Liverpool might have lost to Fulham over the weekend but it is still going to win the Premier League title. It is now a matter of when, not if, the Reds get over the line.
A big part of the success that Liverpool has had this season has come down to how well Arne Slot has managed injuries. While there is an argument that players like Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa should have been used more often with some signs of fatigue across the roster now emerging, the treatment table has generally not been too busy.
Just this weekend, Slot was handed a boost when Conor Bradley returned to action and looked very good. He made an impact off the bench and Liverpool looked better with him in the side — potentially, with Trent Alexander-Arnold heading for Real Madrid, a hint of what might be to come next season.
Alexander-Arnold himself is sidelined at the moment with the muscle injury that forced him off against PSG in the Champions League. The Reds’ number 66 should be back before the end of the season (and the end of his Liverpool contract) but no exact timeline has been placed on his return just yet.
Curtis Jones played most of the game at Fulham at right-back because Bradley wasn’t available to start, Alexander-Arnold is out, and Joe Gomez is also missing right now. Gomez has been training on his own but is yet to rejoin the main group as he edges closer to a comeback.
“Joe Gomez had surgery for his hamstring injury, so he’s out for a long time,” Slot said in the middle of February. “He will be back maybe just before the end of the season.”
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Finally, Alisson Becker has missed the last two Liverpool games thanks to a concussion he picked up playing for Brazil during the international break. Injured while playing against Colombia, he is yet to be cleared via the concussion protocols. Alisson’s return should not be far away and he might be back in goal against West Ham United next Sunday.
Liverpool.com says: There is definitely a case that some Reds players are looking jaded now because of the exertions they have put in across the campaign. Ryan Gravenberch has started to look more lively again but he had a period where he looked tired and he has started every single Premier League game.
While injuries have been managed well, that is something to think about. Signing a player who can be an alternative to Gravenberch, for instance, should be a priority. The Dutchman has coped very well but at some point there is likely to be a drop-off if he is relied upon so relentlessly.
