Injuries play a big part in every season and the 2024/25 campaign has been no different.
Liverpool know this as well as anyone after seeing their backline decimated during the 2020/21 campaign which meant the Reds were unable to defend their Premier League crown.
When it comes to the current race, Arsenal have been the team to suffer from fitness setbacks as Mikel Arteta has seen his whole forward line move to the sidelines in recent weeks.
This has prompted rival fans to label Liverpool as lucky but Arne Slot dismissed this claim during his press conference on Friday.
Responding to the Dutch coach’s words, French journalist Julian Laurens has named a member of Slot’s staff that everyone in the football world is talking about.
Photo by Hans van der Valk/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Photo by Hans van der Valk/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Liverpool’s Ruben Peeters labelled ‘one of the best in his field’
Upon joining Liverpool last summer, Slot brought Ruben Peeters with him from Feyenoord to become the lead physical performance coach on Merseyside.
The Belgian coach had worked with Slot at Feyenoord for the previous three years, during which the pair lifted the Dutch league title and KNVB Cup, and are now experiencing similar success at Liverpool.
Speaking about Liverpool’s ability to keep key players fit, Laurens gave a shout-out to Peeters as the French journalist believes the Belgian has had a big part to play in the Reds’ success.
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“I think there’s, there’s a guy in the Liverpool staff that we haven’t mentioned too often, and we should have,” Laurens said on ESPN FC. “Ruben Peeters, who is the lead performance coach, who was with Slot at Feyenoord where he did an amazing job.
“He’s a young coach, he’s only 32 years old. He is a Belgian guy, where he started as a fitness coach. For me, and all the words that I have, and the people who talk to me about him, he is just one of the best in his field, with innovative, great ideas.”
“His partnership with Slot it’s just like they trust each other so much. And for me, Peeters is also one of the reasons why they don’t have injuries because he’s training and all his programming are perfect, really perfect.”
Cody Gakpo is an injury doubt for Liverpool’s match with Southampton on Saturday but that is the only key star the Reds have out of action.
Long-term absentees come in the form of Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley, which is quite impressive this late into the season.
Steve Nicol agrees with Arne Slot on Liverpool injury situation
Speaking on ESPN FC, former Liverpool star Steve Nicol agreed with everything Slot said during his press conference about Liverpool’s injury situation being down to the work they do behind the scenes, rather than luck.
“You got to be smart. There’s no point in leaving your legs on the training field,” Nicol said. “You do enough for the players to get the cobwebs out from the last game, to get the lungs going, get the heart pumping, get a sweat on, and then get off the field.”
Player Injury Potential return
Joe Gomez Thigh 3 May 2025
Cody Gakpo Ankle/Foot 8 March 2025
Conor Bradley Thigh 2 April 2025
Liverpool’s current injuries
“Then do what you’ve got to do, whether it’s your meetings or your video, whatever it is, and that is huge. There are absolutely too many coaches, in my opinion, that have the players on the field for too long, too often.
“It always reflects at the end of the season, because it catches up with you, and that’s not just the injury situation. So yeah, he’s right. Smart staff and looking after your players in terms of minutes on the training field.”
Liverpool will hope their run of keeping players fit continues throughout the remainder of the season as the Reds enter a crucial phase of the campaign.
An injury to any of their major stars could be a big blow to their hopes of winning a treble but as previously seen, they have a great track record.