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Liverpool are going through a rough patch right now but things could get a whole lot worse later down the line.The Reds have now lost two games in a row after falling to defeat against Galatasaray in the Champions League, with fans starting to get a little worried.The main reason for their concern is because performances have been significantly under par and they failed to lay a glove on the Turkish giants.Arne Slot certainly has a lot of thinking to do and changes to make, but with the Dutchman already experimenting a fair bit this season, he does not have too many options.However, Ally McCoist thinks that there is one thing that could massively impact Liverpool, and if it does, their season might be over due to how ‘massive’ it would be.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesVirgil van Dijk needs to stay fit for LiverpoolLiverpool’s problems come from all over the pitch, and as well as not being as free-flowing in attack as they used to be, their defence has been a massive worry.They have let in 11 goals in just nine games, and this figure would have been significantly higher if it were not for Alisson Becker’s heroics between the sticks in recent weeks.They have been carved open far too easily and despite Virgil van Dijk looking back to his best, even he cannot solve the mess that is happening around him.Without their captain, Liverpool would be in a much worse position than they currently are this season, and McCoist has admitted that he is really worried for what might happen to them if he gets injured.“Well, I tell you my biggest concern about Liverpool now would be an injury to the big fella at the back who’s just a different level. I think if Virgil gets injured,” he said on talkSPORT.READ MORE: Daniel Sturridge says Arne Slot did something vs Galatasaray that was really ‘strange’“I just look at it you imagine they get an injury to the big fella you know that’s that’s a massive problem for them.”Luckily for the Reds, van Dijk’s injury record is usually pretty good, with the last time he missed a game for this reason coming in the 2022/23 season due to a hamstring problem.Liverpool must buy a centre-back in JanuaryDue to events out of their control over the summer, Liverpool have now been left very short at the back and this could prove to be a real problem.After failing to get Marc Guehi, they were handed another blow when Giovanni Leoni tore his ACL, meaning they are now left with just three first-team options.One of these is 34-year-old van Dijk, while the other two are Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, two players who are very injury-prone.
So with that said, Liverpool need at least one new defender in January just to be safe, although signing two would be even better as a safety barrier and due to Konate’s uncertain future.Guehi would be the obvious choice and perhaps best idea, although whether they make an early move will not be known for a little while.