Arne Slot delivers terrifying injury update ahead of festive fixtures | OneFootball

It feels like every international break brings a complication or two, but few would have expected the scale of the latest disruption confirmed by Arne Slot.

Speaking to the press, the Dutchman admitted that both Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz “cant play” against Nottingham Forest, describing the situation as “far from ideal”.

The news arrives at a moment when we needed a smoother path through a congested run of fixtures.

Liverpool injury news worsens as Wirtz and Bradley ruled out

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The Germany international’s absence is a fresh setback in a period where his adaptation has already become a topic in his homeland.

It comes only days after Sport Bild questioned why Wirtz has made what they described as a “quiet start”, partly blaming the forward line around him and even suggesting Mo Salah had “overlooked” him at times.

That criticism now intersects with a muscle issue that, according to our head coach, “maybe should not be that long”, though losing the 22-year-old playmaker deprives us of creativity during a spell where chances have been scarce.

Bradley’s situation is more severe. The Northern Ireland international faces up to “22 days” out unless, as the 47-year-old put it, “a miracle happens”.

Position changes hinted at as Liverpool manage heavy schedule

(Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images)

With Jeremie Frimpong also unavailable, the former Feyenoord coach admitted “maybe one or two players have to play in positions they normally wont do”.

Bradley’s injury comes after the conversation around his own positional flexibility, as the defender occasionally became the “furthest forward white shirt on the field” for his country this week.

That tactical experiment had already opened up discussions about how we might evolve his role across the season but now we need to convert another player to be used in Bradley’s position.

Joe Gomez was mentioned directly, but with the England international having only played “two times 90 minutes in 2025”, there was concern over his workload.

The full injury picture gives us little margin for error during the next three weeks.

This schedule is precisely why the absence of two key contributors carries weight, particularly after the Manchester City defeat highlighted our need for reliable options across the pitch.

There was at least some positive news, with Alisson Becker back in full training and Andy Robertson confirmed to be in the group.

Still, the contrast between that welcome progress and losing both Bradley and Wirtz underscores how quickly the landscape can shift in a season.

As the 47-year-old noted, “we do have some issues after the international break”, and with tactical adjustments now firmly on the table, the next few games may tell us more about our adaptability than any victory earlier in the campaign.

You can view Slot’s pre-Nottingham Forest press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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