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Slot 'happy with quality of team' despite dire Liverpool results

The Liverpool manager Arne Slot was asked whether he feels his squad depth is the reason his side have lost six of their last seven matches.

We miss nothing. I’m happy with the quality of the team. But I’m also convinced by the strategy and policy we have. What makes it ‘the issue’ – not all of them have had a proper pre-season. When three or four are injured, you go down to having 16 players.

I am a firm believer in 21 or 22 players are enough. But you have to keep them fit as we did last season. We are struggling to keep them fit this season for in my opinion, obvious reasons.

[Alexander Isak] came to us on 1 September. A few others missed out in pre-season. It has been more difficult than last season to keep them more available. When players are not available, it [workload] comes down more to the same players.

But no excuses for results. We had to play a lot of away games with only two days in between. That would have been difficult last season, and for any player that has been fit this season through pre-season. But it has not been the case this season.

Then you have to manage it. The upcoming week is three games in eight days. It has nothing to do with squad depth, but it has how we have run through the season in terms of injuries, availability every two or three days.

Preamble

Another spine-tingling weekend of football is upon us. Join us as we preview a frightful round of fixtures from the Premier League, FA Cup, Women’s Super League and more with team news and key press conferences.

Arne Slot’s press conference ahead of Liverpool’s match against Aston Villa is underway and the defending champions’ form leaves much to be desired. Will they rise from the grave? Or will Unai Emery’s men join the list of teams haunting Anfield’s faithful?