‘Slot needs to…’ – Stan Collymore urges Liverpool boss to do one thing in upcoming fixtures | OneFootball

Stan Collymore has sounded a warning to Arne Slot ahead of a hectic fixture schedule for Liverpool coming into the festive period.

The Reds have a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand on second-placed Chelsea, and their win over Girona on Tuesday leaves them all but mathematically certain of an automatic last 16 berth in the Champions League.

However, with five matches to play in the space of 15 days before the end of December, the crunch games keep coming thick and fast for the Merseysiders, who are having to contend with multiple injury concerns as it is.

Collymore urges Slot to rotate effectively

In his latest column for CaughtOffside, Collymore has warned that Liverpool will endure a slump in results at some point in the seasaon, and he’s urged Slot to manage players’ workload carefully in order to navigate a busy run of fixtures.

The former Reds striker wrote: “I think that for Liverpool now, it’s a case of managing expectations. Everybody thinks they’re going to walk the Premier League and they’re possibly one of the favourites to win the Champions League.

“But every team has a down spell during a season, so although they came away with another very good, solid performance [v Girona] and got the points to top the table, Arne Slot needs to start managing minutes with a busy winter period ahead.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Slot’s scope for rotation lessened by injuries

We don’t doubt that, whilst he’s had a largely settled preferred starting XI, Slot would relish the luxury of rotating his squad as much as possible over the next five games, but injuries to important players will hinder his ability to do so.

The Carabao Cup quarter-final against struggling Southampton next week at least gives a viable chance for the likes of Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Jarell Quansah to come in for rare starts, although the injuries to Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas lessen the scope for rotation in defence.

That’d also appear to be the ideal game for Federico Chiesa to get a long-overdue runout, but unfortunately the Italian has still to fully shake off the problems which have sidelined him since the end of September.

For now, Slot does have good depth in midfield and attack, where players such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo can come into the starting XI without weakening it, and Alexis Mac Allister’s suspension against Fulham will ensure that he’s fresh for when he returns later in the month.

Collymore is right to advise Slot to manage his squad effectively so that key figures aren’t running on empty going into the New Year, although the Liverpool boss might’ve wished for a bit more wiggle room in certain positions.

Nonetheless, his side have risen to almost every challenge they’ve faced so far this season, even when it hasn’t been straightforward much of the time. The next few weeks will see the Dutchman rely not just on his regular starting XI, but all those who more frequently occupy the substitutes’ bench.