On Wednesday night, Arne Slot suffered another defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace in the League Cup. Liverpool lost by three goals at Anfield, continuing their poor stretch of form over the last month.
Slot now has just one win in his last seven games, with fans growing more impatient with every result. What made the game a huge talking point was the team selection; Liverpool started five youth team players against Palace.
Oliver Glasner’s side made just a few changes to their regular lineup this season, and it showed on the pitch. From the first minute, Palace had their foot on the gas and were rewarded late in the first half with two goals from Ismaila Sarr. A late second half goal from Yeremy Pino wrapped up the win in style.
Arne Slot delivers huge injury news
The Liverpool boss decided to rest some key players of the team after the poor form they had been in recently. Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo were all absent from the squad on Wednesday night.
Despite the shocking defeat, and poor run of form, there may be cause for optimism. At the end of the game, Arne Slot revealed that Ryan Gravenberch could be back in contention to face Aston Villa this weekend. The midfielder has been out injured since the loss to Manchester United.
“I think Ryan Gravenberch has a good chance [to play against Aston Villa]. The other ones [who are out], let’s wait and see, but Ryan has the best chance.” Slot told Sky Sports.
Gravenberch boost for Liverpool
Gravenberch’s return could not have come at a better time for Arne Slot. Losing the midfielder has seen the team lack some balance in the middle of the park, and the other players in that role cannot replicate his influence.
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|---|---|
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Interceptions per game | 1.3 |
| Tackles per game | 1.9 |
Last season, his performances were the driving force of the team’s success. He started off well this season, and has performed better than the other senior players in the squad.
Arne Slot will also be hoping for positive news on Alexander Isak, Curtis Jones and Jeremie Frimpong ahead of the Reds’ games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid at Anfield.
