Arne Slot reveals the truth behind his Liverpool lineup changes | OneFootball

Slot’s Rotations Under Scrutiny as Liverpool Regroup

Arne Slot has outlined why Liverpool have seen sweeping changes to their starting line up this season. His explanation arrives at a decisive point in the campaign as the club prepares for a pivotal meeting with Manchester City. With new arrivals bedding in, injuries disrupting rhythm and a stuttering early run that included six defeats in seven matches, the Liverpool head coach has chosen this moment to clarify both his approach and his frustration.

Squad Flux, Injuries and Unfinished Pre Season

Liverpool’s title winning squad was reshaped dramatically in the summer, with close to £450 million spent on reinforcements and several long serving figures moving on. Integration has been complicated by an unusual injury burden and incomplete pre season schedules. Slot detailed how key players were behind the curve, including £125 million striker Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley.

“I’m known as being a manager who prefers not to change but I couldn’t do anything different to what I did,” said Slot. “Then of course we brought new players in and they have to adapt.

“Ryan Gravenberch missed the first two games of the season, (Alexis) Mac Allister was out the whole pre-season, Conor Bradley wasn’t able to play, Jeremie Frimpong wasn’t able to play many games.

“Alexander Isak came in and had to do pre-season inside the season. You could say ‘why do you play him?’, but then he wouldn’t be fit until the end of the season.

Photo: IMAGO

“We knew this before when we signed him that it was going to take three to six months until he’s up to his usual level. But if I never play him, I can’t bring him to that level.”

Liverpool’s head coach argued that the fixture volume left him no option but to rotate. Mac Allister, he said, exemplified the risk of pushing an under prepared player beyond capacity.

Slot’s Frustration With External Noise

Slot noted that the reasoning behind his selections should be self evident. His irritation surfaced when discussing the scrutiny around changes, as well as a wider sense that officiating decisions have compounded their issues.

“There have been obvious reasons why we’ve had to change more than I would like. Mac Allister as an example, if you miss out on pre-season then you’re not ready to play three games in seven days.

“If you do, you will get injuries, and I can show multiple examples to you, where Alex, by the way, is one, but also from other clubs, which I will not do because then journalists will go to the club and say ‘Arne Slot said something about your players…’!

“But it’s so obvious for me, and I’m a bit more, you can maybe feel it, a bit like ‘Jesus, why don’t you see these things? Why are you talking about me changing?’ when it’s so obvious why.”

He also highlighted how circumstances, not preference, led to early season decisions. “It’s not like in the first game of the season I decided not to play Ryan, he became a dad, that’s why I played Curtis. Then in the first Premier League game he was suspended as he made a dive for the first yellow.”

Isak’s Status and City Test

Isak has trained after a two week absence with a groin issue, although he is expected to feature only from the bench at the Etihad. Cody Gakpo, Milos Kerkez and Curtis Jones are pushing strongly for inclusion.

Liverpool have steadied themselves with wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, and Slot’s clarity on rotation reflects a manager confident in his process as they chase momentum once more.