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After a week dominated by transfer speculation, you could have been forgiven for forgetting that Liverpool actually had a game to play on Saturday.
Alexander Isak might be the focus for a lot of supporters at the moment, but in Hong Kong, Arne Slot was afforded another viewing of his new-look squad in action, complete with seven new signings.
Having already comfortably seen off Preston and Stoke, AC Milan would provide a major step up for the Premier League champions as they stepped up preparations for their defense. Their first outing in Asia, though, didn’t quite go according to plan.
Despite goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, a 4-2 defeat presented the Reds with their first slip-up during preseason. Of course, these games are not to be taken too seriously - they are, in essence, just a warm-up for the real tests that are to come soon.
But Slot will have been given plenty of food for thought after his side’s outing at the Kai Tak Stadium, not least after the way in which his side gave up goals and chances.
With the ball, there was plenty to like about Liverpool, especially from the likes of Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, and Rio Ngumoha. Without it, though, the Reds looked vulnerable.
They weren’t helped by Joe Gomez returning home with an Achilles injury, or Wataru Endo sitting the game out through illness, meaning the defenses in both halves took on a very much makeshift look, with Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas forced to partner Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
Although Gravenberch performed admirably - probably better than Van Dijk in truth, with the Liverpool captain not at his best against Rafael Leao for the opener - that is certainly not a position fans will want to see him playing. More to the point, it’s an option that won’t even be available to Slot when the season kicks off against Bournemouth next month.
Saturday’s game came as a stark reminder that, while the prospect of Isak moving to Anfield might be exciting, he won’t be able to save Liverpool if it is having to regularly force other players into defense.
As things stand, Van Dijk, Konate, and Gomez are the only recognized senior center-backs in the squad. With less than three weeks to go until the new season begins, the thought of relying on the latter pair in particular for a whole season will not fill supporters with confidence, given their injury records.
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Liverpool took something of a gamble by offloading Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, and as Slot himself has acknowledged, the academy graduate hasn’t been replaced yet. That needs to change soon.
The Reds cannot go into the new season with just three senior defenders. Before a move for Isak can be considered, Slot and Richard Hughes need to get their priorities straight.
Marc Guehi has been strongly linked this summer, but the Crystal Palace man almost seems to have been forgotten amid the recent storm around Isak. His contract expires next year, but as tempting as it might be to wait and get him for free, Liverpool cannot wait that long.
Forget Isak - whether it’s Guehi or someone else, a new defender is needed now.
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