Liverpool’s growing injury list has created a familiar problem, but this time it feels particularly damaging. With no senior right-backs currently available and now Dominik Szoboszlai suspended, Arne Slot is facing one of his first real selection crises since arriving at Anfield. Yet amid all the reshuffling and tactical compromises, one question keeps coming back: why won’t Calvin Ramsay get a chance?
The absence of a recognised right-back has already forced Liverpool into makeshift solutions. Square pegs are being pushed into round holes, balance is being lost on the right side, and the knock-on effect is being felt further up the pitch. Szoboszlai’s suspension only adds to the problem, removing energy, pressing, and drive from midfield at a time when Liverpool badly need stability.
What makes this situation more frustrating for supporters is that Ramsay remains on the periphery. Signed with promise and pedigree, the young Scot has barely featured since arriving and now finds himself overlooked even when the position he naturally plays is wide open. Injuries have stalled his progress, but when fit, this feels like the exact moment he should at least be considered.
Arne Slot may have his reasons. Trust is earned on the training ground, and perhaps Ramsay hasn’t convinced the new coaching staff physically or tactically. Slot’s system demands discipline, positional awareness, and bravery in possession — qualities he may not yet see consistently in Ramsay. There’s also the possibility that the manager simply prefers experience or versatility during a difficult run of fixtures.
But that explanation only goes so far. If Liverpool are already compromising defensively by using stand-ins, what is really lost by giving Ramsay a chance? At worst, you learn he isn’t ready. At best, you uncover a solution that saves further disruption elsewhere in the team.
Szoboszlai’s absence makes this even more significant. Without his intensity and forward thrust, Liverpool need clarity and structure behind him. Constantly reshuffling defenders doesn’t help midfield control, and Slot’s reluctance to trust Ramsay risks compounding the problem rather than solving it.
This is shaping up to be a defining period for Slot’s early Liverpool reign. Injuries and suspensions are unavoidable, but squad management is part of the job. How he navigates this right-back crisis — and whether Ramsay is finally trusted — will tell us a lot about his approach, his flexibility, and how willing he is to take calculated risks.
Because if not now, then when?
The Kopite View 