Andy Robertson's shoulder injury is likely to keep him out until at least December. This is truly a nightmare for Jurgen Klopp, as Liverpool's defense has had problems this season.
Injuries to many key players in the defense have directly affected the performance of The Kop in recent seasons. The German tactician described the 2020-2021 season as "the worst ever" with four key centre-backs continuously injured in the long term.
There were times when Klopp was forced to use James Milner at left-back for a season, and at the same time reluctantly let Joe Gomez play right-back.
This season, Liverpool's defensive personnel seem to be better when young talent Jarrell Quansah emerges. In theory, Klopp has five reliable options for the centre-back position and is often a starting replacement.
And now, Robertson's shoulder problem will keep him out for at least 10 weeks if he undergoes surgery. This will only give Klopp a headache in the near future.
Klopp has always put his faith in Gomez as a reliable replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back and he has also used midfielder Stefan Bacjetic in that position.
However, the truth is that no one can approach the English defender's class, with the ability to cross and drift inside to play as a creative midfielder. Gomez is not a bad player, but there is still a long way to go to compare him with Arnold.
On the opposite wing is another problem. Kostas Tsimikas has the ability to support the attack as well as Robertson, even when there are signs of reliability.
That is what Liverpool's young talent showed in Greece's victory over Ireland in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, with an important assist. Tsimikas' attacking and creative indicators are extremely impressive.
But there are two big problems Klopp faces. If operated on, Robertson could be out for 10 weeks to 4 months. That will force Tsimikas to play more in an inexperienced context.
In the long term, replacing Robertson is not simple. Only Mohamed Salah and Arnold in the current Kop squad have played more minutes than Robertson under Klopp.
In particular, recently, the Scottish defender has often stepped back deep to match the "Liverpool 2.0" that Kopp is pursuing with new players.
Such a system requires the left-back to become a third centre-back. And this is not really in line with Tsimikas, who has the attacking instinct in the traditional 4-3-3 formation.
Robertson has played in the back three formation before and has been successful this season. The Greek defender, by contrast, does not seem to be comfortable in a similar role.
Therefore, this is a headache for Klopp and he may be forced to adjust his tactics once again. It is not ruled out that Klopp would have to bet on moving Gomez to the left-back role.
Obviously, finding a good enough replacement for Arnold and Robertson is almost impossible.
