Manager says amount of injuries and late goals conceded is unusual
Arne Slot has said Liverpool’s struggles this season can be explained by bad luck. The Reds are sixth in the league and four points off the top five, in an underwhelming season that has followed a title-winning campaign and a summer in which they spent £450m on new signings.
Liverpool have suffered a lot of injuries, with Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong among those who have frequented or remain in the treatment room.
Interestingly, after the club agreed a £60m deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet in January, with the 20-year-old to move to Anfield in the summer, Jacquet also sustained a shoulder injury last weekend and may now undergo surgery.
Slot agreed the episode showed that his side have been deeply unlucky this season.
“It feels like that, that’s for sure,” Slot said. “Even if we sign a player and he’s not even playing for us he gets injured.
“Sometimes it feels like that but the moment you start to feel it’s all bad luck. It probably comes to you as well so we should keep it away as much as possible and focus on the performance and what we can do to improve it.
“But the amount of times we conceded late goals in extra time is far more than usual. The question is, is it bad luck or are we to blame?
“I’ve tried many different things. I’ve made defensive substitutions and the ball went in. I’ve kept playing the same players and the ball went in. We’ve tried a lot. I can fairly say we haven’t been lucky, that is definitely true.
“The question is are we unlucky or is it part of who we are? That is something we can only find out in the upcoming three to four months.”
Can Liverpool Finish in the Top Five? Reds’ Chances Assessed
Liverpool heartbreakingly surrendered the lead and then lost all three points against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, first Bernardo Silva’s sliding shot and then Erling Haaland’s penalty sucker punching Arne Slot’s Reds.
The fact that Dominic Szoboszlai, their undisputed best performer this season, was also red carded in the last minute for a pointless tug on Haaland’s shirt was just the ugly bonus.
