Brendan sees Can staying in defence
Brendan Rodgers' plans to accommodate for the injury absence of Lucas Leiva are unlikely to involve a positional switch for the in-form Emre Can.
The Brazilian midfielder was withdrawn 16 minutes into Saturday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and will now face a spell on the sidelines.
Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in an important Barclays Premier League clash at Anfield this evening and Rodgers must therefore make a change.
The chosen replacement for Lucas will be carefully considered by the manager, who is keen not to disrupt a defence that has recorded four straight league clean sheets.
"Lucas has been very important for us but there will be an opportunity for someone else," said the Northern Irishman.
"Eventually, Can will be a player who plays further forwards and there might be games when I do think that.
"But you also have to remember the balance of the team as well, which is very good at the moment. It's four clean sheets in a row and defensively we have been very strong.
"With Emre you can see the importance of his role and the position he plays in there. He was immense at the weekend in a real physical game.
"Why disrupt that and try to fix something that could actually create another problem? The balance of the team is fine at the moment."
Jordon Ibe was a stand-out performer during the weekend stalemate with Everton, providing pace and penetration from a wing-back berth on the right.
The 19-year-old's versatility allows him to operate in a variety of different positions on the pitch - an appealing attribute to Rodgers.
"If you look at the system we are playing now, Jordon can play in any one of the front five positions," explained the boss.
"Either side, in behind or through the middle - and that's one of the big reasons we brought him back. He is a really talented footballer with a bright football brain and he can play in any one of those.
"I think his favourite position - and that's what you've always got to look at - is that he is a player who wants to be wide and set up the duel in a one-v-one and his positioning is great for that. It gives him the freedom to go inside and outside.
"For the way I want to work it's important to have that versatility because what it can do is keep your squad tight and small and give people opportunities to play.
"You need specialists and players who are brilliant in a position, for sure, but I like to have a small squad of players that are multi-functional, can understand the game tactically and allow me the flexibility to change systems freely in a game or at the beginning of a game."