Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted he is worried about Ryan Gravenberch after seeing the Dutch midfielder sustain an ankle problem during Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield. Gravenberch has since been ruled out of the Reds' Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt and Slot is concerned his presence will be missed as his team aim to end a run of four straight defeats.
Liverpool aiming to end nightmare run
Slot and Liverpool are in the spotlight amid a slump in form that has seen the Reds lose each of their last four games in all competitions to Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray and Crystal Palace. The Merseysiders will aim to arrest that slump on Wednesday against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League but will have to do so without Gravenberch. The Dutchman, who has been a virtual ever-present for Slot this season, is out of the squad due to injury and Slot admits his absence is a concern due to his ability to protect the back four.
AdvertisementAFPSlot reveals Gravenberch concern
He told reporters ahead of his team's Champions League clash: "Yeah, I had to take him off during the weekend because he limped a little bit, as we could all see. So, unfortunately, he's not ready to play tomorrow. That already means I definitely have to change one player and with him not being there, that might mean something for others as well, because he has such a particular quality in our squad, which we've seen when we played Bournemouth for example, when we played the Community Shield – that we missed a little bit of a player that was always protecting our back four. Ryan is not available for the Frankfurt game, hopefully he will be available at the weekend. But it's an ankle injury, we have to wait and see, give him a bit of time and see where he is when we come back from Frankfurt."
Slot also spoke about the importance of returning to winning ways for his team, adding: "Like I said before the United game, it should not matter if we win or lose a game of football for the next one. The aim if you play for Liverpool, if you wear this shirt, is to win every single game. So, if we win seven in a row, how we started the season, then we want to win the next three. We didn't. Now we've lost the last four. So now, of course we want to see Liverpool winning again. But that is not different when you lost four in a row or you won four in a row – it is just what is expected of you if you play for Liverpool."
Expect goals in the Champions League with Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt head into the game after a dramatic start to their Champions League campaign. The Bundesliga side started off with a 5-1 thrashing of Galatasaray but followed that up by being hammered 5-1 by Atletico. Despite Liverpool's recent struggles, manager Dino Topmoller is wary of the threat offered by Wednesday's opponents and feels Slot's men have been unlucky with some of their recent results.
He told TNT Sports: “It’s not about a good or a bad time. You need to have a closer look at the results and the games If you have a closer look, they were in all games the better team. They had bigger chances to score now over the weekend. They were very unlucky in a lot of situations. [Cody] Gakpo, I think, hit the post three times. So, I mean, we know the quality of this team, but we also know that there are some possibilities also for us to be dangerous. And we want to take the energy from the stadium tomorrow, here in front of this crowd. It’s not so easy for every opponent to play here. So, yeah, we’re looking forward to facing the champion of England.”
Getty Images SportSlot out to cure travel sickness
Liverpool's trip to Frankfurt has already been hit by problems as the team's plane was delayed due to "technical issues" which meant a late arrival for the Reds and Slot's pre-match press conference had to be cancelled. It's another complication for Slot, who has an underwhelming record away from home in the Champions League. He has lost more games (5) than he's won (4) from nine away matches and knows another loss will see Liverpool equal their worst run since suffering five consecutive defeats all the way back in September 1953.
