Liverpool manager Arne Slott confirmed in the wake of their 2-1 Champions League win over Lille that Curtis Jones has been withdrawn through injury.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott fired the Reds to their seventh straight win in the league stage of the reformed competition, securing a place in the last eight and automatic qualification for the knockouts.
The night wasn’t as simple as Slot would have liked, after difficult back-to-back Premier League games against Nottingham Forest and Brentford, and things were made even more complicated when the Dutchman was forced to make changes at half-time.
Slot designed a rotation for his team to rest key players, with Dominik Szoboszlai coming in alongside Ryan Gravenberch to play just the first half. But those plans had to change when Jones picked up a twinge before half-time, prompting the former Feyenoord boss to move in a different direction.
“Yeah, the idea was to get Dom and Ryan out at halftime, but Curtis unfortunately couldn’t go on, so Dom stayed a little bit longer,” Slot told reporters. “There was a moment in the game. What he felt, he said, ‘Let’s play for five more minutes and then let’s see how it goes.’ But he said he had to come off at half-time.
“We wanted to win this game but we were also aware of the fact that we had to manage loads. We’d be really, really, really unlucky if we lost twice and weren’t in the eight. I know now, I think 18 points would be enough to play in the top eight, but with 21 there is no discussion.”
He was asked about the result and LiverpoolSlot added: “We’re happy to be in the top eight. This league table doesn’t tell you anything.
“Maybe number 24 is better than number 16, but 16 had an easier draw. We want to be at the top but we have to wait and see if it is an advantage.
“As a manager, I’m a bit more impressed than the crowd or the people watching on TV. I knew (Lille) were 21 games unbeaten but they won both Real and Atlético Madrid and they did that without the best players in the world, with the greatest respect. I wasn’t happy about a chance and a goal I conceded.”
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2025-01-22 18:40:00
