Liverpool new problem has been exposed and January transfer could provide answer

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During the 30-year spell between championships that was ended in glorious fashion in 2020, two phrases unwittingly encapsulated why the Reds consistently fell short.The first regarded the infamous final piece of the jigsaw, the one arrival hailed as the player capable of helping Liverpool take the final step only for another hole to immediately open up elsewhere in the squad.And then there was the problem position of left-back, a role that, despite some honourable mentions, was never properly addressed until the unassuming Andy Robertson was brought in from Hull City in the summer of 2017.READ MORE: Arne Slot admits Alexander Isak selection risk as his Liverpool 'problem' laid bareREAD MORE: Arne Slot lifts lid on fresh talks as Liverpool boss '100% convinced' about mistakeRobertson, of course, is now coming towards the end of his time at Anfield, only weeks away from being able to talk to clubs from abroad.A new deal may be forthcoming but, having invested £40million in Milos Kerkez during the summer, Liverpool hope they are future-proofed despite the Hungarian's testing start to life at Anfield.Instead, the position that is now causing the most consternation for the Reds is on the other side of the defence.Replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold was never going to be a straightforward task given the huge influence the England international exerted in the title wins under Jurgen Klopp and last season with Arne Slot in charge. And after finally hitting a vein of form, Bradley has once again been broken.Having been among the many players rested for the League Cup surrender at home to Crystal Palace, the 22-year-old got through the duration against both Aston Villa and Real Madrid and lasted 83 minutes in the defeat at Manchester City before playing the full 90 in Northern Ireland's defeat at Slovakia and then handed a fifth start in 16 days in his country's final World Cup qualifier at home to Luxembourg on Monday.It was evidently too much.

Bradley lasted until half-time before being replaced having suffered a muscle problem Slot fears will keep the defender out for at least the next three weeks - a run of seven games in 22 days that starts at home to Nottingham Forest this afternoon.Bradley's quality has never been questioned. The issue is the youngster has still not started more than five games in a row for Liverpool.His outings this season, though, have been plentiful compared to right-back summer signing Jeremie Frimpong, who has twice suffered hamstring problems, the most recent of which has seen him sidelined for the last month with no scheduled return date.So, now what?Dominik Szoboszlai's impact as an emergency right-back earlier in the campaign understandably lessened over time, with the Hungarian in any case needed in his recognised attacking midfield role with Florian Wirtz now also out.The situation is complicated further by Joe Gomez also being needed as the one available recognised centre-back alternative to Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

And having played a full 90 minutes only twice since Boxing Day last year, Gomez won't be expected to play every game over the coming weeks.Slot will be unlikely to want a repeat of Wataru Endo's very brief outing from the bench at right-back against Bournemouth in August, leaving Curtis Jones as the only other senior player to have played in the position, starting twice in April. Not ideal.With both Bradley and Frimpong expected to be back well before Christmas, there isn't any appetite to dip into the transfer market for a right-back during the January window although a new centre-back would at least give Gomez more freedom to highlight his versatility.Almost six months after Alexander-Arnold waved an acrimonious goodbye, Liverpool are still no nearer to finding that particular piece of the jigsaw.