Liverpool manager Arne Slot has voiced his concern with the fixture schedule and believes it is leading to injuries in his squad.
Ahead of the Reds’ match against Chelsea on Sunday, the former Feyenoord boss has compared the Premier League to Dutch fixture scheduling, the latter that he says protects players better than in England.
Slot said: “(Teams in Holland) get extra rest to be the best possibly prepared for the Champions League game, but that is not something that is common here in England.”
“What might be something for the English FA to think about, if you play on Wednesday evening in a Champions League game, then to play Saturday at 12:30pm might be a disadvantage when it comes to injuries.
Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp was well known for his frustration of fixture scheduling in the Premier League, and particularly TNT Sport’s 12:30pm Saturday kick-offs following midweek games.
Slot said: “The time to play (12:30pm) is no problem at all but if you play so shortly after playing on a Wednesday evening, that might be something that needs to be taken into consideration.”
One Liverpool player who will be absent for some time is Alisson Becker. The Brazilian picked up a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace before the international break. That game was played at 12:30pm on the Saturday after Slot’s team played midweek in the Champions League against Bologna.
Slot said: “In retrospect I might have chosen Caoimhin (Kelleher) instead of Alisson but like you said (reporter) you don’t expect a goalkeeper to pick up a muscle injury.”
The Brazilian looks to spend a significant period on the sideline with reports saying it could be until late November until we see him playing again.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s match against high flying Chelsea, the Liverpool manager believes it could be his biggest challenge yet. He said: “If you look at the league table then they are the ones who might be our toughest opponent. But it’s not always about the league table, sometimes it’s about the form of the day”.
Chelsea are in a rich vein of form, unbeaten in their last seven matches with their only league defeat coming against champions, Manchester City.
Speaking about nullifying the London club’s attacking strengths, Slot stressed the importance of being a strong unit: “Chelsea, like Manchester United, have a lot of great individuals, which we have to try to manage and control and that is not what one player does but what we do as a team”.
Liverpool also come into this fixture boasting an impressive run of form, unbeaten in their last six matches. However the coming week holds a stern test for Slot’s men. After this Sunday his team travel to Leipzig for their Champions League tie ahead of a trip to the capital to play Arsenal next Sunday.
As it stands the Reds currently sit top of the Premier League table, exceeding many people’s expectations so far. Even though Slot urges patience on judgment, many Liverpool fans believe this week will be a strong indication of the team’s potential this season.
