Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has admitted that Ronald Araujo's presence at right-back limits the team from an offensive perspective.

The Reds could find themselves in the race for the Premier League title if they beat Arsenal on Sunday at Anfield.

While the Merseysiders are six points behind the second-placed Gunners, a three-point gap after nine matchweeks would cement their place in the hunt for the title.

Defender Araujo could be key for Liverpool's hopes on the weekend, and another impressive performance would fuel calls for the club to make his loan from Barcelona permanent.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday, Iraola was delighted by the 27-year-old's defensive contributions, though admitted he is limited in attack, saying: "It definitely helps having a centre-back at right-back when we talk about defending set pieces.

"It helps with the height and the physicality of the team. It helps us to defend better but it is true that you also lose a little bit offensively on the other side. Offensively we cannot demand of Ronald the same thing as other full-backs and what they give us, but we have to balance this with other patterns."

Liverpool have the option to buy Araujo for €55m (£47.14m) from Barcelona, but it is not yet clear if they will sign the Uruguayan permanently.

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Araujo has primarily played as a centre-back during his career, with his appearances on the right side of defence for Barcelona largely limited to clashes against the likes of Real Madrid in order to stop Vinicius Junior.

However, Iraola has almost exclusively used the defender as a right-back at Anfield, and he has excelled without the ball.

The 27-year-old has won 65% of his duels, including 70% of his aerial duels, and he has consistently won battles against opposition wingers.

Liverpool as a team rank third in the league for xG against (8.82), and they have kept four clean sheets in their last six Premier League outings, and three of the four goals they conceded in that period came against Manchester City after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off.

While he has struggled to contribute much when Liverpool have possession, keeping him as an option across the backline would be sensible.

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Centre-backs Jeremey Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk are strong passers, but left-back Milos Kerkez and nominal right-back Araujo are not particularly strong with the ball.

Keeping Araujo as an option for future seasons would be beneficial, though the Reds must ensure that they sign at least one full-back on either side that is capable of playing forward progressively.

The addition of a midfielder and the development of Trey Nyoni would also help the team's ability in possession, though it remains to be seen whether Liverpool address any of their imbalances in January.