Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night with Arne Slot hopeful that they’ve recovered from their Carabao Cup defeat by Newcastle
Arne Slot and Liverpool head into a Merseyside Derby with the chance to remind everyone about their brilliance this season in the Premier League.
It comes after he admitted he got it wrong for the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle by not rotating enough after a draining Champions League exit at the hands of PSG. For the first time this campaign there’s been questions asked about Liverpool. Yet the pain of a European exit and a defeat at Wembley will soon be forgotten should the Reds get the job done in the Premier League. They have a more than healthy lead at the top of the table and five wins should be enough to be celebrating a 20th league title in May.
The pyro will be red and the party will be pandemonium. There’s still a little bit of work to do first, though. Starting with the visit of neighbours Everton and the wounds are still healing from a fiery final derby at Goodison Park in February.
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That ended in a draw but has not really put a dent in their title ambitions. Realistically more dropped points on Wednesday won’t be catastrophic either. But Slot has had to admit that for the first time this season he got it wrong against Newcastle and maybe there are points to be proven tonight.
He held a meeting with the players on Sunday to reaffirm that work rate is non-negotiable. At times in February, Everton were able to outwork them. He won’t want a repeat of that at Anfield.
“Show them the work rate they have put in for so many games in a row,” Slot said when asked what he pointed out in that meeting. “Paris Saint-Germain was a great example of that, so maybe, maybe, maybe I made the biggest mistake by not rotating enough.
“But I thought there were four days in between for Newcastle, they had enough rest but again it is too simple to only say we were outworked, we have to give credit to everything Newcastle did because in the end we conceded a corner.
“That is nothing to do with a sprint or tracking back or whatever, it is just conceding a corner but it is emphasising on what made us where we are now.nFor me, that is, apart from quality, an incredible work rate every single game we played in the Premier League.”
Slot’s lack of rotation was admitted to by the Liverpool manager but it has brought about questions on whether he needs more depth in his squad. Only Nottingham Forest have used fewer players than Liverpool this season in the league, with the Reds using 24 and the Tricky Trees on 23.
Out of all the teams playing in Europe, Liverpool have made the fewest changes per league game. Yet Slot insists he does trust the likes of Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott despite their lack of minutes in comparison to regular starters.
The Dutchman said: “It is not to say that if you don’t play someone, you don’t trust them. I do. But probably I find the other ones a bit better otherwise I would make a different choice. Or they fit better in the team. Mo has certain qualities and Dom has certain qualities and these help each other.
“Whereas with other players it is a bit more difficult. That is what makes a team. I cannot play with 11 Mo Salahs and I cannot play with 11 Dominik Szoboszlais.”
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