Liverpool head into the Wolverhampton Wanderers game with a clear focus on results and availability.
Liverpool head into the Wolverhampton Wanderers game with a clear focus on results and availability. The Premier League schedule remains unforgiving, and squad depth is being tested again. Injuries and international duty have narrowed options in attack. That has placed more responsibility on one player leading the line. Liverpool are unbeaten in six matches across all competitions. They have won their last three. The margins have been tight, but the points have followed. The team has also conceded fewer chances than earlier in the season. That shift has helped stabilise performances during a demanding run. In the Premier League, goals remain the hardest currency. Liverpool’s recent improvement has come with more control and better game management. The team has not dominated every match. Some games have been even. But the outcomes have improved. One forward has been central to that upturn. His numbers stand out. His availability matters even more. With key attackers missing, Liverpool need reliability. They also need physical output. That has shaped selection decisions and match plans heading into Wolves.
Arne Slot has now explained what sits behind Hugo Ekitike’s current form. The Liverpool head coach pointed to work rate and fitness as the foundation. “I think he has showed a lot of hard work to get to this fitness level where he is at the moment,” Slot said via the club’s official site. Ekitike has scored five goals in his last three Premier League games. He has 11 goals in all competitions this season. Eight of those are non-penalty league goals. Only Erling Haaland has more in the Premier League. Slot admitted the process was not instant. “It sometimes took us, me, a bit of convincing that this all is actually needed to become stronger but he always did it – and not always with a smile on his face!”
The Liverpool boss linked defensive work to attacking output. “I’ve tried to convince him as well that the better you defend a set-piece the bigger chance you have to score a goal at the other end.” He added context. “Because if you are 0-0 it’s easier to score a goal than when you are 1-0 down. This might sound strange but what it does with the energy levels of the other team, if you are conceding or if you are 1-0 up, that is a difference.” Slot also stressed team structure. “So, for us, for him to score goals it’s also important that we hardly concede, let alone in set-pieces.” With Alexander Isak sidelined and Mohamed Salah at AFCON, Ekitike is Liverpool’s senior No.9. Slot believes he can handle it. “But he has worked really hard to get where he is now and I think he is ready to go into a programme we are facing now.” He also noted rotation. “But he is not the only No.9 I have. I have Federico Chiesa I can play in that position as well so I have the chance to… take him off if he is completely tired.” From a Liverpool point of view, the message is clear. The goals are not accidental. The work came first.
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