Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confirmed he will make wholesale changes for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Southampton at Anfield, using the fixture as an opportunity to give fringe players valuable minutes.
The clash falls in the middle of a gruelling 21-day period during which Liverpool play seven matches, and Slot has already confirmed that several key players will be rested. Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah will all sit out, having played every minute of the recent wins over Burnley and Atletico Madrid.
Slot said the tie provides a perfect chance to manage the squad’s energy while keeping players match-ready.
“We can go through all of [the players], Wataru Endo and a few more, these are the players that need a game and we’re happy that we have one,” he explained.
He added: “If we wouldn’t have had one, we probably would have arranged a friendly in this week for these players because they need to play games as well to keep them ready whenever we need them. We’ve used quite a lot in the last three games because we thought we needed to keep this energy throughout all the three games – but not all of them. And the few we haven’t used, it’s definitely the perfect moment for them to get playing time.”
Summer signings Giorgi Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni could make their competitive debuts, while Alexander Isak is in line to start for only the second time since his record-breaking arrival from Newcastle United on transfer deadline day.
Other fringe players likely to feature include Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa, and Rio Ngumoh, none of whom have started in the last three matches. Andy Robertson is expected to captain the side, and Trey Nyoni could also make a rare start.
Slot defended the officials’ decision to add just three minutes of stoppage time during Saturday’s 2-1 Merseyside derby win over Everton, despite Liverpool pressing for a late second goal.
“The three minutes were completely correct because there were only three moments where a substitution was made. There was no time-wasting because that’s not what we do – unfortunately, I have to say, sometimes – and there was no treatment of injuries, one goal scored. Then you come to three [minutes]. Where in many other games when we need a goal, there’s a lot, a lot, a lot of time-wasting going on, I can tell you.”
Slot admitted he would have liked just a few seconds more to finish a counter-attack late in the game. “Yes, there will be a completely changed line-up. But that our players are fit, that’s clear. Because a lot has been said about the added time against Everton but I would have loved to play on for 34 seconds more because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment. Now that tells you, I think, all about the mentality we have, always wanting to score a goal.”
He stressed the importance of giving players rest while maintaining Liverpool’s competitive edge:
“It’s the same as we did last season in the League Cup. So many games need to be played and our players are able to do so, but once in a while they need a bit of rest as well because we sometimes tend to forget because we are so focused – and I’m the first one – on our games at Liverpool but many of them have played twice for the national teams as well. So, they are able to do a lot but once in a while they need a little bit of rest – and I’m talking about two days of rest, which is still not a lot.”
Slot concluded by emphasising that the squad remains strong, even with a changed XI.
“Last season we reached the final with these [changed] line-ups. There’s no trophy we underestimate, we always want to win every trophy we compete for. But that’s the good thing about the quality of the squad we have, that we still have a very good team that we can play tomorrow.”
If last season is anything to go by, these fringe players are capable of stepping up when called upon, and Slot’s meticulous rotation could pay dividends in the long haul.
