Arne Slot reveals the five players who won’t play in Liverpool’s upcoming game – ‘I can tell you now.’

After Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Everton in the 247th Merseyside derby on Saturday, Arne Slot praised the depth of his squad. He also suggested that significant changes are likely for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round match against Southampton at home. Slot made four changes from the team that won 3-2 against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, bringing back Conor Bradley, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, and Alexis Mac Allister.

Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring for Liverpool before assisting Ekitike for the second goal just before halftime. Although Idrissa Gueye pulled a goal back for Everton after the break, Liverpool, the Premier League champions, held on to claim their fifth consecutive win this season.

Slot emphasized the importance of having a strong squad given the number of matches teams like Liverpool and other European clubs play. He acknowledged challenges such as Alexander Isak being out of training for four months and Mac Allister missing many games, but highlighted the advantage of being able to rotate players. Only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai have played full matches three times recently and are accustomed to the high intensity, but he confirmed they won’t be playing on Tuesday.

Reflecting on the game, Slot said that while Liverpool managed the match well overall and didn’t let Everton create chances after going 2-1 up, they could improve on handling key moments that can shift momentum. He pointed out that such moments impacted recent games against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Atletico Madrid.

Slot also explained the tactical approach against Everton, noting that the team took up the positions they wanted and that Everton played as expected. He mentioned that unlike most opponents who have a week to prepare and often force Liverpool to adapt at halftime, his team didn’t do much new in training between the Atletico game and this match, only practicing six-versus-two drills over two days. He dismissed any notion of using this as an excuse and said he’s fortunate to have many talented players.