Arne Slot to get ‘creative’ with Liverpool defensive selections amid injuries

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits he may have to get “creative” with his defensive selections due to the injury problems he has but insists that is unlikely to mean dipping into the transfer market.

Last week Ibrahima Konate, a virtual ever-present alongside Virgil van Dijk, and Conor Bradley joined Kostas Tsimikas on the sidelines for what is expected to be a lengthy spell after sustaining problems against Real Madrid.

It means he has no genuine cover in either full-back position and first choices Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have both had fitness issues this season.

Slot replaced Alexander-Arnold, playing his first game for a month after a hamstring injury, with centre-back Jarell Quansah for the final 17 minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City and he accepts he may have to do something similar in this current run of nine matches in December.

“If in another line – attack or midfield – we had had these injuries, it would have worried me as well because we have nine games,” Slot said ahead of the trip to Newcastle.

“To go into that month with only five defenders is not ideal but it is part of everyone’s season.

“I trust the players we have now that they are doing everything they can to stay fit and we have to make smart decisions to keep them available for this month.

“It depends always on the result if people judge it as smart. We have to be creative, maybe that’s a better word to use for the moment that we cannot use Trent.

“Last weekend against City we didn’t think it was smart to use Trent for 90 minutes after his injury and that is probably going to be the same (on Wednesday) and on Saturday (at Everton).

“Playing Jarell over there is not so creative as he is able to play there but maybe for whatever reason we need Jarell as a centre-back then we need to be even more creative.

“If it works out you will probably call it smart and if it doesn’t it is one of the stupidest things I’ve done.”

The Premier League leaders, who are nine points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea having won 18 of 20 matches this season, are unlikely to look for a defensive solution in the transfer window, however.

After their failure in the summer to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, the only addition to the squad came late in August with the arrival of Federico Chiesa, who has barely featured due to fitness issues.

Slot said they were continually looking at possibilities for strengthening but defence was probably not an area.

“We are having discussions every day no matter if a window is coming up or not,” he added.

“It is a bit of a worry that three defenders are out but the good thing is that when the window is open, the defenders are back.

“I’ve said many times at the beginning of the season, I am so, so happy with the squad we have.

“That’s not to say if there will be a chance in the market, this club has always shown they will go for it.

“That’s what happened with the goalkeeper (they signed Giorgi Mamardashvili for £25million and loaned him back to Valencia), who isn’t even with us yet, we felt it was a chance for us to do it.

“That is what this club is known for.

“We are mainly focused on Newcastle then Everton and all these nine games coming up, but it’s normal we have conversations about the squad, what we can change, yes or no, what can happen in the market.”