Jamie Carragher said that he wishes Liverpool had a player like Jurrien Timber to deal with its injury issues in defense. The Reds have been dealt a couple of blows in recent weeks, with Joe Gomez set to miss the majority of the remainder of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery, and Conor Bradley succumbing to injury against Aston Villa this week.
Bradley is set to miss Liverpool's upcoming games against Manchester City and Newcastle, and Arne Slot was unable to provide an update on when he might return during a press conference on Thursday.
That is understandable considering the press conference took place fewer than 24 hours after Bradley went off against Villa, but Slot will hope the Northern Irishman's lay-off is not prolonged considering the sheer volume of games that the Reds are having to contend with at the moment.
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With Gomez and Bradley out, Slot has six senior defenders at his disposal, and one of them is Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose minutes are being managed after his own recent lay-off.
While Carragher thinks Liverpool will regret not signing a defender in January if the Reds fail to win the Premier League, he believes Arsenal will have similar regrets if its lack of attacking firepower sees it miss out on a first league title in 21 years. There were concerns going into the season over the Gunners' lack of a prolific scorer, and serious injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have only amplified their problems.
"Whoever falls short this season will be asking themselves if they could have done a little more in the summer and January transfer windows," Carragher said in his Telegraph column. "It is sure to dominate the post-season discussion at Anfield and the Emirates if there are just a few points between first and second. I am not convinced either club truly grasped the nettle with recruitment to maximize their chances.
"Arsenal supporters have been concerned since the start of the year that they do not have the necessary firepower. How Arteta must wish he had someone of the calibre of Cody Gakpo in his squad, the Dutchman’s 16 goals in this campaign going under the radar.
"For Liverpool, I have been banging the drum about the need for defensive reinforcement and wish they had a full-back like Jurrien Timber. The recent injuries to Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley leave Slot short of cover, but he still has his first-choice back four to select – a contrast to Arsenal’s injury problems up front."
