Arne Slot why Alisson Becker has suffered another Liverpool muscle injury - 'we all know'

Arne Slot has suggested that Alisson Becker’s latest injury may be down to Liverpool being forced to play at lunchtime little more than two days after their previous fixture.

Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker faces around six weeks on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this month. It’s the fourth time in the past year that the No.1 has had muscle problems - which is unusual for someone who plays in his position - and Caoimhin Kelleher will deputise in between the posts against Chelsea on Sunday.

Liverpool had beaten Bologna in the Champions League on the Wednesday night before having to travel to south London to face Palace at 12.30 BST where Alisson was forced off in the 77th minute.

Slot has admitted that the Reds’ medical department will look into why the Brazil international has sustained his recent issues. But he also believes that Liverpool’s swift turnaround did not help - and that more aid should be offered to clubs who play in Europe’s elite club competition.

The Anfield head coach said: “It’s a bit uncommon for goalkeepers. For me, it’s common because the goalkeeper I had at Feyenoord also had his issues with injuries and muscle injuries. But that is not what you see a lot, these two are more of an exception. 

“We are looking into it, what could be the reason. One thing we all know is that if you had one, the chances of getting another one go up. We’ve tried to be really careful with him but maybe it’s a good moment for me to explain one more time because there was a bit of rumour about me saying before the game that I don’t mind the 12.30 kick-off and that is still what I think because we train at the same time.

“But what might be something to think about for the English FA is if you play Wednesday evening in the Champions League then to play on Saturday at 12.30 might be a disadvantage when it comes to injuries. The time at 12.30 is no problem at all but if you play so shortly after playing on a Wednesday evening, fortunately it was a home game, that might be something we should take into consideration.

“Although it’s so hard to change all of your 11 players because you play only two days later, in retrospect I might have chosen Caoim instead of Alisson but you don’t expect a goalkeeper to pick up a muscle injury. What is very good in Holland is I’m 99.9 per cent sure that teams that play in the Champions League in the upcoming week don’t play on a Sunday. They get extra rest to be the best possible way prepared for the Champions League game. That is not something common in England. Here, we say: ‘You have so many good players, you get your results in Europe no matter what’. We decide the fixture list and don’t take the Champions League into account.”