The roar of the Anfield crowd turned to a collective gasp on Wednesday night. Jeremie Frimpong, Liverpool’s dynamic right-back, crumpled to the turf just minutes into the Champions League showdown with Qarabag, clutching his groin and signalling for the ball to go out. It was a sight that summed up the Reds’ mounting backline nightmare – a crisis that’s testing Arne Slot’s squad depth to its limits.

With the Premier League leaders already missing Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez through injury, and Conor Bradley sidelined, Slot had no choice but to deploy Ryan Gravenberch – a midfielder by trade – at centre-back from the start. Frimpong’s early exit forced another improvisation, with Wataru Endo slotting in.

By the fourth minute, only Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson stood as bona fide defenders in a patched-up unit. Yet, Liverpool’s resilience shone through. They dismantled Qarabag 6-0, securing automatic Round of 16 qualification and a seeded spot. Now, they’ll face one of the play-off victors: Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, or Juventus. A tough draw, but one Slot’s side will relish.

This defensive fragility couldn’t come at a worse time. Van Dijk anchors it all, with 95% pass accuracy and 4.2 aerial duels won per game this season. But the absences are glaring. Frimpong, signed last summer for £35m from Bayer Leverkusen, has been a revelation with three assists in 12 appearances, but his groin problem now looms over Saturday’s clash with Newcastle.

Slot, ever the pragmatist, addressed the elephant in the room post-match on TNT Sports. He didn’t commit, but his words hinted at January action:
“We as a club always make decisions, or we at least try to make smart decisions, so we not only look at the short-term, we also look at the long-term. Longer-term, that’s why we sign young players as well, very good players, but young ones that can still develop.”

“Now we can see this development with a few. And it always depends on, are there players available that we think can help us, and if they are, can we afford them? Our players come back from injury as well, and I just said that we don’t have a squad where we have four right-backs and 12 midfielders and three or four number 9s, so we have to do smart things for the near future, but also for the longer future.”

“Let’s first see how Jeremy is, maybe he’s not able to play Saturday, but maybe he’s able to play one or two days later. And we now go into a schedule with one game a week, so that will usually mean less injuries, but we’re never sure.”

With the transfer window opening soon, and a lighter fixture list post-festive period, the Dutchman prioritises sustainability over panic buys. But fans know the margins are thin in top-4 race.

The Qarabag rout highlighted Liverpool’s attacking firepower but defence wins titles. Slot’s hint at “smart things” feels like a coded message: reinforcements could be inbound if Frimpong’s scan brings bad news.