Arne Slot has said Liverpool’s luck this season has been so bad it has even extended to new signing Jérémy Jacquet, who has suffered a shoulder injury ahead of his summer move to Anfield.

Liverpool agreed a £60 million ($82m) deal to sign Jacquet from Rennes on deadline day, however the centre-back may now require surgery on his shoulder after picking up an injury while playing for the French side at the weekend.

“It feels like that, that’s for sure,” Slot said when asked whether Liverpool have been unlucky this term.

“Even if we sign a player and he’s not even playing for us he gets injured. Sometimes it feels like that but the moment you start to feel it’s all bad luck, it probably comes to you as well so we should keep it away as much as possible and focus on the performance and what we can do to improve it.

“But the amount of times we conceded late goals in extra time is far more than usual. The question is is it bad luck or are we to blame?

“I’ve tried many different things. I’ve made defensive substitutions and the ball went in, I’ve kept playing the same players and the ball went in. We’ve tried a lot. I can fairly say we haven’t been lucky, that is definitely true.

“The question is are we unlucky or is it part of who we are? That is something we can only find out in the upcoming three to four months.”

Slot also admitted that this has been the toughest campaign of his career and acknowledged failing to secure Champions League football this season could impact Liverpool’s summer transfer business.

“If we don’t have Champions League football, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season,” he said.

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“When I arrived here and only signed Federico Chiesa, it was after a Europa League season. That does have an enormous impact on the way this club is run. I am completely aware of that.”

The Liverpool boss added: “Yeah, that’s fair to say [it’s been the hardest season of his career]. By a mile. Because all the other seasons I’ve managed, there were only positives. I don’t think I’ve ever lost two games in a row [before this season]. It’s an exception for me this season as it is for the players. The players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws. I’m not used to that as well.”

India’s opening batter Abhishek Sharma has been hospitalised with a stomach infection, media reports said on Wednesday.

The development has put the availability of India’s main batter for Thursday’s T20 World Cup match against Namibia in doubt.

Sharma has been receiving treatment in a private Delhi hospital for the past two days.

“Abhishek has been admitted to a private hospital in Delhi due to a stomach infection. Some tests are being done to ascertain the problem.

It is still not clear whether he will be discharged today. But the match against Namibia looks doubtful as of now,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.

Sharma, who was dismissed for a first-ball duck in India’s opening World Cup game against the USA, had previously been battling a stomach issue.

He did not field during the USA’s innings, with India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirming that Sharma was recovering from a stomach bug.

“Abhi still has got a few issues with his tummy. We are hopeful that he’ll be available for the game in two days’ time,” Doeschate said.

If Sharma is unavailable, India could opt to open with Sanju Samson, who had been replaced by Ishan Kishan as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter following a string of low scores against New Zealand last month.

Ten Doeschate said the team is waiting for Abhi’s fitness more than anything.

On a positive note, Jasprit Bumrah is set to feature against Namibia after missing the opener due to illness.

He participated in India’s training session in Delhi on Tuesday, bowling at full intensity.

Allrounder Washington Sundar has also rejoined the squad after recovering from a side tear suffered during the series against New Zealand.

Sundar took part in batting and bowling practice, including throwdowns at the nets, ahead of Thursday’s clash.

Ashley Farquharson raced to Olympic glory in luge on Tuesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

The American luger became emotional when she checked the scoreboard and realized she earned her first Olympic medal. Her performance in the women’s luge singles on Tuesday also marked just the second time an American has won an Olympic medal in the event.

Farquharson, who started sliding as an after-school activity when she was growing up in Park City, Utah, said it was almost hard to believe what she had accomplished.

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“It really didn’t feel real,” Farquharson said after her victory. “And then everyone meeting me on the ice, and the whirlwind it’s been since then has really cemented it. For a couple seconds when I was coming up the outrun, I was like, ‘that’s not real.’”

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Germany’s Julia Taubitz took the gold medal, winning by almost a full second, a monster margin in luge. Latvia’s Elena Bota was second, matching her country’s best Olympic result.

Until Farquharson’s feat, Erin Hamlin was the last American to earn a bronze medal, doing so at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Ashley Farquharson of Team United States starts the Women’s Singles Run 1 on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Cortina Sliding Centre on Feb. 09, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

“This was the dream,” Taubitz said. “And now the dream comes true.”

Farquharson didn’t medal in any of her first 54 World Cup races before finally breaking through this season.

She wasn’t the fastest, but she was more than good enough. She’s an Olympic medalist. Farquharson’s ability will never be questioned again.

“Super happy for Ashley, very happy for USA Luge,” longtime U.S. teammate Emily Fischnaller said. “I mean, we are the ones on the sled, but there’s a team behind us with everything that we do. So, that’s just a testament to all the work that everyone has put into it.”

Bronze medallist Ashley Farquharson of United States celebrates after women’s single luge during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Sliding Centre on Feb 10, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters via Imagn Images)

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Luge is a sport in which athletes slide on their backs on sleds down an iced track at high speeds.

Fischnaller was 12th for the Americans in 3:33.035, falling from fifth after three runs following trouble in her final heat. Summer Britcher of the U.S., a two-time World Cup race winner this season and now a four-time Olympian, was 14th in 3:33.553.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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