Slot claims Liverpool have suffered ‘bad luck’ with injuries and late goals this season | OneFootball

Liverpool have endured a difficult campaign, leaving them unable to defend their Premier League title and on the brink of missing Champions League qualification.

After Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, Liverpool are now 17 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and five behind fifth-placed Manchester United.

Injury to several key players is one reason for their struggles, with Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley currently on the sidelines.

Jeremy Jacquet, who joined for £55 million in the winter transfer window but was loaned back to Rennes, has also been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

Asked about whether Liverpool have been unlucky this season, manager Arne Slot told liverpoolfc.com: “That is always the question. It feels like that, that’s for sure.

“Even if we sign a player and he’s not even playing for us he gets injured! So, sometimes it feels like that but the moment you start to feel it’s all bad luck, probably it comes to you as well.

“So, we should keep it away as much as possible and just focus on the performance and focus on what we can do to improve it.”

Adding to the narrative of ‘bad luck‘ is the amount of late goals Liverpool have conceded in the league this season.

The Reds have conceded four second-half stoppage-time winners — the joint-highest in Premier League history.

“The amount of times we conceded late goals in extra time is far more than usual,” Slot said.

“The question is, is it bad luck or are we to blame? I think I’ve tried many different things, so I’ve made defensive substitutions and the ball went in and I kept playing the same players and the ball went in.

“We’ve tried a lot, and sometimes it feels… I can fairly say we haven’t been lucky; that’s definitely true. Is it then unlucky, or is this part of who we are? That is something we can only find out in the upcoming three to four months.”

Slot’s lack of trust in fringe players has weighed heavily, leading to a raft of injuries and late goals conceded. He needs to use his squad more effectively to address these challenges.

While he is expected to remain in charge for the rest of the campaign, Liverpool’s failure to qualify for the Champions League could put Slot’s position under scrutiny.