Liverpool Injury Concerns Deepen As Jacquet Transfer Nears And Slot Questions Luck

Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City and another injury setback have deepened scrutiny on Arne Slot, who is questioning whether the club’s struggles come down to misfortune or faults in performance. Liverpool sit sixth in the Premier League and have developed a pattern of conceding decisive goals in stoppage time during this demanding campaign.

The loss to Manchester City on Sunday included a red card for Dominik Szoboszlai and another late deciding goal. Liverpool have now let in four 90th-minute winners in league fixtures this season. That tally already matches the single-season Premier League record shared by Watford, West Ham, Watford again, and Southampton.

Those late setbacks have come alongside a heavy injury list, especially in defence,

which has forced tactical reshuffles. Several senior defenders are unavailable, and Slot has used Szoboszlai at right-back, removing a key midfield influence. Szoboszlai’s suspension after the Manchester City match adds another complication for the next run of fixtures.

Slot linked that wider disruption to the news surrounding Jeremy Jacquet, who is due to arrive from Rennes but has suffered a shoulder problem. Jacquet will not join Liverpool until the end of the season, yet will still spend a period sidelined. The centre-back now shares the same injury frustration as many future team-mates.

We have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jeremy Jacquet from Stade Rennais, with the defender set to join the club ahead of the 2026-27 season, subject to a work permit and international clearanceLiverpool FC (@LFC) February 2, 2026

Jacquet is expected to recover in time to feature for Liverpool next season, but Slot viewed this fresh issue as another symbol of a difficult year. "It feels like [Liverpool have been unlucky], that's for sure," Slot said. "Even if we sign a player and he's not even playing for us, he gets injured. "

Slot accepted that focusing too much on luck can affect mentality, yet the pattern troubles Liverpool. "Sometimes it feels like that, but the moment you start to feel it's all bad luck, it probably comes to you as well. So, we should keep it away as much as possible and focus on the performance and what we can do to improve it. "

Slot highlighted the volume of late goals as the most striking concern. "But the amount of times we conceded late goals in [added] time is far more than usual. The question is: is it bad luck or are we to blame?" Slot said the staff have experimented with different approaches to close games.

"I've tried many different things; I've made defensive substitutions and the ball went in, I've kept playing the same players and the ball went in. We've tried a lot. " Slot added: "I can fairly say we haven't been lucky, that is definitely true. " However, Slot also stressed that responsibility cannot be ignored.

Slot believes the next phase of the season will reveal whether this is mainly misfortune or a deeper flaw in Liverpool’s structure. "The question is: are we unlucky or is it part of who we are? That is something we can only find out in the upcoming three to four months. " For now, injuries, suspensions and late goals continue to define Liverpool’s campaign.