Liverpool have been dealt several blows since the start of Arne Slot's challenging second season at Anfield. News of an injury to record signing Alexander Isak is just the latest. This is not the debut campaign Slot was envisaging for his marquee striker.
On Monday, , and the now-expected months on the sidelines will do little for an already disjointed beginning to life at the club. In total, Isak's slow start has yielded just three goals across 16 appearances in all competitions. Problems with fitness and form look set to carry over well into the new year.
So, how do Liverpool respond? With the January window right around corner, what are the options and who might be effected?
Despite the winter window being notoriously more difficult to negotiate than the summer, Liverpool were always likely to be active in January. But Isak's injury throws a spanner in the works.
The need to spend on defensive reinforcements has long been accepted. That was the priority and they remain keen on Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi to help plug that gap. Except now the frontline looks short, too, with Cody Gakpo also injured and Mohamed Salah away at AFCON.
Perhaps Isak's absence simply accelerates succession planning, then. A replacement for Salah was always going to be needed at some point soon as Slot pivots away from the last remaining pillar of Jurgen Klopp's famous front three.
Hugo Ekitike will step in for Isak - one might argue he has shown far more promise than the indifferent Sweden international anyway - and therefore a more versatile winger-type might be preferred if yet more budget is committed to the top end. Liverpool did not replace Luis Diaz in the summer, a decision that has since been criticised given the money spent assembling a forward line that has only scored two more than Bournemouth.
The ideal solution, Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, is the name at the top of every club's Christmas list. He is responsible for just over 30 per cent of the Cherries' Premier League goals this season, and like Diaz, is a discerning dribbler. Salah's drop-off in this area only makes the need greater.
The buzz surrounding Semenyo means Liverpool would face stern competition to sign him but there is unlikely to be a better value-for-money option out there, ready-made for elite-level competition and with the added bonus of adaptability on either flank. Few players are quite so adept with both feet.
Clearly Salah has got a lot of making up to do. The suggestion his poor performance level requires just as much apology as his controversial outburst in the mixed zone at Leeds is valid. His departure to AFCON could not have come at a better time as the air clears and short-term memories begin the process of forgive and forget.
If Salah rediscovers his best form while playing for Egypt this January and returns to Anfield rejuvenated, few will begrudge him a spot in Slot's starting XI, but only on merit. The Dutchman has proven no player can waltz into selection.
Salah's reintegration should be a football decision - no doubt he is still capable of playing a key role for Liverpool if handled correctly by Slot. A mutual understanding must be met first.
As for his future, Isak's absence means Slot can ill-afford to reduce attacking options further. Salah is surely not for sale, if indeed he ever was going to be listed as available this January.
Making history off the bench in a 2-0 win over Brighton will have served as the perfect temporary parting gift last week, and leaves things on a sweeter note after all that upheaval. Perhaps a more selfless version of Salah would actually benefit all parties moving forwards, including himself.
Given the potential of Ekitike and his obvious willingness to be the main man, some might argue Isak's injury poses a smaller problem than first thought.
His loss is a blow but far from catastrophic as long as Ekitike stays fit. Make him the centrepiece. The more pressing issue is actually what happens around the Frenchman, and how Slot structures his side to get the best out of his leading scorer.
A few tactical test cases have been trialled recently, including using Dominik Szoboszlai off the right, tucked in as part of a diamond formation. The design of that set up, while forgoing width, does put Florian Wirtz at the heart of the attacking phase and he has been more effective as a result.
Tweaks to make Liverpool more solid in recent weeks by favouring an extra midfielder over an attacker have worked in Slot's favour, too. Necessity of personnel or otherwise, better control in wins over Brighton and Inter Milan should be considered a positive development.
Given Liverpool play so many games, though, options B and C are compulsory. Slot does not appear to trust Federico Chiesa from the start of games despite offering impact when he does come on and to ask Ekitike to shoulder the scoring burden across three competitions is unsustainable. Others must therefore chip in.
Jeremie Frimpong has had his own injury issues but is another right-sided player with pace and creativity. He excelled at Bayer Leverkusen in a wing-back role - Slot must know by now he is not a right-back.
I, myself, like the option of Ryan Gravenberch in a more advanced position. It seems like a long time ago now but when Liverpool opened the season with five wins on the bounce, Gravenberch was their best player, operating between the lines in a freer role that almost always meant his late arrival into the box was never tracked. If the connection between him and Wirtz was stronger it could unlock all sorts of potential. The heat map above reveals how much more ground he is being asked to cover now, less concentrated to the opposition half.
Bringing Harvey Elliott in from the cold is another option, given his loan move to Aston Villa has flopped. Unai Emery recently said he was going to "find a solution" for the 22-year-old, unnamed in a Villa squad since early November, and sending him back to Merseyside might be the most suitable. Having already played for two clubs this season Elliot is ineligible to play for another.
Whichever way the dice is rolled Slot has decisions to make. Determining whether a temporary solution can be found for missing Isak via a reshuffle or a more permanent fix is required needs attention. But getting more from the squad he has arguably warrants just as much work.
