Liverpool have just beaten one of the most unruly teams in the Premier League at the moment - Bournemouth - away from home. Arne Slot's men will have five days off after that victory before hosting Tottenham in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final at Anfield. This weekend they travel to Plymouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
If we look at the current strength of The Kop, it is not surprising that they will reach the League Cup final and continue in the FA Cup. The "Red Brigade" will be closer and closer to the goal of winning 4 tournaments this season.
Liverpool's squad has been stable so far this season, which is a blessing for Arne Slot. In previous years, Jurgen Klopp has been knocked down by injury many times. Liverpool have been dominant in many competitions so far because Anfield has been able to withstand that storm.
Therefore, although fans have expressed their desire to have more new players in the winter transfer market, Liverpool's board of directors still said no. Arne Slot shared that he is satisfied with the current personnel situation. This means that Federico Chiesa - a contract from the summer of 2024 is still the latest new player to join The Kop.
A look at Liverpool's bench at Vitality shows why Arne Slot was so confident. They had Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas and Caoimhin Kelleher. Federico Chiesa and Joe Gomez were fit but not included in the squad.
One of Liverpool's biggest problems during the last two transfer windows was Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi deal. When they missed out on the Spanish star, Liverpool still had no plan B. However, in the later stages, Ryan Gravenberch's remarkable growth erased all the controversy. Now, stories about Zubimendi are no longer mentioned.
Despite being at peace, with the intensity of running 4 parallel tournaments, no one can be sure that Liverpool will be safe in the coming time. Last season, Liverpool led the Premier League in April but then they only finished in second place. In Jurgen Klopp's last 8 matches, The Kop only won 3 matches.
Understanding that, Arne Slot is constantly rotating. Liverpool had the chance to set a record of winning all 8 matches in the Champions League qualifying round, but in the final match, when they were sure of leading the rankings, they put on many reserve stars and lost away to Feyenoord. However, that is not a problem for Arne Slot, the final result of a new journey is the most important thing.
Liverpool are not a team with much money, so when they buy a star, they consider carefully and do not decide at all costs. The Kop once targeted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, but the price was too high, so the deal fell through. In the end, the Georgian striker joined PSG for 66 million pounds. However, looking back at the current squad, Slot has Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz playing on the left wing very well and can rotate their duties. Kvaratskhelia's presence could become redundant.
If Andy Robertson is out of form on the left, Kostas Tsimikas has stepped in and done a good job. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has recovered and the Reds have a full four-man centre-back. If Gravenberch has any problems, Wataru Endo is still there and has proven himself to be a capable replacement.
Liverpool operates on a self-sufficient model, so the team will only spend money on stars when they are sure of profits. Negotiations with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will play a decisive role. If all three agree to stay at Anfield, their salaries will eat up a lot of the weekly budget. From there, Liverpool will also find it difficult to buy new players if this season's bonuses from tournaments are not balanced.
Liverpool fans may have been bored in the transfer market this winter but looking back at the squad Arne Slot has at his disposal, there is nothing to worry about.
