Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup game against Brighton at Anfield (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
- Wataru Endo is still being assessed after suffering an injury at Sunderland but will be out for "quite a long time".
- Slot discussed selection against Brighton given Liverpool's stretched squad: "The last thing we could use right now is another injury. So the load management is important now. We have to train today, see how players are doing and listen to how they feel."
- Asked if he may turn to youth at a testing time for his squad, he added: "I am looking always at them. A few of them come closer and closer to first-team football. A few already had it like Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni. Games like this could be an option for them as well. It's finding the right balance because we play against a very good and strong team. Finding the right balance is something we will think about even more today."
- Slot praised the "vital" form and leadership of captain Virgil van Dijk: "Not even looking at the options we have at centre-back, if he is not playing there are no options left, same for Konate. Virgil plays every three days but it's not a coincidence if I look at how much work he puts in every day. It's always harder to stay fit in a season when the team has so many setbacks. It tells you a lot about what he does off the pitch and his mental strength."
- Slot was insightful on set-pieces and if he has changed how he views them this season given their significance in the Premier League. He explained: "I always thought it's impossible to win a big game of football with a negative set-piece balance. You have asked me a lot about the difference between our Champions League and Premier League performances and the most obvious is set-pieces. At Champions League we are top for set-pieces and Premier League bottom. I found it very, very important but it has now gone through the roof. It is actually impossible to win the league if you have a set-piece balance like ours, no matter what you do in open play."
- Hungarian duo Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai did not feature in Wednesday's win at Sunderland and will return. On Szoboszlai, Slot said: "I cannot stop talking about his qualities. Close to ridiculous, on and off the ball, work-rate another level, the intensity, he presses, unbelievable, technique, game insight, offensive midfielder, right-back, right winger, all these qualities in these positions, he has been vital for us this and last season. He will continue to be that for us."