Liverpool Tested as Slot Manages Relentless Squad Strain

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Arne Slot continues to juggle injuries and absences as Liverpool navigate a demanding season. Squad management, adaptability and collective responsibility have become central themes as the Reds aim to maintain momentum across domestic and European competitions.

Transcript

00:00Liverpool's season under Arnie Schlott has been as much about managing personnel as

00:06plotting tactics with prolonged absences and fixture congestion,

00:11exposing the Premier League champions' squad depth like never before.

00:16From Hugo Eketike's ongoing recovery to Conor Bradley's season-ending knee injury

00:21and Mohamed Salah's time away to the African Cup of Nations,

00:25it's for Schlott to get creative with selection and rotation.

00:30Yeah, it's for every team very important to have strength and depth in your squad.

00:37We could see it when we played Arsenal, when they made their five substitutions.

00:41And today I mixed the line-up a little bit.

00:47It wasn't as Plymouth last season, it wasn't as Crystal Palace this season for the League Cup.

00:54One, because we take this competition very seriously.

00:58Second of all, because I didn't also have the possibilities to do so,

01:01because I couldn't make 11 substitutions.

01:04I could, but then I had to look at the under 21s and the under 18.

01:09But I think it showed tonight that we needed a lot of first-team players to win this game.

01:19So I think, not that it's a compliment to myself, but I think I made the right decision to play a lot of starters as well.

01:28But I also had no other opportunity, although I could have played four or five under 21 players, but I chose not to do so.

01:35Rather than lamenting missing stars, Slott has been clear about the need for those available to roll their sleeves up,

01:43emphasizing collective responsibility.

01:45That message is rooting in necessity, with Alexander Isak's sideline long-term

01:50and other first-team regulars in and out of the treatment room.

01:53The Dutch coach has had to deploy makeshift combinations, give opportunities to squad players,

01:58and adjust formations more often than he would ideally choose.

02:03Yeah, first of all, let's talk about him, because Trent is leaving,

02:11and Conor Bradley already replaced him last season a few times really well.

02:16And I think the year before our game also had a good spell.

02:20So I think he felt, and I felt the same, this is now going to be your time.

02:26And then he missed out on so many games because of injury already, mainly because of hamstring injuries.

02:31Coming back from that, being in the team, progressing, doing better and better,

02:36staying fit, and then something like this happens.

02:40So in a season where he fought before it started, this has to be my season.

02:46And I fought the same.

02:48In a season defined by tight margins and high stakes, Liverpool's ability to cope with squad pressure

02:54could prove as decisive as any tactical shift.

02:58In a season

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