Arne Slot is in a unique position as he approaches Sunday’s Premier League game against Arsenal; the Liverpool head coach doesn’t have a single injury to contend with.
That is, clearly, an envious position for any top-flight boss to be in, but it does pose Slot with a problem this weekend. Who does he leave out of Liverpool’s squad to face Arsenal?
The Reds can name a matchday roster of 20, two of which will almost certainly be goalkeepers. It means 18 outfield slots are available, but 21 outfield players are listed on Liverpool’s first-team page. That doesn’t include James McConnell, who has often featured in the squad this season, but will likely be omitted on Sunday.
As will Tyler Morton, who is listed in Liverpool’s first-team group but hasn’t been named in a matchday Premier League squad since December.
That leaves two senior professionals to be left out. Joe Gomez may offer the simple solution for Slot given the defender has only returned to training on Friday following a three-month injury layoff.
He participated in the full training session at Kirkby, which suggests the 27-year-old will be available against Arsenal if required.
There is one obvious, yet slightly controversial, choice for Slot to overlook. With Trent Alexander-Arnold set to move on this summer, the right-back may be easy to exclude, given he has no long-term future with the club.
The Dutchman admitted on Friday that he was “disappointed” with Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave Liverpool and insisted he would not “tell the fans how to react.”
Slot also revealed Conor Bradley will start at right-back, perhaps rendering his no.66 surplus to requirements.
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Last week, the shock omission was Ryan Gravenberch. The former Bayern Munich man had played every Premier League match of the season until the trip to Chelsea but was rested at Stamford Bridge. He was spotted in training on Friday and could be in line to return.
Should Slot implement the same tactic of resting a regular from the season, there are several obvious options to choose from.
An alternative would see Federico Chiesa overlooked. The Italian has yet to start a Premier League game under Slot, an unwanted claim that also belonged to Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott before being named in the side to face Chelsea last week.
Dropping Chiesa is an option the Liverpool boss has turned to before this season and, since he returned from injury in December, has been left out of five Premier League matchday squads.
