Arne Slot clarifies comments on Liverpool squad and names key problem for crisis Reds

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“I am completely happy with the team, all the quality that we have and completely convinced with the strategy and the policy we have but the issue is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured during the season.Liverpool’s big-money signing Alexander Isak has struggled for form and fitness (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)“When three or four are injured so then you go back to 16 players. I am a firm believer that 20 or 21 players are enough but then you have to keep them fit as we did last season.

He came to us on 1 September, a few others have missed out on pre-season, a few others have had their injuries in pre-season and it has been more difficult than last season to keep them all available and then when a few of them are not available it comes down a lot to the same players. Maybe last season we were a bit lucky or now we are a bit more unlucky.”Slot nevertheless feels he has a challenge to manage the minutes of his players, especially those who are not at 100 per cent.He added: “There are no excuses for our results but we had to play a lot of away games with only two days’ rest in between.

That would have been a difficult schedule for every player last season. I mean that for a player who has been fit all through pre-season.