Liverpool aren’t short of bodies at centre-back. The frustration is that it doesn’t feel like Arne Slot trusts the bodies he’s got. When one of the main lads is struggling, the answer shouldn’t always be “play him again”.
That’s why this current conversation keeps circling back to selection rather than recruitment. If Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo are effectively emergency-only, then you’ve made the squad smaller than it actually is. And once Endo’s injured, you’ve boxed yourself in even further.
Konate’s form dip needs proper pressure
The big gripe is the lack of competition for Ibrahima Konate when his level drops. You can forgive a centre-half for the odd wobble, it happens. What’s harder to accept is watching a run of poor performances with no real consequence, because the manager never seriously looks elsewhere.
Footballers are human. If a player knows the shirt is basically his no matter what, standards can slip. Not deliberately, not out of bad attitude, just because football is relentless and habits creep in. A proper squad keeps everybody honest.
Using the squad isn’t just “play the kids in the Cup”
The point being made about “Lucky” is a fair one in principle: if someone is doing the business at under-21 level, at some stage you’ve got to find him a pathway. Not as a novelty, and not in a match where you’ve changed 10 other players and then act surprised when it looks disjointed.
Integration is a skill. It’s five minutes here, a start next to leaders, a simple role, a proper run-out when the game state allows it. If you only ever chuck squad players into heavily-rotated line-ups, you’re setting them up to look worse than they are. And you’re also making sure they’re never properly match sharp when you do need them.
A tight “core” can backfire over a season
It’s easy to see how a manager ends up with a preferred 14 or 15, especially early on. Results matter, rhythm matters, and you don’t want to tinker for the sake of it. But if it becomes a habit, you get the worst of both worlds: the first-choice lads look like they’re pacing themselves, and everyone else is cold when called upon.
From a supporter’s view, it can feel like Liverpool got away with that for a stretch because the base fitness and habits were already there. Over a full season, though, you can’t live like that. The Premier League doesn’t allow it.
Recruitment can wait until selection makes sense
The argument here isn’t that Liverpool should have panic-bought another centre-half for the sake of it. Going into a season with four senior centre-backs, plus Endo as a multi-tool, plus academy options, is not automatically reckless.
What changes the tone is injuries and the knock-on effect of not using the rotation that’s available. If one of the backups is unavailable and another never plays, suddenly you’re acting like you’re down to the bare bones even when the squad list says otherwise.
Yes, long-term planning matters: a top-quality partner for Virgil is a huge call, and at some point you’re also thinking about what comes after him. But right now, the immediate fix isn’t a shopping list. It’s Slot actually leaning on the options he already has when form demands it.
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