Arne Slot Manager
Liverpool is navigating a challenging period as they face a significant right-back crisis under the management of Arne Slot. The club’s £29 million acquisition of Jeremie Frimpong, announced in June, was intended to bolster the squad’s defensive options. However, Frimpong has managed only one Premier League start since his arrival, having been sidelined since October 22 with no clear return date. Conor Bradley, another promising talent, has yet to demonstrate the consistency required at a club with Liverpool’s demanding standards.
Glen Johnson said: “Well, obviously there’s a little bit [of change] with the personnel [under Arne Slot]. And probably the midfielders allowed the full-backs to do what Jurgen Klopp wanted them to do. You know, everyone’s got to play their role and for full-backs to get in positions where you’re crossing it almost to the other full back, all the other players need to know that’s happening and fill gaps and give you the confidence to be able to go so high. So I don’t think it’s the fact that Slot’s stopping them [attacking as much].”
Johnson continued: “I don’t know if [being at a bigger club] is necessarily what he’s struggling with, but it’s definitely a massive change. You know, the mentality in football clubs where they’re happy to finish mid-table, and I’m not talking about Bournemouth, but just in general. Every club’s got their own ambitions for the start of the season. If your ambition is to finish eighth and you’re over the moon, then you can afford to lose games. So people haven’t got to be at it all the time. They should be, but they just don’t because they don’t need to. So when you go into a club like Liverpool, when you’re almost favourites for every single game you start, you have to win.”
Dominik Szoboszlai has been tasked with filling the right-back position on occasion, delivering commendable performances against Newcastle United and Arsenal in August. However, the general consensus is that Szoboszlai’s talents are being underutilized away from his natural midfield role. Curtis Jones also stepped in during Liverpool’s recent 4-1 Champions League defeat to PSV, but the solution remains far from ideal.
Wataru Endo is another player who has been considered for the position, yet the opportunity to deploy Joe Gomez has not been seized by Slot. Gomez, who has been managing a knee issue with pain-killing injections, remains a crucial option given the limited availability of senior centre-backs Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
As Liverpool prepares to face West Ham United, Slot is tasked with ending a dismal run of nine defeats in 12 matches, all while lacking a specialist right-back. The club’s defensive challenges underscore the importance of finding a reliable solution to their right-back predicament, a task that remains critical for Slot in the coming fixtures.
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