Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool still have a lot to play for this season but have been dealt a crucial injury blow.
Liverpool might not be competing for the Premier League but there is still a lot to play for over the remaining weeks and months.
If Arne Slot is to put a sheen on an otherwise dull campaign, he will need his best players fit and firing on all cylinders with a top four place in the Premier League, an FA Cup and a Champions League all up for grabs. All three are a possibility if the Reds can hit top gear and have a strong starting XI available. What he won’t want is one of his most important players to be missing for any longer than he already is.
Liverpool dealt Florian Wirtz injury blow
After a slow start, Florian Wirtz has fast become an integral member of Liverpool’s starting XI even if his services weren’t needed in the 5-2 thumping of West Ham last time out. After being primed to return to face the Hammers, the big-money summer signing is now facing a race against time to be fit for the last 16 of the Champions League, according to James Pearce, talking on Walk On, The Athletic’s Liverpool podcast: “So, Wirtz, who initially Slot had expected to have him back for the West Ham game, that's taking longer than they initially thought, which is a bit of a worry. Slot confirming this morning that he definitely won't be involved at Molineux on Tuesday night.
“And he said unlikely that he'll be back in time for the return to Molineux in the FA Cup on Friday night. So, we said, you know, the more realistic is next week. Of course, you'll be desperately hoping that he's back on board for the first leg against Galatasaray on Tuesday night in Istanbul. So yeah, he's a bit limited, I think, in terms of what he can change, probably a bit limited in terms of what he would want to change anyway really after a resounding win, if not an emphatic performance.”
Does Wirtz absence make Slot’s job easier?
Without Wirtz, the team almost picks itself other than in midfield where four goes into three and Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister compete for a place alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. With Alexander Isak also some way off being able to return, Liverpool’s lack of attacking depth is also exposed again despite a record spend last summer.
As with against West Ham, it would be a shock to see anything other than Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah leading the forward line for the next two games against Wolves with the hope being that Wirtz can return and get some minutes ahead of what could be a season defining fixture against Galatasaray and one that could well influence the future of Arne Slot.
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