Liverpool may have turned their good start into a great one with victory at Newcastle - but more reinforcements are still needed
It takes only a cursory glance at the back cover of Sunday's matchday programme to determine an issue that continues to concern Liverpool supporters.
True, Jarell Quansah wasn't included in the squad list despite making his senior Liverpool debut late on in the dramatic 2-1 win, while fellow substitute Ben Doak and 21st man Bobby Clark, despite both having first-team experience, were also missing. But that the trio had travelled to St James' Park brings into sharp focus concerns over a lack of depth in some parts of the squad.
Liverpool were missing only three senior players through injury - defender Ibrahima Konate plus midfielders Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara. But that was sufficient for Jurgen Klopp to name four Academy graduates on the bench who between them had started just 11 Premier League matches. The value of having options was made evident at St James' Park where all five of Klopp's substitutions made a positive impact, most notably Diogo Jota and two-goal Darwin Nunez - highlighting how strength in depth in a position is vital.
For all the deserved criticism of Liverpool's defending at times this year, it's instructive they have now played more than 90 minutes this season with 10 men and not conceded a goal during that time. The Reds can hold firm when organised appropriately, so is the 3-box-3 approach simply leaving them too open? Given two of the three goals they have conceded have primarily been down to individual mistakes, it suggests that argument isn't so black and white.
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