Arne Slot has admitted he took a “risk” with Liverpool defender Conor Bradley during their dramatic 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Bradley, who replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 66th minute, was forced off late in the game with an injury.
The setback means the 21-year-old right-back will miss Liverpool’s next two fixtures against Manchester City and Newcastle United, adding to his frustrating injury woes this season.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Slot explained his decision to rotate key players, including Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota. “Jota could only play 60 minutes, same as Trent.
I would love to keep them in, but we have games on Sunday and Wednesday. You saw with Conor Bradley how much of a risk that is.”
Slot expanded on Bradley’s condition in his post-match press conference. “He felt something after making a sprint. He tried to continue but had to go off.
When a player asks to come off, it’s usually not a good sign,” he said. “I’m 99.9% sure he won’t be available against City, and I don’t expect him for Newcastle either. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s a short-term or long-term issue.”
The match itself was a rollercoaster, with Mohamed Salah putting Liverpool ahead before Aston Villa responded through Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. However, Alexander-Arnold equalized five minutes before being subbed off, securing a point for the Reds.
Despite extending their lead over Arsenal to eight points, Liverpool have played an extra game, meaning the Gunners could close the gap to five. Slot was left frustrated by the dropped points.
“Not so happy, to be honest,” he admitted. “We created more chances than Villa and had opportunities to win, but we conceded from a set piece. Their second goal was a cross, and while they had chances late on, overall, we should have won.
“Being at Liverpool means pressure is always there, regardless of our league position. We played well, but this result makes things more difficult in the title race.”