Arne Slot admits “biggest difference” in Liverpool schedule as rotation begins

Arne Slot does not feel Liverpool’s schedule up until now has been anything out of the ordinary, but has noticed the “main difference” as he plans to rotate.

The Reds are heading into a run of five games in 15 days starting Saturday, with the visit of Bournemouth in the Premier League followed by four more fixtures in three competitions.

That comes with the start of the Carabao Cup, bringing West Ham to Anfield on Wednesday night, while the Champions League‘s expansion adds another date at home to Bologna.

Slot made his first rotational changes in midweek as Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo came in for Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz, and more alterations are expected over the coming fortnight.

“A lot goes into making a lineup, not only long-term planning,” the head coach told reporters on Friday.

“Short-term planning, how fit they are, what the opponent does, the form of our players.

“But you are aware of the fact that it’s going to be a long season where you need a lot of players, so if you need a lot of players they also need, once in a while, some playing time.

“So we are aware of that and that’s also what we take in account when we make a lineup, but it’s not the only thing I take into account.”

Liverpool’s clash with Bournemouth is their sixth game of the season, with there little difference in the schedule so far to previous campaigns or, as Slot pointed out, his experience in the Netherlands.

However, as well as acknowledging the overall strength of the Premier League after previous comments that appeared to denigrate Nottingham Forest, the 46-year-old noted the “main difference” coming up.

“I don’t know if you know, but also in Holland we have an Eredivisie, so we always play games at the weekends, and we also play Champions League or Europa League, so we also play during the week,” he said when asked how he had found the schedule.

“There’s only one difference and that’s the upcoming week, when we play the League Cup.

“So until now I haven’t seen anything different from what I was used to at my former clubs, but the Premier League has four extra games than the Eredivisie and the League Cup, that’s the main difference.

“But from the start until now I think we’ve played just as many games as my former club, so that’s not an issue for me.

“But the main difference between the Premier League and every other league in Europe, and you all know, is we have to play during Christmas and New Year.

“At those moments, that’s the biggest difference between this league and all the other leagues.

“AC Milan had to play the weekend, they had to play on Tuesday and they will play during the weekend also again.

“But the strength of the league, the quality of the league, the quality of Nottingham Forest, of Bournemouth, that is much, much, much higher than if you play an Eredivisie game against a team that doesn’t play for the top six positions.

“So this is where it makes a difference.”