Trent Alexander-Arnold kept his place as Liverpool's makeshift number six for the Reds' second pre-season friendly of the summer against Greuther Fürth on Monday.
The Englishman was partnered in the de facto double pivot by Conor Bradley, who's been asked to take on the complex hybrid right-back/midfield role occupied by Alexander-Arnold in the latter part of last season just weeks after returning from his loan spell with third-tier Bolton Wanderers, his first taste of regular men's football.
In front of them, Alexis Mac Allister was a more orthodox presence in the right-sided number eight position but he was partnered by a predominant forward in Cody Gakpo, who has only once started a game in the middle of the park for the Reds.
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As he did in Liverpool's first friendly against Karlsruher, Jürgen Klopp fielded an entirely new team for the second half as he tries to manage his players' minutes at this early stage, but the midfield still had a patched-up look about it.
Yes, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott were back in the fold, having arrived at the club's camp in Germany later than the rest of the squad because of their post-season commitments at the under-21 Euros, but behind them, left-back Kostas Tsimikas and under-18 talent James McConnell formed a pairing with virtually no experience of playing in midfield at the senior level.
The reason Liverpool found itself in this position is twofold. On the one hand, a couple of players appear to be on their way out, with Jordan Henderson bound for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq and Fabinho due to follow him to the Gulf nation if a hitch in a proposed move to Al-Ittihad (initially reported by The Athletic) can be ironed out.
On the other, the Reds were missing three midfielders through injury. Thiago and Stefan Bajčetić are entering the final stages of rehabilitation after missing the back end of last season because of hip and adductor injuries, while Dominik Szoboszlai watched on from the stands after rolling his ankle in training.
Fortunately, all three players are expected to be back imminently. Journalist Neil Jones told The Redmen TV on Monday that Thiago and Bajčetić should figure in the club's upcoming friendlies in Singapore, while Klopp insisted that Szoboszlai would have played if it was a meaningful game, with Liverpool taking a no-risk approach instead. He'll 'definitely' be back in time to face Bayern Munich a week on Wednesday, he told Liverpool's official website.
Still, though, you could argue that this was a glimpse of what is to come. When the season begins, it's rare that managers enjoy a clean bill of health in the midst of an intense fixture schedule, and often they have to deal with multiple absences as players recover from injuries or nurse knocks.
From that point of view, the improvised line-ups against Fürth painted a somewhat worrying picture of the current midfield landscape at Liverpool and, in turn, the need for fresh investment. Discount Alexander-Arnold, who's still learning the ropes after only making the transition in April, and Liverpool only had three true senior specialist midfielders in its entire squad.
If Monday's game served as a fresh transfer prompt, then the club has swiftly heeded it. Only around 24 hours after the match, The Athletic's David Ornstein reported that the Reds had sent in a $48m (£37m/€43m) opening offer for Southampton midfielder Roméo Lavia. The hope is that a deal can be agreed when Klopp's side gets closer to the Saints' $64m (£50m/€58m) demands.
It's still unclear what's happening with Fabinho, but if he ends up leaving as well as Henderson — and you'd think Liverpool will facilitate an exit even if the Al-Ittihad deal breaks down given it is clearly open to that — then the club arguably needs a fourth new midfielder too.
But by decisively reacting to the undesirable situation against Fürth, Liverpool has indicated that it won't just look to 'get by' this time around. Prior to last season, the Reds confidently maintained that they had more than enough midfield options to compete, only for injuries to predictably take hold at the outset, contributing heavily to the team's collapse and leaving even Klopp himself admitting the error of his ways.
Fortunately, though, the club may now have learned from its biggest 2022 mistake, which should ensure the manager is furnished with the depth required to pursue the team's goals.
