Arne Slot has urged Liverpool ‘to start to win again’ when the Reds host Aston Villa on Saturday, bidding to avoid a seventh defeat in eight games.
The Premier League champions kicked off the season with seven consecutive wins in all competitions, but since defeating Southampton in the League Cup in late September, Liverpool have lost six out of their last seven fixtures.
Slot’s side now sit seventh in the table, seven points behind pacesetters Arsenal, and their hopes of defending the league title they won so easily last term are already receding rapidly.
But with the pressure mounting on Slot for the first time since he took over the managerial reins from Jurgen Klopp, the Dutchman remained positive as he addressed the media ahead of the visit of Unai Emery’s side.
He told reporters: “My focus now is not so much looking back on what has happened and more on how we can get a very good performance on Saturday.
“Let us first start to win again, that is my main focus.”
Injuries impacting Liverpool’s form
Slot has been accused of using injuries as an excuse for the Reds’ alarming slump, with Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Ryan Gravenberch all missing games over the past few weeks.
The Reds boss, however, insisted he was happy with the strength of his squad, while pointing out the need for rotation during a hectic fixture schedule.
He added: “That has been something that every team has, so it is not an excuse, but what was a bit different than last season.
“Last season, they were all fit when we started and they stayed fit.
“Now, they weren’t all fit from the start and some players have to play more than you want them to do and that is a risk of them getting injured as well.
“That is just the situation as it is and we have more than enough good players available to play the game on Saturday, Tuesday and Sunday but I have to take care of them and that’s why I made the decision to not play some [in the League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace] a few days ago.”
Slot confirmed that Isak and Alisson will not feature against Villa, while he will make a late decision on the availability of Gravenberch.
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Emery reassures Harvey Elliott
Saturday’s game could mark a return to Anfield for Villa midfielder Harvey Elliott.
The midfielder arrived at Villa Park on loan, with a view to making the move permanent at the end of the season.
But Elliott has struggled for game time recently and has had to be content with bench duties, before being left out of the squad entirely for last Sunday’s win over Manchester City.
Emery explained: “He is training well, and he played some matches, but the performances weren’t what we needed.
“He is training well. His commitment is fantastic and he is a good guy.
“I spoke with him about it. My advice was to keep going, and training and when it is his opportunity, to play well. He is a very good player.”
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Vivien Bernardino