Liverpool faces a challenging period with key players Florian Wirtz, Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and Giovanni Leoni sidelined due to injuries, impacting team depth and tactical options.
According to a report from Anfield Index by Kevin Brown, Liverpool is heading into a defining stretch of the season with an “escalating injury list,” which is testing Arne Slot’s squad depth ahead of Champions League and Premier League fixtures.
The 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest highlighted the fragile state of the team, with several players returning from international duty with fresh knocks.
Midfielder Florian Wirtz, who picked up a “muscular issue” with Germany, is ruled out of the PSV Eindhoven match and is uncertain for West Ham on Sunday, November 30. Slot stated:
“Florian should be able to play after [Forest], it depends on what happens after, but that shouldn’t be that long.”
Right-back Conor Bradley, also suffering a “muscular issue,” faces a longer spell out, with a potential return date around Saturday, December 20 against Tottenham.
Slot explained: “I don’t expect Conor to be part of the upcoming 22 days, maybe in the end but not in the upcoming 22 days, unless a miracle happens, which I don’t expect.”
Adding to the defensive concerns, Jeremie Frimpong, who has been out since October 22, is also unavailable.
The manager noted: “Jeremie is out just as long. He’s not probably going to be available in the upcoming two or three weeks as well,” adding, “It’s going to be interesting who all of you want to see as a right full-back.”
Meanwhile, young centre-back Giovanni Leoni remains the most severe case after tearing his ACL on his Anfield debut, a “cruel blow” given his promising start.
Slot confirmed the bleak timeline: “He tore his ACL which means that he will be out for around a year.” Leoni is expected to be sidelined until late 2026, forcing Liverpool to plan without him for the long term.