It feels like I'm exaggerating, but Liverpool hired the best starting calibre and rotation piece left backs that have featured in the Premier League in the last decade. Currently, it's not just age, but even the evolution of game models and how the team set up makes the Scotland new captain, Andrew Robertson, and the Greece international, Kostas Tsimikas surplus to requirements. Liverpool should try and explore targets that can deputise Liverpool's starting Left-back in January and supersede him next summer.
The two lingering needs to raise Liverpool's level in squad building are a holding midfielder profile and a new left back. They already identified Martin Zubimendi as their desired holding midfielder profile but there seems to be no ideas about what profile of left back should be targeted should their two options not make sense for the starting lineup next season. Realistically, Liverpool fans are more obsessed with getting rid of their current starting option, possibly because of these factors:
Age: Full-backs of the traditional profile are expected to be much older than the modern prototypes, but it seems the latter is more in use with the influx of young managers in the Premier League, and there's the desire to inherit younger squads to face the challenges that arise in this modern era of football. You could see Man City moved on from Joao Cancelo beginning of last season and signed 21yr old Josko Gvardiol, Chelsea moved on from Ben Chilwell beginning of this season and promoted Cucurella, Arsenal are trying something similar with Oleksandr Zinchenko but his successor, Jurrien Timber, just recovered from an injury that sidelined him from almost the entirety of last season.
Currently, the average age of starting LBs playing for teams that finished in the top 9 last season is 25 years, Liverpool's starting LB turned 30 earlier this year.
New game models: Many teams that play with a 4-man defence have one full-back that is reserved in nature—retains possession and is more positionally cautious—and the other more extravagant—dynamic positioning and movements. Aston Villa have that in Matty Cash and Lucas Digne, Man City have that in Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis, Tottenham Hotspur have that in Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro.. respectively, and so on. But both Trent and Robertson are extravagant in nature, is there a problem? We can't know this in isolation.
Erik Ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp are the only top half coaches that are/were notable for fielding two extravagant full-back profiles with different intentions; the former desire to have more players in his starting eleven who could occupy numerous zones in possession for his complex (and incomprehensible) style, the latter desire more high-intensity profiles for his Gengenpress. Wonder what Arne Slot wants...
What would we miss from Robertson? His high passion sprints towards the bar-line? His leadership traits? Wait...his deliveries...
His deliveries? You mean his corner kick taking? Yeah. But we have Trent, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister even? You don't realise all those options are of the same footing? Where's the variance? We need to consider that.
Set-pieces are very important to title chases; a top team that inculcates good/great set-piece routines (corners especially) tend to be one step ahead in clinching titles. This season, Robertson and Trent have taken 3 corners that directly found a teammate and led to a shot/header; 2 for the Scotsman, one for the young Scouser.
There's a slight change in our set-piece routine; we tend to take more inswingers. Consequently, Trent now primarily takes corners from the left side and Robertson from the right side, cos it's believed that inswinging corners are better executed when the taker crosses in the side against his preferred footing.
But why would we miss Robertson in this regard? We don't have any other left footed corner kick taker for the right side when Robertson or Tsimikas is not playing, other than Harvey Elliott who doesn't start regularly. Normally, most teams have one left footed midfielder (like John McGinn, Martin Odegaard) available, or they assign such duty to their right winger (Yakuba Minteh for Brighton, Jarrod Bowen for West Ham, Savinho for Man City), none of these are available and feasible for the club right now. Not ideal, but we can probably navigate through it.
What profile of left back do we go after?
For the sake of balance, we should target a left back who's reserved in nature to complement Trent. And again, we would also have to sign a left back that suits Slot's taste.
“It depends on the press that the opponent will give us. But if the full-backs hold down the line, then you play the full-back, he is very far away from other full-backs, and it takes more time to get the ball across. So if you're playing close to each other, then the ball goes faster from one foot to another, and it gives the opponent less time to defend it.”
Arne Slot, on his use of full-backs.
Slot prefers his full backs tuck inside and occupy more central areas. It was evident from the 1st three games Liverpool have played this season; neither of the two full-backs held width on either side, but only provided support to their wingers and rest defence. Robertson stayed with Virgil and Konate and was more involved in deep build-up, while Trent invaded the attacking half spaces. The role assigned to Robertson won't maximise his top traits, and is only starting because he's a senior player and options on the market are unclear.
The requirements for the ideal left-back to target:
Bait and resist pressure (via feints and keeping studs on the ball etc)
Progress play primarily with passing, as the timing of passes to the pivot players is key to functionality of build-up in Slot's system in-possession
Possess wide defending fundamentals (including 1v1 defending, defending switch of plays etc)
You'd expect your modern full-back prototype, represented as a centre-back who can play full-back, to possess these traits, that's why we're moving from Robertson and Tsimikas who are traditional full backs. Considering that age is one of the factors that make fans suggest they be displaced, age will also come into play in recruiting a replacement. I think the club wouldn't sign an option younger than 22 years and older than 25 years, and would also expect said player to possess a higher overall quality than Tsimikas. I trust the club to find the definitive name.
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