Much of the talk relating to Liverpool's summer rebuild has consisted of which midfielders would best suit the club.
Jude Bellingham has been the obvious name mentioned, meanwhile the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Mason Mount continue to be linked. Then came discussions over providing competition for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, after what has been a testing campaign for the 24-year-old.
Seeking to provide internal solutions to Alexander-Arnold being caught out at times this term, a new system trialled by Jurgen Klopp has been witnessed in recent matches against Arsenal, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
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Occupying the role of an inverted full-back, this approach sees the England international move forward into midfield spaces when Liverpool are on the attack while being covered defensively by Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
The benefits of this new-look setup have been clear to see since being introduced, with Alexander-Arnold able to stamp his authority on games from a central position by setting up numerous chances for team-mates. Providing four assists since this change was made, the Reds' right-back looks to be returning to peak performance levels.
While the attacking possibilities are endless if this system is stuck by long-term, questions remain over the impact this could have at the opposite end of the pitch. Though capable of bringing the ball out from defence on the left flank, Robertson is likely to be put under greater pressure at the back and unable to take the same risks going forward as Alexander-Arnold's dynamic position begins to take shape.
A secondary concern as regards this side of the defence is Liverpool do not currently have a left-footed central defender who could step in and rotate with Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas, raising the question as to whether or not this profile of player could be looked at during the summer transfer window.
Van Dijk, although able to play on the left-side, predominantly occupies the central zone while Konate, Joe Gomez Joel Matip and Nat Phillips all favour their right foot and run the risk of being exposed when going head-to-head with opposition players if moved out wide.
Recognising Robertson has been forced to adapt his game to suit Liverpool's fresh experiment, Klopp told reporters on Saturday evening: “Of course it changed his role slightly. That’s clear. We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other constantly high up on the left side. That’s difficult so Robbo has to judge the situations when he can be involved and when he can overlap like at Leeds when he overlaps Diogo passes to Cody, Mo, goal.
“These situations are still there. But in the first moment of the build-up, yes his role and positioning has changed slightly. But he’s a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there. Today it was a bit of a mix. From time to time he had to be high but that depends on the moment and the situation. The boys have to learn to read these situations right and do these things in the right moment."
As far as identifying individuals who could help solve this potential dilemma for the Reds, two players who have reportedly been mentioned as possible transfer targets are Levi Colwill of Chelsea and RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol. Both defenders are naturally left-footed players and would make sense as additions to the squad, if Klopp chooses to spend his transfer budget on bolstering the backline.
One thing that is certain if Liverpool decide to go down this route is that a premium price will undoubtedly be required to get deals over the line. The majority of footballers are predominantly right-footed, ensuring quality options on the opposite side of defence are often in short supply. Liverpool may have to take the hit on this occasion to continue the Klopp blueprint currently being adhered to.
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