Arne Slot says he is not surprised by Liverpool’s strong start to the season as the Reds chase multiple trophies, but he plans to rest some of his star players for their League Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton.
Liverpool are currently leading both the Premier League and the Champions League, with 19 wins from 23 matches across all competitions.
Ahead of Wednesday’s match, Slot, speaking at his pre-match press conference, said, “It’s normal for Liverpool to be fighting for every trophy and remaining in every cup for a long time.” He also highlighted the team’s success last season when they won the League Cup, adding, “I’m not surprised that with the quality we have, we are competing for these three trophies, and the fourth one, the FA Cup, starts in January.”
With a shortage of fit defenders, the Dutch manager plans to rotate his squad, especially as Liverpool face a tough trip to Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend.
Slot indicated that forward Diogo Jota, who made a successful return from injury as a substitute against Fulham, is unlikely to be fit to start. However, Federico Chiesa, who has not played since September, could make his return. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who impressed while filling in for Alisson Becker during his injury, will also start, while defender Kostas Tsimikas is close to a comeback.
“I’m aware that we only have four defenders available. So it’s going to be either academy players that are going to get playing time or it’s going to be players that nobody would expect to see in the last line that are going to play in the last line tomorrow,” Slot explained.
Slot, who received a third booking of the season during Liverpool’s win over Fulham, will watch the match from the stands. While his sideline presence is calmer than the more expressive Jurgen Klopp, Slot insisted that he still has fire inside him.
