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6 hours ago
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has refused to backtrack on his heavily rotated team selection following their 3-0 Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
Facing mounting pressure after a poor run of form, Slot defended his choice to field a largely youthful XI, arguing that resting senior players was necessary for the demanding upcoming schedule.
Slot conceded that the run of poor results, now six losses in seven games across all competitions, is unacceptable for a club of Liverpool’s stature, but insisted that the decision to field academy players in the cup was standard procedure.
Defence of the heavy rotation strategy
“It is always a blow to lose a game of football, especially when it leads to going out of a competition,” Slot stated in his post-match press conference.
“But it is the same selection I did tonight as I did last season in rounds like this.”
The manager pointed to fixture congestion as the primary factor, referencing the struggle of players adapting to a high-intensity schedule: “I saw a team that maybe struggled with playing three games in seven days... At this moment in time, with only 15 or 16 players available... it felt to me as the right decision.”
This defence suggests Slot is prioritising Premier League and Champions League fixtures, even at the cost of cup runs, echoing a management style seen in previous years.
Blame tempered by a harsh reality check
While Slot defended the logic behind resting the squad, he offered no excuses for the standard of performance, particularly after losing three times this season to Crystal Palace.
“There are many reasons maybe why we've lost six out of seven – none of them are good enough to accept losing so many,” he remarked candidly.
“If you play for Liverpool or manage Liverpool, you know the pressure is there.”
Slot highlighted that Liverpool must find a way to impose their game on opponents, rather than constantly reacting to them.
He also referenced previous injury issues that complicated scheduling decisions, such as the recent setback suffered by Alexander Isak, underscoring the thin margins Liverpool is currently operating with due to the injury list.
The focus now immediately switches to regaining form for the Premier League match against Aston Villa this Saturday.
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