Liverpool manager Arne Slot has left many senior players at home, admitting he would be playing the youth in their Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
The Reds have advanced to the knockout phase.
“I’m happy in England, and I’m happy in Liverpool with the team and the training ground and everything that comes with that,” the former Feyenoord coach stated. It’s always good to return, and I’ve had a terrific time in Holland both in terms of football and my personal life. Even though I’m not at the team I support, it’s good to be back and occasionally speak Dutch!
“They don’t have to show themselves since we already know how good the players who will play tomorrow are. Like every other team in Europe, we are playing a ton of games, and these players are prepared. In the long run, if you look back at our season, it has been nearly every time after three, four, or five weeks that we gave them the break during the week when there was a League Cup or an FA Cup (game), if there was a chance for them to get some rest. All of the players who are left behind could have played tomorrow, but that doesn’t tell you anything about the short term or Saturday’s game. Some times ago, we have always done that.
“It took me some time to get used to this new Champions League structure. I usually use the phrase “99.9” when I’m really certain, but now I can say that it doesn’t matter if we finish one or two (in the table) since we’ll play 14, 15, 16, and 17, and ultimately it’s a draw (for) whose team we’re playing. Since we are now ranked either No. 1 or No. 2, we cannot fall to No. 3, which has no bearing on the league table’s outcome. However, I once heard a very wise man say, “I have never seen anything good coming from We are not going into tomorrow’s football game with the intention of losing; rather, we will make every effort to win, of course.
Second, the guys who haven’t played much benefit greatly from having 90 minutes because we typically start with 13 or 14 players who share the majority of the playing time. Because these players will also have some game rhythm if we do have injury issues. We have therefore made a long-term decision. Although it provides no information on immediate results, it is unquestionably beneficial to us in the long run.