Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed his selection plan for the side's next Carabao Cup third round clash against Southampton. Speaking ahead of the match, the Dutchman focused on the importance of rotating the squad to keep his players in top shape.
He said:
“It’s the reason why teams like us and the ones in Europe need a squad like this, you play so many games. It’s not an excuse; we accept it.
"The good thing is I have the option to rotate throughout the week, and the ones that played three times 90 minutes are Virgil [van Dijk], Ibou [Ibrahima Konate], Mo [Mohamed Salah], Ryan [Gravenberch] and Dom [Dominik Szoboszlai]... I can tell you now you won’t be seeing them on Tuesday.”
It has been a busy run of fixtures for the Merseysiders over the past week, playing in three matches in the span of six days. They had a close 1-0 win against Burnley on September 14, before playing against Atletico Madrid to open their Champions League with a stunning 3-2 win on September 17. The run was rounded off with a 2-1 win against Everton in the Premier League on September 20.
Players like Salah, van Dijk, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have played heavily in this timeframe and have proved to be invaluable, enabling Liverpool to begin with five victories in five matches in the league.
The clash against the lower-tier sides Slot the option to give minutes to players who have not played as prominently in recent matches. The likes of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Fedrico Chiesa could all be in line to get rare starts. The clash could also be used to give minutes to record signing of Alexander Isak, who continues to gain fitness after a late move in the window to Anfield.