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Liverpool are in the midst of a defensive injury crisis, and Joe Gomez joins Virgil van Dijk as a long-term absentee in the back after sustaining a knee injury in international service.
Van Dijk has undergone surgery for an ACL injury he suffered in the Merseyside derby with Everton in October and Gomez also had surgery for his injury, with both players missing a significant part of the season.
Joel Matip has had his own fitness problems, while backup central defender Fabinho recovers from a hamstring problem.
Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is also offside with a calf problem, with players like goalkeeper Alisson and midfielders Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all lost to injuries so far this season.
(Image: GETTY)
Star man Mohamed Salah will also miss a few games after testing positive for coronavirus while on international service with Egypt.
As a result of Liverpool’s injury problems, especially to his back, Klopp could enter the transfer market in January and, with that in mind, Mirror Football takes a look at Liverpool’s dream, the worst and most realistic lineups.
Worst
Worst case scenario for Liverpool It would involve them failing to bring in defensive coverage in January and relying on Matip, midfielder Fabinho and the inexperienced pairing of Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips.
Georginio Wijnaldum’s future is still up in the air, with the midfielder’s contract expiring at the end of the season and Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman publicly admitting that he is interested in a meeting with his compatriot, could leave Anfield in January.
Dream
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool have been linked to a string of defensive additions in January, with Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly and RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano on their radar.
Arguably Upamecano would be the best option of the three and would be an excellent January signing.
If they can keep Wijnaldum too, Liverpool would be in a good position to retain the Premier League title.
Realistic
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It has been an extremely interesting start to the season for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Their title defense got off to a shaky start when they overcame a seven-goal thriller against Leeds, before going to seven conceded in a beating of Aston Villa.
Virgil van Dijk’s season ended with injury in a 2-2 draw at Everton, leaving the title favorites much less secure in the back, especially with Alisson’s concern about injury.
But there is no slowdown in what will be a busy season, with Klopp making sure his men keep up with him as they fight for more titles.
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Realistically, Van Dijk and Gomez are only expected to be out of action for an extended period of time and as long as there are no further injuries, Jurgen Klopp will have a very strong team to choose from.
Fabinho could sit alongside Matip at the rear, while returns from Alexander-Arnold, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Salah will be a big boost.
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