ARNE SLOT bleated that he is not hiding behind excuses for the disastrous slump that threatens to destroy Liverpool’s season.
Then he listed a whole raft of them for why the fallen Prem champs have lost six of their last seven matches.
The Reds boss said “No excuses for results” — yet trotted out SIX main reasons for the failure that he insists has been completely out of his control.
He blamed MISSING OUT on pre- season for why British record £130million striker Alexander Isak has misfired since his arrival from Newcastle.
And the Dutchman said the Swede, along with another big–money capture in £69m Hugo Ekitike, were NOT PREPARED for Liverpool’s number of games.
INJURIES to £29.5m Jeremie Frimpong and fellow right-back Conor Bradley, as well as to Isak, had undermined plans.
Slot also suggested a lack of Prem EXPERIENCE — pointing to anonymous £100m Florian Wirtz, Frimpong and keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili — were another reason why his £426m record summer makeover turned ugly.
He then pointed to a lack of LUCK, while saying the WORKLOAD had been a huge challenge.
Slot’s Liverpool are seventh in the Prem and already seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
The Reds were also dumped out the Carabao Cup after a 3-0 midweek loss to Crystal Palace, as Slot’s gamble of resting Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah for a team of kids and reserves backfired.
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Clutching at straws to explain exactly what has gone wrong, he said: “I’m just handling the situation as it is.
“Alex as an example, he had to do his pre-season inside the season and people can argue, ‘Why do you play him?’ But we need him available, otherwise I have to play Hugo every game.
“Owen Hargreaves made a comparison between the two — and showed that one played 34 games last season, the other one 34.
“We play 60 over here. So, that’s why I need to get Alex into playing as many games as he can.”
While he hopes another injured player in Ryan Gravenberch can return on Saturday against Aston Villa, Slot said: “That has been something not only with him but with others.
“Jeremie Frimpong has been in and out with injuries and Conor Bradley. That’s why I have played Dominik Szoboszlai a few times at right-back. That’s been something with every team so it’s not an excuse for us.
“But last season, my players all had one year Premier League experience as a minimum and were fit — and stayed fit. Maybe last season we were a bit lucky or now we are a bit more unlucky.
“I have no excuses for our results but we had to play a lot of away games with two days rest.”
Yet Slot EXCUSED his team for conceding too many goals — and for not scoring enough — saying: “The chances we create from open play is still good enough to compete. And I don’t see us conceding a lot of chances.”
