Gary Lineker has pointed out his understanding for the tough situation Liverpool manager Arne Slot finds himself in with injury woes and a crammed fixture lis
Slot raised issues over the hectic schedule for teams playing in Europe.
After a solid 2-0 Champions League win against Bologna on October 2, Liverpool was immediately faced with a demanding 12:30pm kick-off (local time) at Crystal Palace
This allowed Slot only a short recovery window to prepare his players for a challenging match at Selhurst Park
Yet the victory came at a cost as key players suffered injuries. Alexis Mac Allister picked up a muscle problem and ace goalkeeper Alisson was ruled out with a hamstring tear
although Mac Allister's condition is not as serious initially feared
Unfazed by the early game time before facing Palace – Slot quipped: "If 12:30pm was a difficult time to perform then I am a stupid manager because I train every day at midday!"
But post-match, his tune seemed to change as the reality of his injured players sunk in
Slot spoke to BBC Sport stating: "Maybe this is something the FA should look at. If you play Wednesday evening why do we have an early kick-off in an away game? Or they have to look at me and rotate all my players. Maybe it is also bad luck, I don't know."
Gary Lineker couldn't resist commenting on the apparent switch in Slot's pre- and post-match perspectives
Lineker observed: "I thought it was quite fun that Arne Slot the day before the game said about after playing in Europe, then having to come back and be the early, playing the early kick off.
"[He said] 'it doesn't make any difference, it shouldn't matter, it's nothing'. Then after the game, when his team were a little bit jaded, he's gone, 'we really need to look at this'."
Showing empathy amidst the discussion, Lineker said: "Well, they got two injuries, so I understand why he switched it a little bit, but who knows whether that was anything to do with it. But it was quite interesting."
Lineker added
“He's had an amazing start, really. It was an away victory again, they look very organised."
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