It might be too early in the season to call it but surely, we can be using the Q-word? Considering just how good Liverpool have been this season, the push for a quadruple is on but there is one thing that could hamper them.
Even the most ardent of Liverpool fans wouldn’t have envisioned the kind of impact Arne Slot has had, taking over from a club legend like Jurgen Klopp.
The Dutchman has built on the foundations that the German left him with and taken the team to the next level.
Liverpool’s excellent form, coupled with the drop-off in level in Manchester City and Arsenal has paved the way for what could turn out to be a historic season for the Reds.
Top of the table in the Premier League and the Champions League and also alive in both cups, just how far can Slot’s men go this season?
Yes, the Reds need to come back from behind to beat Tottenham and reach the finals of the Carabao cup but considering that the game is at Anfield coupled with the London club’s abysmal form, the odds are firmly stacked in their favor.
Everything looks to be falling in place for Liverpool but could their snoozefest in the transfer market this season come back to haunt them?
With the exception of Federico Chiesa, the Reds have not made a single addition to the squad across two transfer windows. Yes, they signed Giorgi Mamardashvili but he is out on loan at Valencia and it doesn’t count towards this campaign.
In the months that lie ahead, the schedule is bound to get hectic if it already is not and the Reds don’t necessarily have the squad depth in a number of positions to compete, in the event of someone getting injured. For example, what would Arne Slot do if Virgil van Dijk picks up an injury?
In the last couple of months, Liverpool’s excellent defensive solidity has taken a beating since Ibrahima Konate suffered an injury and it could get even more abysmal if the club captain was to suffer an issue.
The center-back has been an area of concern for the Reds for a couple of seasons now and it is quite baffling that they have made no reinforcements.
Even in midfield, Liverpool have lucked out massively this season thanks to Ryan Gravenberch retaining his form and fitness thus far.
However, if he was to miss out due to some issue, his only natural replacement is Wataru Endo and the Japanese midfielder is not necessarily at the level one would expect to play in Arne Slot’s team.
It is only in attack that Liverpool can stay with some assurance that they have enough cover for all the positions. It is not a desirable place to be in, if you are Arne Slot and the Dutchman will know that he has to wrap up the likes of Van Dijk, Salah and Gravenberch in cotton wool for the rest of the season.
We have seen this happen in the past with Liverpool and even with Arsenal a couple of seasons ago when they were primed to win the Premier League title before one injury to William Saliba brought the house crashing down. What the Frenchman was to the Gunners back then is what Van Dijk is to this current Reds team.
It remains to be seen how Arne Slot navigates through the situation that finds himself in for the rest of the season.
It is safe to say that a lot hinges on his first XI to remain fit, like they have managed to for much of the year so far and should they manage to do so, a quadruple is not out of the question. Let’s wait and see how it plays out going forward.
