'I still think': Darren Bent suggests Liverpool need to sign another player in one position very soon
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Liverpool have strengthened in all areas of the pitch this summer, but if Virgil van Dijk suffers an injury, there could be an issue.
Last night, the Champions League returned to Anfield in style as the Reds were able to start their campaign off with a very late 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid, thanks to a Van Dijk header in the 96th minute.
Their Premier League form of leaving it late has now translated to the European tournament, but it is hoped that they will find themselves in a more stable position in the next run of fixtures.
What Arne Slot will have to contend with once again this year is the number of competitions that his team will be competing in, including the European cup, which he seems to have a focus on.
However, the issue with all these games is the fitness of players and trying to rotate without the squad suffering for it.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
That will be something Slot will have to figure out once the season really kicks into gear, because of how much his starting XI will have to play, including the club captain.
The Dutch centre-back has previously suffered injuries at the club, with his worst being an ACL injury caused by Jordan Pickford in a Merseyside derby during lockdown.
Fortunately, he has only suffered a hamstring injury since and has kept fit for the majority of games, but there is a worry that if something were to recur, it would derail Liverpool’s season.
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Darren Bent, speaking on talkSPORT, believes that it will be an issue, especially because the club does not have the strength and depth at centre-back as they do in other positions across the pitch.
Bent said: “Well, Van Dijk is the biggest one.
Out of all of them, I think he, because when you look at their depth, Mamardashvili, I’ve seen him.
He’s going to get better.
“I think if they lose Virgil, that’s a big, big concern because you can’t replace, and if it’s Konate, and of course we know they’ve got Giovanni Leoni, who’s supposed to be one of the talented youngsters in the world.
I think there’s enough there.”
They had tried to add another centre-back during the window, but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Marc Guehi due to issues with getting Crystal Palace to agree a deal.
The signing of Giovanni Leoni has helped matters, but he is yet to start a game, and he is a player who is there to develop rather than start.
There are fewer concerns in the midfield for the former West Ham player, but he has pointed out one issue with how they have set up compared to how Jurgen Klopp organised his midfield three.
The 41-year-old has explained that they need to find who is the de facto number 10 in the team to ensure they have the best balance possible.
“A little bit traditionally, for as long as I can remember, like Wirtz is more of a 10.
Liverpool haven’t played with a 10 for such a long time, like a proper out-and-out number 10,” he said.
“They’ve got players who can do it, but in terms of an actual 10, to balance the midfield, because I look at Liverpool’s midfield when it was at its best.
So it’s just going to take a bit longer, and it’s probably going to take even longer once Isak gets into the team.”
It has not been an issue so far with Ryan Gravenberch putting in some world-class performances, but it may be something that is looked into by the manager, considering some of the tricky fixtures that lie ahead.