Arne Slot didn’t hold back in his latest press conference. He gave Liverpool fans a full rundown on the injury front before the team heads to Nottingham Forest. With the season getting serious and every point starting to matter more, these updates hit a little harder.

Lately, Liverpool’s defence has looked like a patchwork job. Midfielders filling in at the back, everyone shifting around. Slot talked through all of it, focusing on Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Joe Gomez, and Wataru Endo.

First, Frimpong’s still not ready. “Jeremie will not be involved this weekend. We hope he will be involved next week if things go as planned,” Slot said. So, if things go right, he’s not far off, but Forest comes too soon.

Endo’s news stings more. “Wata will be out for a long time. We don’t know exactly how long.” That’s a blow; he’s left a gap in midfield, and now the team has to get creative with the lineup in the middle of a busy stretch.

Now, some good news. Joe Gomez is back. Slot sounded confident: “I think Joe is ready to start [against Forest]. Yes, he is.” After weeks of watching midfielders juggle defensive duties, fans will breathe easier seeing Gomez back in his natural spot.

Since January, guys like Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have played at right back. It shows Liverpool’s flexibility, sure, but also the toll these injuries have taken. Getting Gomez back isn’t just about plugging a hole. It brings balance. He knows what he’s doing, and that experience matters as the pressure ramps up.

Slot kept praising the players who’ve stepped up, and honestly, they deserve it. But having a real defender back just settles things. It lets everyone else get back to what they do best.

On Alexander Isak, Slot laid out the timeline. “Alex has been on the [training] pitch with his running shoes for the first time this week, so it will still be a while… It will be somewhere around the international break. That depends on whether he has a setback. It’ll be the end of March, start of April when he’s back with the group, but it doesn’t mean he’s ready to start playing straight away.” There’s no rush. Everyone knows how important Isak is, especially after joining with so much expectation. For now, Hugo Ekitike has stepped up front, but as the fixture list gets packed, the team can’t afford to push anyone too hard.

So what’s the big picture? It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Gomez is back, which helps. Frimpong is almost there. Endo’s out for a while, and Isak’s still working his way back. If Liverpool can get through these next few games without more injuries, they’ll start getting key players back just as the season hits its peak. That could make all the difference.

Jeremie Frimpong still isn’t ready for Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend, but Arne Slot says Joe Gomez is finally fit to start.

Frimpong’s been out since tweaking his groin in the first few minutes of the Champions League win over Qarabag three weeks back. Things haven’t gotten any easier at right-back. Conor Bradley’s already out for the season, Gomez just got over a hip injury, and Wataru Endo picked up a serious knock filling in during the 1-0 win at Sunderland last Wednesday.

So, Frimpong misses out again on Sunday. Still, Slot expects to have him back for the home game against West Ham next weekend. “Jeremie won’t be involved this weekend,” Slot said on Thursday. “If everything goes right, he’ll be back next week.”

When someone asked if Gomez was ready to start after a couple of substitute appearances, Slot didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I think he is,” he said. But then he added, “Wata’s going to be out for a long time. We’re not sure exactly how long, but it’s going to be a while.”

Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni are both still out, too, though Slot mentioned Isak made real progress in his rehab this week.

Last time Liverpool faced Forest, it was a disaster. They lost 3-0 at Anfield, then got hammered 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League a few days later. That was the start of a brutal week. But since then, Liverpool have only lost two out of nineteen matches across all competitions. They’ve reached the last 16 in both the Champions League and FA Cup, and they’re back in the hunt for a top-four finish, just three points behind Manchester United with twelve games left.

Slot summed it up: “Not much has changed from a few weeks ago. Out of our last nineteen games, we’ve lost twice, both in added time, and honestly, we didn’t deserve to lose those. We already knew how tough it is to win in the Premier League. Everyone’s felt it this season.

“That’s what makes the league exciting now. It’s way more competitive than three, four, or five years ago. We’ve gotten better in the last few months, and it comes down to two things: we’re fitter now, and our set pieces are much better.”