‘I’m completely happy’ – Slot backtracks on squad comment

Despite recent claims that he was concerned about the depth at his disposal, Liverpool manager Arne Slot claims to be “completely happy” with his team.

After Slot chose to field a largely unexperienced and relatively young team, the Reds opted to bow out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, falling 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.

The team lost to Brentford on Saturday, their fourth league defeat in a row, to start with a start that included three teenagers and five more as substitutes.

After the Palace game, Slot claimed that his choice “gives a little insight” into the depth of the squad he is working with.

The Dutchman, who helped Liverpool win the Premier League title last season in his first campaign, also made it clear that Manchester City and Chelsea could rotate without significantly altering their starting lineups as they advanced to the quarter-finals.

However, Slot has backtracked and asserts he is “happy” with his options ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home game against Aston Villa (20:00 GMT).

Slot remarked, “We miss nothing.”

Liverpool have lost six of their first seven games in all competitions, winning seven of them overall.

Some fans are debating whether Slot is the right man to take Liverpool forward as they drop to seventh place in the Premier League table and are seven points clear of Arsenal.

All of this comes after Anfield’s record-breaking summer of investment, when the club went on the biggest summer spending spree in history, donating $ 415 million to help the club develop a formidable talent pool.

Chelsea spent $ 400 million in the summer of 2023, and Liverpool was prepared to pay another $ 35 million to sign Marc Guehi, but the deal fell apart as the transfer window came to an end.

The last player to pass the £125m mark came from Slovakia on September 1st, with Alexander Isak as the final player.

Isak, 26, sat down tools at Newcastle and practiced alone as he attempted to force his way to Merseyside, which resulted in missed practice for the entire pre-season.

Due to injury in the first few months of the campaign, Liverpool have also been without a number of important players, including Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, and Ryan Gravenberch.

“I am completely persuaded by the strategy and policy we have,” Slot continued, “but the fact that not all of them have had a good pre-season or have been hurt makes the issue.”

“You return to 16 players when three or four of you are injured.” I firmly believe that 20 or 21 players should suffice, but it must be done to maintain their fitness, as we did last year.

The movie “Alex Isak” demonstrates this beautifully. Others have missed the pre-season or suffered injuries while playing.