Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted he has no concerns over the options available to him in the playing squad, stressing his recent criticism of the squad depth was focused more on injury issues.
After Wednesday’s Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace—a sixth defeat in seven games across all competitions—Slot argued he simply did not have the depth of options available to him that teams like Chelsea and Manchester City are blessed with as he sought to defend a controversial starting lineup.
His comments raised more questions than answers, given the Reds oversaw the single most expensive transfer window in history during the summer to bolster a squad that had just won the Premier League.
Asked what he felt was missing from the squad, Slot gleefully took the opportunity to clarify his stance as he insisted his frustrations were directed at the injury issues in his squad instead.
“We miss nothing,” he began. “I am happy that you asked this question because I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have but that makes the issue—if you call it an issue—is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured.
"When three or four are injured you go back to 16 players. I am a firm believer that 20 or 21 player is enough but you have to keep them fit as we did last season. We are struggling a bit more to keep them fit, in my opinion, for obvious reasons.
“Alex [Isak] is a great example of this. A few others have missed out on pre-season or had injuries during pre-season. It has been more difficult than last season to keep them all available and then if a few of them are not available, it comes down a lot to the same players. Maybe last season we were more lucky and now we are more unlucky.”
