Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has addressed his squad’s injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s visit of Chelsea to Anfield in the Premier League
Arne Slot admits Liverpool have some injury worries ahead of their Premier League match against Chelsea on Sunday. The Reds return to action at Anfield looking to stay at the summit of the table after an impressive start to the season.
But they will do so without Alisson Becker, who injured a hamstring in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, and Slot explained that he will have to check on a number of players coming back from international duty with issues ahead of the game with Chelsea.
One such player is Alexis Mac Allister, who was substituted at half-time against Palace with a groin issue and missed Argentina’s first match on the international break, though he did come through 60 minutes of their clash with Bolivia in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
READ MORE: Liverpool made an offer for me – but I signed contract and broke my leg the next dayREAD MORE: ‘That’s me done here’ – Conor Bradley makes Liverpool admission as new challenge emerges
Liverpool will train with all players back from internationals on Friday, and although Slot did not name names, he admitted the medical department will have to check on the availability of players.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot said: “Alisson is for sure not with us in the upcoming weeks. It’s a big blow for him and us, because he did really well this season and for so many years. The good thing is Caoimh (Caoimhin Kelleher) did really well, so we have a good replacement, but you always want all of your players available.”
He added: “We have quite some issues (with) players coming back from national teams and we can only judge that today. It’s the first time they are all in and training together. Let’s see after the session how everyone is. Macca missed one game, but played the second one. Kostas (Tsimikas) missed out.
“We have a few issues. Let’s see how they are after today.”
Slot also admitted that the club are exploring the reasons why Alisson continues to suffer so many muscle injuries, with the Reds boss explaining that it’s “uncommon” for a goalkeeper to spend so much time on the sidelines.
He said: “t’s a bit uncommon for goalkeepers, but for me its common because the goalkeeper I had at Feyenoord had his issues. We are looking into it what could be the reason. We know that if you get one, the chances of getting another one go up.
“Maybe it’s a chance for me to explain, there was a rumour that I don’t mind the 12.30pm kick-off sand it’s not a problem because we train at the same time, but what might be something for the FA to think about is if you play Wednesday in a Champions League game, then to play on Saturday at 12.30pm it might be a disadvantage with injuries.
“If you play shortly after playing on a Wednesday evening then it’s something you can take into consideration. Although it’s hard to change all eleven players. in retrospect I might have chosen Caoimh instead of Alisson, but like you said you don’t expect a goalkeeper to pick up an injury.
“In Holland 99% of teams who play in the Champions League ion the upcoming week don’t play on a Sunday, they get extra rest to be best prepared.”
