Liverpool were without three senior options in defence against Man City, and Arne Slot has confirmed that it will remain the case for the upcoming week, at least.
For the first time since Real Madrid visited Anfield in 2022/23, Liverpool’s backline against Man City was made up of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley were forced out of the side from midweek due to a knee and hamstring injury, respectively, while Kostas Tsimikas (ankle) was also unavailable.
Both Konate and Tsimikas were spotted at Anfield on Sunday on crutches, giving a clear indication that their return is not looming – which Slot confirmed after Sunday’s 2-0 win.
Asked about Konate and Bradley’s return timeline, Slot explained: “They will both be out for a few weeks.
“I’ve said many times before, it is always difficult to judge how many weeks exactly because you can think in the beginning, ‘Oh, it’s probably going to be like this’, but in the end stage of the injury process it can always differ a bit.
“They will not be in the team this week, for sure. Both of them.
“Actually, I don’t think Kostas will be with us in the upcoming week as well.
“These players that we have available now, it’s more important now, even more than normal, for them to stay fit.”
Reports from Northern Ireland suggest Bradley will be out until the New Year, leaving Slot and Co. with plenty to think about as they manage the squad during the festive period.
With another eight games to come before the end of the year, which includes a match every midweek and weekend, Slot also made it clear why he withdrew Trent Alexander-Arnold against City.
The Liverpool boss said: “That’s also why I took Trent off after 70 minutes, he was able to play longer… but knowing we play Newcastle and the Merseyside derby with only five [defenders] available, we have to take care of them.
“It’s why it was so pleasing to see the ones that came in, Joe and Jarell, do so well.”
Surprisingly, Jarell Quansah was introduced at right-back in a sign of what we could expect in the coming weeks as Liverpool manage the defenders they can still call on.
“It’s all about consistency until the end of the season, keeping the players fit and playing with this much energy,” Slot added.
“Like you saw, I only had five defenders available so to win something in the end, it’s such a long way to go and so many challenges you have to [face].”
Liverpool 2-0 Man City
