Slot Criticizes Reckless Challenge After Isak’s Injury

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has labeled the challenge from Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven that resulted in Alexander Isak’s leg injury as “reckless.”

Isak suffered the injury while scoring Liverpool’s opening goal in their 2-1 victory over Spurs on Saturday, when Van de Ven executed a heavy slide tackle inside the penalty area.

During the match, Thomas Frank’s team was reduced to nine players following red cards issued to Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero; however, Van de Ven’s challenge went unpunished.

Isak successfully underwent surgery on his broken ankle and fibula on Monday, and Slot has indicated that he is expected to be out of action for “a couple of months.”

In his remarks, Slot noted, “The majority of our injuries are not related to player overload. If you examine Alex’s injury, it is unrelated to overexertion. The same applies to Wataru Endo.

“Of course, a few injuries may stem from overload—Cody Gakpo is dealing with a muscle issue, as is Joe Gomez. However, [Isak’s injury] was indeed a reckless challenge. I’ve commented extensively on Xavi Simons’ tackle, which I believe was completely unintentional. I do not think such a tackle would typically result in injury.

“Conversely, the tackle by Van de Ven is concerning; if you execute a challenge like that ten times, there is a high likelihood that a player will sustain a serious injury every time.”