Arne Slot delivered a Premier League title in his first season, but his second year has been far more turbulent. Despite experimenting with his new-look, expensive squad, Liverpool have struggled to find rhythm and have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions.
The pressure intensified after Slot made wholesale changes for the Carabao Cup last-16 tie with Crystal Palace, fielding a side that included several fringe players and teenagers and was thumped 3-0 at Anfield. Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike were all absent as Liverpool exited a competition they had won twice in four seasons.
Slot defended his choices at the post-match news conference, saying the club has traditionally used the League Cup to give minutes to academy players and that, despite the defeat, he stood by the decision. He pointed to the busy schedule ahead — matches against Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City within 10 days — and stressed that many senior players had already logged heavy minutes in recent fixtures.
He also suggested perceptions of Liverpool’s squad depth are overstated. Referencing Manchester City’s team selection elsewhere, Slot argued that the presence or absence of familiar names doesn’t always indicate strength: “Maybe that gives a little bit of an insight that everybody has always said how big of a squad we have… We are only missing four players at the moment and already we needed to start with four players under the age of 19.” He later added injuries and pre-season struggles had compounded the challenge of managing three games in a week.
Slot made ten changes from the side beaten by Brentford at the weekend, handing starts to 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison. The youthful side opened brightly but paid for defensive lapses as Ismaila Sarr struck twice late in the first half. An 18-year-old, Amara Nallo, was sent off in the second period, and Yeremy Pino added a late third in heavy rain, leaving Slot watching a chastening defeat.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was blunt in his assessment on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying the manager had ‘‘almost admitted’’ the squad wasn’t up to scratch and accused him of deflecting responsibility. Warnock argued that teams in the Champions League must accept congested schedules and that the club’s summer transfer business — despite reportedly spending over £400m — had not produced the necessary depth.
Ex-Scotland international Pat Nevin agreed the Carabao Cup appeared to be of secondary importance this season. He suggested Liverpool concentrated on marquee signings rather than building a bulkier squad, a strategy now showing its limits.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, however, rejected suggestions Liverpool fielded a weakened side and insisted his team deserved full credit. He pointed out that Liverpool’s XI still featured several full internationals — including Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo — and players with high-level experience such as Alexis Mac Allister. Glasner called it disrespectful to downplay the quality of Liverpool’s selection.
The reverse leaves Liverpool in a difficult run of form in the Premier League: after winning their first five matches, they have lost four straight league games and sit seventh. A loss to Aston Villa on Saturday would mark their worst sequence since 1953.
Slot acknowledged the mounting pressure, but said it was unlikely to change how he approaches selection for the run of critical fixtures ahead. He reiterated that he rested players who had recently played the most and that availability will be crucial for the busy week. “We need as many players available as we can,” he said, adding that if the gamble of resting stars pays off with wins against Villa and Real Madrid, the decision will be vindicated. If results don’t improve, pundits and supporters are likely to grow increasingly frustrated.
For now, Slot faces intense scrutiny. The Carabao Cup exit will be quickly forgotten if positive results follow, but continued setbacks would sharpen criticism about squad construction, rotation choices and whether Liverpool can cope with competing on multiple fronts this season.
