Arne Slot Makes “Worry” Liverpool Admission and Names Player Who Definitely Will Not Play 90 Minutes

Arne Slot has admitted that Liverpool’s current defensive injury situation is “not ideal.”

The Reds are set to face Newcastle United this evening without key defenders Conor Bradley, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kostas Tsimikas, recovering from an ankle issue, and Ibrahima Konate, out due to a knee problem. Additionally, the trio is expected to miss the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday.

This leaves Liverpool, currently leading the Premier League table with a nine-point advantage, with only five senior defensive players available.

Adding to their concerns, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has recently returned from a hamstring injury, is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes in both games scheduled this week.

Despite the challenges, Slot remains optimistic about navigating the congested schedule. While admitting the limited defensive options is somewhat “worrying”, he expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to manage through this demanding period. Addressing the media during his pre-match press conference, the Liverpool head coach shared his thoughts.

“To go into the month with only five defenders is not ideal, but it’s part of everyone’s season and we played just as many games in October [and will] in January.

“Whenever you have got some injuries in a certain line, it is always a bit of a worry, but I trust the players we have now that they do everything they can to stay fit and we have to take smart decisions in this as well to keep them available for this month.

“If you face the likes of the clubs I just said, you cannot have a month where you don’t get the results because they will be back.

“It depends always on the result if people judge it as smart. We have to be creative, maybe that’s a better word to use, for the moment that we cannot use Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. So, last weekend against City, we didn’t think it was smart to play Trent for 90 minutes after his injury.

“That’s probably going to be the same tomorrow and on Saturday as well, so then we have to be creative – and for me Jarell [Quansah] playing over there is not so creative [because] he is able to play there.

“Maybe for whatever reason, if we need Jarell as a centre-back because if one of the centre-backs cannot continue the game, then we need to be even more creative. If it works out, you will probably call it smart and if it doesn’t it’s one of the stupidest things I’ve done until now!”

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