Arne Slot not having ‘complete’ Liverpool ace v Burnley is a bigger problem than most fans think

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Liverpool are favourites to win against Burnley on Sunday.

The Reds are set to travel to Turf Moor off the back of three Premier League wins and with Alexander Isak now among their ranks.

Arne Slot’s men have already managed to prove their dominance and, with the 2025-26 now getting fully underway, they’re going to need contributions from all across their first-team squad.

At the moment, it’s clear that Isak won’t be starting due to his lack of fitness, but if the Reds are in need of a goal, they could always bring him on in the last 20 minutes.

And, even though Isak is an incredible option to have off the bench, the fact that a player who Slot once called “complete” won’t be available is a major cause for concern.

Curtis Jones being absent for Liverpool v Burnley is a massive worry

Last season, Slot stuck to a similar starting XI each week, with several members of his squad becoming impact players to bring on at the end of games.

One of those players was Curtis Jones. Indeed, there were times when the Dutchman chose to start him over the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, but more often than not, he was used off the bench.

The Englishman has been given the same treatment this season, but after returning from the international break, he’s been ruled out of the Burnley game due to injury.

This means that, even though Mac Allister isn’t fully fit, he’ll likely have to be used from the start for Liverpool to have a workhorse in their starting XI.

And, although Jones may not seem like he has all that much of an impact, after his 29-minute cameo against Arsenal last time out, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Curtis Jones is key to the way Arne Slot plans his games at Liverpool

One of the recurring themes at Liverpool this season has been the fact that the Reds have left it late to win their games.

Indeed, they’ve ended up with nine points to their name, but there were some fairly dodgy moments throughout those clashes.

That is, especially against Arsenal. Mikel Arteta had most of his men behind the ball to try and keep Liverpool out.

Forward runs were non-existent, and every time Liverpool tried to push forward, they were met with three or four different players.

However, when Jones was substituted into the game, he brought a new lease of life to Liverpool’s midfield and had Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi running around like headless chickens.

Although his 30-minute cameo may not seem like it made all that much difference, it gave Arsenal a different style of player to worry about, which in the end, resulted in Liverpool getting the win.