underperformed to this stage, so a strong showing from Endo on Wednesday could see him potentially get a string of outings in the immediate future.
Slot needs more goals from his squad, but he also needs more steel, which is where the Japanese midfielder does his best work. Get him on the pitch, Arne!
Honorable Mentions: Rio Ngumoha, Jeremie Frimpong, Andy Robertson