Liverpool Boss Arne Slot Fires Back, Reveals Hidden Truth Behind Season's Struggles
Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot has consistently highlighted the injury problems that have plagued his struggling title-holding team, criticizing how these setbacks have received little media attention this season compared to the club's transfer expenditure.
The Netherlands-born manager has faced intense criticism throughout this campaign. Following his triumphant first Premier League championship with virtually the identical roster he took over from Jürgen Klopp, a lavish summer spending spree has failed to meet the high expectations created by such investment.
Liverpool showed little conviction during an initial seven-game winning streak before descending into a terrible run of form as autumn approached. Slot experienced four consecutive losses for the first time as a manager while the Reds accumulated nine defeats across 12 matches, marking the club's poorest stretch in 72 years.
Following a particularly crushing 4–1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool has managed a seven-match undefeated streak. Despite these displays being marked by the same doubts and unpredictability that have characterized the season, Slot maintained that his supposedly depleted squad isn't receiving proper recognition.
When asked about Curtis Jones's better availability, the Liverpool manager emphasized the importance of his continued health. "Looking at our substitutes' bench, you won't find any midfielder who has featured for more than 10 minutes in Premier League action this season," he remarked, noting the young replacements who observed Liverpool's narrow victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
"That's precisely why I'm delighted with our recent performances, because if we had dropped points, people would likely discuss how many players we're missing," he added. "But since we're not losing points, nobody mentions the absent players. Perhaps they only focus on our spending!"
Slot Laments Absence of Liverpool Impact Players
Liverpool faced the Premier League's bottom team without suspended Dominik Szoboszlai, while Mohamed Salah was representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. Alexander Isak continues recovering from a leg fracture, compelling Slot to deploy £116 million ($156.3 million) summer acquisition Florian Wirtz in a wide position alongside European champion Federico Chiesa.
Cody Gakpo, the team's second-leading goalscorer this campaign, entered as a substitute. Nevertheless, Slot remained concerned about the limited options available to him compared to the previous season.
"Effective game management also requires having substitution opportunities," he worried. "Perhaps bringing on an additional defender or similar tactical changes. Last season, when we held 2–1 leads or single-goal advantages, I frequently introduced Wataru Endo. As I've mentioned, though not everyone may realize it, we're missing numerous players. This makes the achievements of our available players even more remarkable."
Slot's alleged shortage of alternatives hasn't damaged Liverpool when leading this season—the Reds have surrendered just two points after taking the lead, the fewest in the league—but becomes evident when trailing. Only two teams in the division have earned fewer points than Liverpool from losing situations this campaign.
Slot's 'Compelling Narrative' for Liverpool's Campaign
"Sadly, Giovanni Leoni won't feature for us this season, and Alex [Isak] will require considerable time before returning," Slot reflected. "You can calculate the financial value involved, and when combined with our sales, that creates perhaps a compelling narrative."
Slot has consistently attempted to offset attention on Liverpool's summer expenditure—an unprecedented £415 million—by highlighting the caliber of players who departed during the same period. Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez were transferred to Bayern Munich and Al Hilal respectively for approximately £110 million. When considering both incoming and outgoing transfers from last summer, Liverpool recorded only the second-highest net expenditure globally.
Leoni and Isak represent roughly £151 million of that spending and will probably miss most of Liverpool's fixtures this season. While losing a 19-year-old defender without Premier League experience shouldn't be overemphasized, no team would willingly sacrifice their record signing for such an extended period.
Fortunately for Slot, Hugo Ekitiké—who has scored four times more goals than Isak this season despite costing significantly less—remains healthy. Should the French striker suffer an injury, Liverpool's manager would have considerably more grounds for complaint.