Arne Slot’s U-turn sees Gary Lineker sympathise with Liverpool manager

Gary Lineker has expressed empathy for Liverpool manager Arne Slot over his injury setbacks and the busy schedule after the boss scrutinised the congested fixture list for teams competing in Europe.

Following a 2-0 midweek win over Bologna in the Champions League on October 2, Liverpool were swiftly met with a gruelling 12:30pm kick-off against Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 5. This left Slot's squad with just two days to gear up for the tough encounter at Selhurst Park, which they narrowly won – courtesy of an early Diogo Jota strike.

However, the win was marred by casualties; midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and goalkeeper Alisson both sustained injuries. Alisson is now facing for a six-week layoff due to hamstring troubles, while Mac Allister's abductor issue seems less severe than initially anticipated, as he joined the Argentina squad for the international fixtures.

Before the Palace game, Slot had brushed off concerns about the lunchtime start – which often frustrated his predecessor Jurgen Klopp – as the Dutchman said: "If 12:30pm was a difficult time to perform then I am a stupid manager because I train every day at midday!" Post-match, however, the pain of injuries appeared to shift his viewpoint.

Following Liverpool's 1-0 win and subsequent injuries, Slot told BBC Sport: "Maybe this is something the FA should look at. If you play Wednesday evening why do we have an early kick-off in an away game? Or they have to look at me and rotate all my players. Maybe it is also bad luck, I don't know."

On the Rest is Football podcast, Lineker – joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards – couldn't help but notice the shift in attitude, as he said: "I thought it was quite fun that Arne Slot the day before the game said about after playing in Europe, then having to come back and be the early, playing the early kick off. [He said] 'it doesn't make any difference, it shouldn't matter, it's nothing'. Then after the game, when his team were a little bit jaded, he's gone, 'we really need to look at this'."

Lineker did show some understanding as he said: "Well, they got two injuries, so I understand why he switched it a little bit, but who knows whether that was anything to do with it. But it was quite interesting."

The former Tottenham striker also didn't shy away from praising Slot's incredible record with Liverpool so far, having secured nine wins out of his first 10 matches – dropping points only against Nottingham Forest at Anfield in September. Lineker added: "He's had an amazing start, really. It was an away victory again, they look very organised."

The Reds face a challenging home fixture against Chelsea next on Sunday, following their return from international duty. This will be followed by a trip to Germany next Wednesday to take on RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Their demanding schedule continues with an away game against Arsenal later in October, and then a journey south to face Brighton in the Carabao Cup on October 30.