Exemptions and injuries facing Liverpool’s squad against Bournemouth hinder recovery attempts
Liverpool struggled against Bournemouth, as three of their four starting defenders left in the first half due to injury, and Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong were withdrawn to protect their physical fitness.
“I think we can say with confidence that some of our players ran out of energy,” Slot said. “I can’t even criticize them for this, because we played an away match in Europe just two days ago.
“We are the only team that played in the Champions League and is facing this period between matches that amounts to only two days.”
In terms of justifications, Liverpool’s lack of bench depth was clearly evident due to prominent injury absences, but Bournemouth managed to complete the full match time by involving youth players, while Slot was able to turn to players like Endo, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, and Hugo Ekitike.
However, Slot stressed that Bournemouth could have scored the 3-2 goal earlier. Bournemouth scored in the 95th minute, leading to chaotic scenes, but it did not come as a surprise given Liverpool’s performances this season.
On Thursday, Liverpool conceded a goal in the final minute of the second half for the third time in the Premier League this season—the highest number in a single season in the competition—and it was the fifth time the team dropped points in the final quarter-hour.
If Arsenal beats Manchester United on Sunday (16:30 GMT), Liverpool will be closer to the relegation zone than to the top of the Premier League. That alone is definitive testimony to their poor title defense.
“Their goal must be to save the season by earning their place in the Champions League by finishing fourth or fifth—but that is a significant drop compared to what we saw last year.”
Liverpool’s defense of the Premier League title has already faded over time. They are a team that should be competing for the title next season, but now they are unable to define a clear identity, and more importantly, everyone is no longer afraid of them.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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