Darwin Nunez would have been in line to start the FA Cup clash with Plymouth on Sunday, but the striker was ruled out for a reason that may surprise some.
Even without the 10 players who were left out in order to rest for the Merseyside derby, for a number of reasons Liverpool’s lineup at Plymouth should have been stronger.
The Reds were dealt an early setback when Joe Gomez was forced off with injury, meaning academy full-back Isaac Mabaya made his debut, while Curtis Jones was not fit to feature which meant Trey Nyoni started.
It now transpires that Nunez missed the buildup to Liverpool’s trip to Devon as he travelled to Spain earlier in the week for the birth of his second child.
Speaking in his pre-Everton press conference on Tuesday, Slot explained that the striker was granted a short time off to be with his partner Lorena Manas, who chose to give birth in her native Spain.
“It was difficult,” he said of his team selection.
“Because the plan was of course to play with Joe for 60 minutes or longer; the plan was to start Curtis but he came out Sunday saying that he didn’t feel well enough to play.
“So then all of a sudden, we missed two important players.
“I think people know Darwin’s situation, that he became a dad one or two days before the game and that happened in Spain, so he came in a bit later.
“So there were some circumstances that weren’t perfect.”
Logic suggests that Jones would been in the side instead of Nyoni and Nunez would also have started, which may have afforded a matchday off for Luis Diaz.
Instead it was a side of mixed experience at Home Park, particularly when it came to Slot’s bench, with Nunez the only senior player fit to come on and 18-year-old Trent Kone-Doherty the only other substitute used.
Liverpool’s exit from the cup has been widely acknowledged as a death knell to game time for a number of the fringe players involved such as Federico Chiesa, Jarell Quansah and even Harvey Elliott.
Slot refuted the suggestion that removing the FA Cup from the schedule would benefit Liverpool, insisting: “There was a wise man that once said to me ‘nothing good comes from losing a football game’, and I completely agree.”
“The idea was to play with an even stronger team than we did, but still this team should, should, should have been able to win that game,” he added.
“The fact that we didn’t, and we didn’t against PSV as well, also tells us that these players definitely need these games to get the best out of them.
“Because it’s so difficult to get the best out of them if they hardly play any games.
“And that’s why, again, it’s disappointing that we don’t have this extra game, for them, in 18 days.”
Nunez is expected to remain with the squad for the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday, and it could be that the 25-year-old even starts against Everton given his reduced workload at the weekend.
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