Slot's explanation: We have only 16 players available

Had Liverpool fielded their strongest or nearly strongest lineup last night, it would have been a sign of panic. Yet even that kind of team would have been no guarantee against Crystal Palace, who have now beaten the Reds three times in the past three months — and in three different competitions. Even a potential win over Palace wouldn’t have convinced anyone that Liverpool had emerged from their crisis, just as that victory in Frankfurt over a reckless Eintracht side didn’t. Over the past month (since the league defeat to Palace), Liverpool have been the worst team among the “big five” leagues in terms of losses.

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Instead of panicking, Arne Slot chose the legitimate option of using the reserves in the League Cup and pretending that everything is fine — even though Liverpool are enduring their worst run of results in the past 16 years, losing six of their last seven matches. From the regular starters, the Dutchman selected only Kerkez, Mac Allister, and Robertson — all players who needed minutes to rebuild fragile confidence and regain form. There wasn’t a single true first-team player on the bench…

“In two days we play against Aston Villa, the last time I played a player that we thought was ready to play for a programme but was not was Alexander Isak and he got injured, in the last round Giovanni Leoni went out injured and Hugo Ekitike got sent off. We only have 16-17 players available. To add to that, this club has always used this competition for academy players. It felt like to me the right decision and I have not changed that opinion after the result. I saw Man City's XI and they didn't have one starter from the weekend but it felt like their best XI. That is a bit of an insight. Chelsea can bring Estevao in. After I made two substitutions tonight, we had six teenagers” said the Dutchman.

Slot should be the last person to complain about squad depth, given that Liverpool’s roster was the most heavily invested in across world football last summer — over half a billion euros! For that reason, he can’t justify anything by pointing to the absences of Isak, Alisson, Frimpong, or Leoni, who were all unavailable last night.

“There are many reasons why we lost six out of seven, none of them are good enough excuses to lose so many. If I look at our performance against Brentford two days after we played Frankfurt away, I saw there a team that struggled to play three games in a week. Again no excuse. It’s my job to make things right” said Slot. 

Liverpool are now looking like Manchester United

The gamble didn’t pay off. Slot got no meaningful response from his reserves, nor did he uncover any new options for the upcoming fixtures. At the same time, the problems shown last night aren’t directly relevant to what’s coming — most of those players won’t even be in contention for the team during the brutal stretch ahead for the English champions. On Saturday they face Aston Villa, then visit Real Madrid, and afterward go away to Manchester City. All the credit has been spent — Liverpool no longer have the right to slip up. As much as Slot exceeded expectations in his first season in charge with a dominant title-winning campaign, he’s fallen short in his second. Liverpool have a long-standing culture of supporting their managers and rarely dismiss them without serious cause. But every patience has its limit… The next three matches will largely determine Liverpool’s season — and maybe even Slot’s job.