A weakened Liverpool side led to an FA Cup knockout, and there is good reason for Arne Slot not regretting his selection choices as his side face five Premier League games in 15 days.
The consensus from the 1-0 defeat at Plymouth was that the senior players selected did not do enough, but that an exit from the FA Cup was not the worst thing in the world.
It eliminates one chance at silverware, but it opens gaps in the schedule for rest as Liverpool keep their eyes locked on their remaining three competitions.
The Premier League now takes centre stage with a run of five games in the space of 15 days, with Everton (A), Wolves (H), Aston Villa (A), Man City (A) and Newcastle (H) to come in quick succession.
A game every three days affords few opportunities for Slot to rest his ‘starters’, which is why Plymouth was the ideal time to give those on the fringe a chance at game time – even if they struggled.
- Everton (A) – PL – Wednesday, Feb 12, 7.30pm
- Wolves (H) – PL – Sunday, Feb 16, 2pm
- Aston Villa (A) – PL – Wednesday, Feb 19, 7.30pm
- Man City (A) – PL – Sunday, Feb 23, 4.30pm
- Newcastle (H) – PL – Wednesday, Feb 28, 8.15pm
“No [regrets on selection], because you never know what would have happened if we would have played with our starters over here,” Slot told reporters post-match on Sunday.
He later added: “I said before that we have to play many games now. The Aston Villa game comes during the week again as well.
“The last few weeks we have played every single week two times. The upcoming weeks we have to play every single time two games.
“Therefore, it’s not only for them good to once in a while have a week where they only play one game, but also for the ones that were here today, they need the intensity of the game because you can keep on training with them but once in a while they need a game as well.”
Few offered a convincing argument that they are due more starting appearances, but with 15 points available this month, Slot made the pragmatic decision on the south coast to protect his regular starters.
We may only know in May how much it paid off, but it’s hard to truly criticise as we look at it now.
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