Arne Slot praised the Liverpool team for depth after a 2-1 victory over Everton at 247th Merseyside Derby on Saturday. The Reds boss also dropped a big hint about a massive rotation on Tuesday evening as the team begins their Carabao Cup journey at home with Southampton in the third round.
Slots made four changes to XI, who won Atletico Madrid 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Conor Bradley, Milo Squelquez, Hugo Ekichike and Alexis Mac Alistair are all returning to the starting lineup. Ryan Gravenburch opened up a score against David Moet’s side before the Dutch midfielder turned Ekitique’s strike to providers ahead of halftime.
Idrissa Gueye pulled back one after the interval, but the Premier League champions stuck to seal their fifth straight victory in the new season.
“That’s why we and our European teams need a team like this, and you play so many games,” Slot explained. “That’s not an excuse. We accept that. There were some issues with Alexander Isaac not training for four months.
“The good thing is that you have the option to spin throughout the week, and the three 90-minute plays were Virgil (Vandic), Ibu (Ibrahimaconate), Mohamed Sara), Ryan and Dom (Dominik Zoboschrai), who were used at this level.
“We won’t see them on Tuesday. We managed the game really well, but we didn’t manage it a little well. We said this before the game.
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“This is what happened to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Atletico. We need to realize that no matter how well you play, you can change the game.
“This is where we can improve.
“But we managed the game really well in general. I don’t think there’s a chance after 2-1. But if you’re just 2-1, it always feels a bit difficult.
“These are really good players, but we played in a variety of set-ups. They’re really good moments for the majority of the game.”
Liverpool’s head coach continued on his victory over Everton.
“Normally, other teams come up with something completely new for us, so we need to adjust at halftime, which is normal as most teams we face are a week to prepare.
“The only thing I’ve done between Atletico and now is playing 6 V-Two. This is the only thing I’ve done in two days. It’s not an excuse.
“I can’t come up with anything new, so other teams don’t have much time to train, so they always know what we’re trying to do.
“I have so many great players, so you don’t have to feel sorry for me.”
