Why Arne Slot is making an insane mistake with Liverpool's midfield

Arne Slot seems to be righting the ship at Liverpool, although the Reds are not back to their best yet.

After suffering through one of the worst runs of form in the club’s recent history, Liverpool are back to fourth place in the Premier League and still stand a very good chance of progressing in the Champions League.

The Reds’ victory over Wolves saw Slot’s unbeaten run extend to seven matches, although team performances have left a lot to be desired in that time.

One of the biggest problems Slot currently faces is severe injury crisis, and the Dutchman must take urgent action to avoid it worsening.

Slot risks adding to injury problem

In an attempt to turn Liverpool’s fortunes around Slot has recently favoured a system that utilises four midfielder players instead of three, and a combination of injuries and suspensions have often seen the Reds’ field all of their available senior midfielders in the starting XI.

This issue was most apparent when Slot’s side beat Brighton on 13 December, a match where not a single recognised midfield player was named on the bench.

Trey Nyoni has often been the sole midfielder available for Slot to call on from the bench, but the Dutchman tends to prefer sticking to his senior options.

In the midst of a severe injury crises, it feels like a mistake to continuously ask a core group of four midfielders to play 90 minutes every single match.

Nyoni did make it off the bench against Wolves, but his number only went up in the third minute of injury time, leaving little time for him to make any serious contribution.

Why won’t Slot give Nyoni a chance?

It feels like it is only a matter of time until another of Liverpool’s senior midfielders picks up an injury.

Outside of the Carabao Cup, Nyoni has made just two extremely brief cameos for the Reds, against Tottenham and Wolves.

Nyoni came on in the tenth minute of added time against Spurs, meaning he has played just five minutes of football for the Reds in the league this season.

The 18-year-old played 90 minutes in both of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup games, so Slot has had a chance to take a good look but, even with no other options, Nyoni cannot find minutes.

If Slot wants to protect the midfielders he still has available, then giving more minutes to Nyoni is a necessity and the 18-year-old must be given a chance earlier in games to prove his worth to the team.

Arne Slot must learn to trust Nyoni, or Liverpool could be left in an even worse injury crisis that could fully derail their season.

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