Arne Slot Left To ‘hope For The Best’ After Injured Isak Forced Off Against Frankfurt

Arne Slot welcomed an emphatic extremity to Liverpool’s losing tally but fears he could beryllium without Alexander Isak for respective weeks aft nan British grounds signing sustained a groin problem against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Liverpool produced a 5-1 rout successful Germany pinch Slot’s telephone for set-piece betterment answered by 2 goals from corners by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. The triumph ended a series of 4 successive defeats for nan Premier League champions but Isak had to beryllium withdrawn aft 45 minutes of his 2nd commencement successful 4 days. Slot believes nan workload whitethorn person been excessively overmuch for nan striker, who missed astir of pre-season astatine Newcastle successful his effort to unit a £125m move to Liverpool.

Jeremie Frimpong is besides facing different spell connected nan sidelines aft sustaining his 2nd hamstring wounded of nan season.

Slot said of Isak: “Let’s dream it’s not that bad, but he had to spell disconnected because he felt his groin. Many group wanted maine to play him much and we had to find nan equilibrium and unluckily coming that equilibrium didn’t activity retired for america perfectly. But let’s dream for nan best. When he came to nan club, he had hardly trained. So you bring him measurement by measurement guardant and past you consciousness location must beryllium a infinitesimal wherever he tin play doubly a week, and nan first clip we effort – he did it pinch Sweden arsenic good – he has to spell off.”

The Liverpool caput coach denied taking a consequence connected nan Sweden world by starting him doubly successful speedy succession. “Alex wasn’t successful nan reddish area because we wouldn’t person played him,” he said. “Normally you effort to hole players for once‑a‑week football, but if you are Liverpool you play each 3 days aliases usually 3 times successful 8 days but we’ve been unfortunate this play we person to play 3 times successful 7 days.

“We’ve tried to hole him for that programme which is not ever truthful easy erstwhile you don’t person a pre‑season. We were really careful. He was perfectly fresh erstwhile he came backmost from nan nationalist squad and earlier nan [Manchester] United game.

“We thought he was good prepared for that but nan margins astatine nan apical are small. I’m hoping it won’t beryllium that bad, because if he’s retired for a fewer weeks it will put him back. So let’s wait.”

Liverpool’s capacity had similarities to their caller defeats, Slot insisted, including: “We created a fewer chances earlier we conceded and nan first chance we conceded was instantly a goal.

“In nan extremity it turned retired to beryllium nan only chance we conceded. Why was that? Because we went 3-1 up, truthful past it’s easier to power nan crippled erstwhile you’re 1-0 down each nan time. We were capable to people 2 set-pieces and that made a big, large difference.”