Manager not expecting any January additions despite injury troubles
Arne Slot is confident his Liverpool side will finish in the Champions League places by the end of the season because he “works with these players every single day”.
The champions have had a rollercoaster of a season, losing nine out of 12 games in the autumn but going on an unbeaten run of 13 games since, although that has been hollowed out by four consecutive draws in the Premier League, causing fans to boo the team at Anfield last weekend.
Liverpool are currently fourth in the table with 36 points, but only three points separate them from Newcastle in eighth place and Sunderland in ninth, and Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are all within that gap and in contention for a spot among Europe’s elite.
A top-five finish will likely be enough for Champions League qualification by season end, but that also means that one of Liverpool, United, Chelsea or Newcastle will miss out.
“I am very confident because I work with these players every single day and I see the qualities they have,” said Slot. “But it is always hard to predict the future. If these players all stay available, I think we are in a very good place.
“But sometimes in football you can pick up injuries from nowhere. I didn’t expect to not have Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Conor Bradley available for such a long time. But I think these teams have shown many times, if they are available, if they are fit, we are very competitive against any team in the world.
“So there’s a lot of confidence for me looking to the future but fitness is of course difficult to predict. Even if we pick up injures, we will still be able to compete.”
Despite the fitness concerns, Liverpool’s head coach said his side were unlikely to bring in any players this month.
“That is what I expect,” Slot said. “But I always say when there is an opportunity in the market where we think we can strengthen the squad this club will always try to do so. But at this moment I expect it to stay mainly the same.”
