Liverpool boss Arne Slot is facing a big managerial challenge as he deals with a worsening injury crisis.
He also needs to manage playtime for his players as Liverpool have to play three games in seven days.
The Reds will face Brighton at Anfield on Saturday night in the FA Cup fourth round after putting an end to Sunderland’s unbeaten home run in the Premier League with a 0–1-win midweek.
He said: “We have three clear priorities, FA Cup, CL qualification and CL.
“We are also aware of the limited options, so the load management is important, the last thing we need is another injury.”
Liverpool have played on Sunday, on Wednesday and are playing again tomorrow night.
“It would not be the first time that a player could get injured if he has to play three times in seven days”, said Slot.
On Brighton, the Dutch manager said: “We play a very strong Brighton team and I think there are a lot of comparisons between Brighton and us.
“They don’t deserve the position they are in, they play so much better than the table shows, they deserve more than they get so it is another challenge”.
On Van Dijk and set pieces
Slot underlined how “vital” captain Virgil Van Dijk has been this season after the 34-year-old scored the winner midweek.
“He has been fit every single time, and I’ve said before what an accomplishment it is for a player his age.
“It tells a lot about what he does off the pitch in recovery but also about his mental
strength.
“He’s a big threat in the air offensively and defensively he’s really important to us not to concede.
“I hope he will score many more for us on set pieces.”
Slot was critical of his team’s performance on set pieces: “It is impossible to win the league if you have a set pieces balance like us, no matter how well you play in the game.
“The difference between Champions’ League and Premier League is set pieces because in the Champions’ League we are top in set pieces and in the Premier League we are completely bottom, and that reflects in the league table as well.”
On Kerkez and Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai will be available in the FA Cup after he was suspended Wednesday night in the Premier League following his sending off against Manchester City at the weekend.
Milos Kerkez will be back with the team as well, and Slot emphasised the importance of his Hungarian duo.
“The energy both of them bring is very important to the team.
“Milos (Kerkez) has shown this season that defensively he’s very solid and able to defend 1v1 against the best wingers in the world.
“We see what we saw in Bournemouth, he is an offensive threat as well, he has the power to go up and down.
“Dominik (Szoboszlai), I cannot stop talking about his qualities, close to ridiculous, on and off the ball.
“If you are able to play right full back, defensive midfielder, offensive midfielder, right winger, you have so many qualities to play in all these positions.
“He has been vital for us this season and last season. He will continue to be that for us.”
Managing the injury crisis
When asked about giving play time to academy youngsters, Slot said: “A few of them come closer and closer to first team football.
“A game like this could be an option for them as well but once again it’s about finding the right balance.”
He also confirmed that Wataru Endo “will be out for a quite long time” after being stretchered off during in the second half of Wednesday night’s game.
On a positive note, the Liverpool boss said that Joe Gomez would be coming back from injury.
(Featured image by Joe Schlip, under Wikimedia Creative Commons)
