Arne Slot appeared to ship a pointed message to the Liverpool hierarchy following the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth, which was expensive in additional methods than one.
An evening laden with farcical targets from a Reds perspective started with Alisson Becker by chance clattering into Joe Gomez while unsuccessfully making an attempt to forestall Evanilson from opening the scoring.
Whereas the defender was being attended to off the pitch, Alex Jimenez doubled the Cherries’ lead earlier than Wataru Endo had the prospect to come back on, a scenario that Jamie Redknapp bluntly described as ‘amateurish‘.
The defeat to Bournemouth comes lower than 48 hours after shock studies that Tottenham Hotspur are actively engaged on a deal to signal Andy Robertson, whose potential departure within the coming days might additional cut back Liverpool’s already threadbare unfold of defensive choices.
The 31-year-old was substituted on at half-time tonight instead of Milos Kerkez, who endured a tough first half on his return to the Vitality Stadium.
Slot: ‘I would like all my gamers’
When requested after the match if the Reds nonetheless ‘want’ the Scottish left-back, the pinnacle coach informed Sky Sports activities: “I believe I would like all my gamers. Robbo needed to are available at half-time, for my part. I at all times knew that for Milos, one other 90 minutes towards a really intense Bournemouth aspect was not a chance for him.
“I at all times knew I needed to carry him in, however I already had one substitution within the first half and then you definitely solely have two [sub windows] left, so let’s carry Robbo on at half-time to guarantee that Milos stays obtainable for the remainder of the season.
“There’s plenty of video games to play with the gamers we now have obtainable. I’ve to handle that as effectively as a result of the very last thing we want proper now could be one other harm.”
Is Slot sending a pointed message to FSG over switch exercise?
Cynics would recommend that Slot’s resolution to substitute Kerkez wasn’t pre-planned and was as an alternative in response to a troublesome evening on the workplace for the Hungarian, who was culpable over Jimenez’s aim, however the head coach’s level about managing gamers’ minutes is nonetheless a pertinent one.
With Ibrahima Konate on compassionate depart, Gomez’s harm required rarely-used midfielder Wataru Endo to deputise at centre-back towards Bournemouth, a removed from ideally suited situation which lays naked simply how stretched Liverpool are for defensive choices.
The rising chance of dropping Robertson to Spurs within the coming days is painful for Reds followers to ponder not simply due to our emotional attachment to the Scot, but additionally due to the sparsity of squad depth.
In saying that he wants ‘all’ of his gamers, was Slot maybe sending a pointed message to FSG that he’s determined for the 31-year-old to not be offered on this switch window?
Liverpool are already massively reliant on Jeremie Frimpong, Virgil van Dijk and Konate to remain match as a result of dearth of obtainable understudies, and we face a nervous wait to see how badly Gomez was injured in his collision with Alisson.
To promote Robertson in January with out signing a defensive substitute could be negligible within the excessive from the Anfield hierarchy, whose choices between now and deadline day might have lasting penalties when it comes to whether or not or not we salvage Champions League qualification from this prepare wreck of a season.
