Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
Liverpool may be down by six key players in their high-stakes clash with Man City on Sunday. In the wake of their 2-0 win over Real Madrid, Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate both experienced injury troubles.
Taking to Instagram, Konate expressed his dismay: "So frustrating to pick up this injury right at the end of a great game on Wednesday night. Now we start the recovery process but one thing I promise is I will come back and be the best I can be once again.
"Thank you for the amazing support at Anfield. Inshallah we will keep going and I will support the team every step of the way."
His Northern Ireland teammate is dealing with a potential hamstring issue, and it looks like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez might be stepping up for Arne Slot's squad. Alexander-Arnold comes off fresh from a hamstring injury, having sat out the Real Madrid match.
Liverpool, excited to have Harvey Elliott back post-fracture, haven't seen him play since August. Post-November international break, the Reds hoped their injury crisis would subside as several players were expected to return to training alongside Elliott.
Federico Chiesa, who has been out of action since September, has participated in parts of training sessions with his team-mates but is yet to fully return. Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker are also yet to rejoin full team training following lengthy absences.
When Slot spoke to the press at his latest pre-match briefing, which took place on Thursday rather than the usual Friday, Konate and Bradley were the main topics of discussion regarding Liverpool team news. As a result, it's still uncertain whether any of the aforementioned players could make an unexpected comeback to the matchday squad against Man City, as Slot did not provide a new update on their progress.
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Despite their injuries, Liverpool have managed to perform impressively this season, unlike rivals such as Man City and Arsenal. While their competitors have complained about their list of absentees, Liverpool have continued to quietly get on with their work.
In fact, Slot currently has more players ruled out (six) than both Pep Guardiola (five) and Mikel Arteta (three).
The Dutch manager, ahead of a crucial clash with Real Madrid, highlighted the resilience of his squad despite injury woes. "It's quite a list for us as well," he noted, yet his confidence remains unshaken as he has seen his players rise to the occasion time and again this season.
"This happens through a season," he said, reflecting on the recent losses of Konate and Bradley. He remains hopeful for their return but insists, "if not someone else has to step up and until now this season everybody that I [have] selected to start has shown up."
"That's also what is going to happen on Sunday, if they can play but also if they can't play then other ones will step up."
In his City pre-match press conference, he addressed the topic of injuries in relation to team performance. "I think in general people only talk about injuries if the results are not there, so it's a good thing that nobody talked about our injuries," he said.
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"But nine out of 10 times it's about the quality of the players from the other team or their game plan."
Despite key players being sidelined, he praised the stand-ins: "We do have some very important players for us being injured but if the replacements do so well it's normal that people don't talk about it that much."
The absence of key players such as Alisson, Jota, and Alexander-Arnold has undeniably left a mark on Liverpool's recent results, but the Reds have been typically stoic about their injury woes. "It is true that missing Alisson, which has been a starter for this club and been so important for this club for so long, missing Diogo Jota [and] missing Trent in the last two games - those are players that have had impact a lot on the results in recent years. But it's a good thing we don't talk about it."
Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
Liverpool may be without six players for Man City clash as injury woes mount
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