Liverpool’s shortcomings were brutally exposed at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium and the case for the club to get its chequebook out in January could not be clearer. Liverpool are like half a high-spec Aston Martin welded to half a banged up old Austin Allegro. Going forwards they are a match for anyone in the world, with Philippe Coutinho pulling the strings, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane supremely dangerous and Roberto Firmino intelligently dovetailing with the aforementioned trio. At the back they are beyond hopeless. An embarrassment, a joke, call it what you like, but something needs to be done, and fast.

The only worry is that January is still six weeks away and Liverpool could drop plenty of points between now and then. Any team will fancy a crack at this weak, ponderous, disorganised Liverpool defence. It has already shipped 17 goals in 12 Premiership matches – more than any other team in the top seven, and seven more than Burnley’s. Their capitulation on Tuesday night was humiliating. Joel Matip was missed, but they have not fared much better when he has started, and Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan inspire little confidence.

Betting on Liverpool should be a profitable endeavour between now and January. Check the well-reviewed Bet365 for the best odds, and go for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals. Hardly any defence in the world can repel Salah and co, but the Reds always look like conceding goals. It really makes you wonder why Jurgen Klopp and the board did not resolve this gaping problem in the summer. They spent a fortune on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who keeps the bench warm, when they should have desperately been chasing a centre-back. Salah was a great signing, that is beyond doubt, and Naby Keita will beef up the midfield with aplomb next season, but the need for defensive reinforcements was so plain to see.

The club failed to land their top target, Southampton captain Virgil Van Dijk, but they should have gone for their second, third, fourth or fifth choice. Any of them would surely be an upgrade on the likes of Klavan and Lovren. They may bid for Van Dijk once again in January, but John Stones has pulled a hamstring and oil rich Man City are in the market for a central defender, so they could turn it into a bidding war. There would only be one winner there. City are richer and their pull is greater as they are top of the table and marauding to the title, while Liverpool are level on points with Arsenal and Burnley, four wins off the pace set by Pep Guardiola’s men.

Alternative options must be considered. Liverpool will never close the gap on City with this defence. Swansea are second from bottom in the table and they have conceded fewer goals this season than the Reds. The top four teams – City, Utd, Chelsea and Spurs – have all conceded fewer than 10 times this season, and it is no coincidence that they are occupying those top spots. Attacking flair and exciting football will only get you so far if it is not blended with defensive steel. Liverpool may be a great team for the neutrals to watch, great for betting on and they may pull off some exceptional results – like the 4-0 drubbing of Arsenal – but they will never be able to build up consistency until they overhaul their defence. So please, pretty please, Fenway Sports Group, get out the chequebook and make some signings in January. Speculate to accumulate, otherwise they will miss out on a top four place and that will hit them in the pocket.