Arne Slot defended live on talkSPORT as Liverpool ‘mistake’ cleared up
Arne Slot has been defended for a Liverpool decision he made ahead of their FA Cup defeat against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
The Reds fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to the Pilgrims over the weekend after the team at the bottom of the Championship managed to squeeze a shot past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool have been one of the most dominant teams in England this season due to the way that the Dutchman has lined his team up.
Jeff Stelling defends Arne Slot for Liverpool decision
Many expected Liverpool to have way too much quality for Plymouth to handle, with most fans and pundits alike expecting the game to end up being a demolition for Miron Muslic’s men.
Instead, they shocked the footballing world and ended any potential talks of Liverpool ending the season with a quadruple.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (11 February), Jeff Stelling and Tony Cascarino shared their thoughts on the tie and the fact that Slot didn’t name his “big-hitters” on the bench.
“A lot of people criticised Arne Slot by the way for not putting some of the big guns on the bench at the weekend but from my point of view, I think if you’re going to give players a rest, you need to give them a rest and not have them travelling with the squad,” Stelling said.
Cascarino then replied with: “He thought he had enough Jeff and he should have had enough but it’s not a mistake at all, he did the right thing.”
Everton are Arne Slot’s next challenge
Ever since the 2024/25 season kicked off, games have been coming thick for English clubs also competing in Europe.
Which is why it’s been quite a surprise to not see many of Liverpool’s first-team players ruled out for extended periods throughout the season.
Indeed, players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate have been ruled out for the odd few games here and there, but it still feels like they’ve had much better luck than some of their Premier League counterparts.
The Reds’ next game is coming against Everton in what is set to be the last-ever Merseyside derby in Goodison Park.
The game was rescheduled due to poor weather conditions and to be quite frank, it feels like that’s gone in Everton’s favour.
They’re in a much better place now than they were under Sean Dyche and they could genuinely prove to be a real test for Slot and his men.
Only time will tell what the future holds, but if Liverpool want to make it up to their fans, beating Everton could be the way to do that in what will be the final every Merseyside derby staged at Goodison Park.