There were a few minor selection shocks when Arne Slot announced his Liverpool line-up to face Southampton on Saturday and an obvious indication that he has half an eye on the midweek clash against Paris Saint-Germain, despite claiming on Friday that the visit of the Saints was the first of ‘three finals’.
The decision to drop Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister was clearly what Slot had in mind when he said certain players might need to be rested against Southampton due to fixture congestion, while Diogo Jota’s position on the bench could have been expected given he has played so many matches recently after recovering from injury.
Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez came into the starting line-up in their place, while a plethora of substitutions can be expected if the Reds rack up a healthy early lead.
But perhaps the most noteworthy update was the omission of Cody Gakpo once again. The Dutchman hasn’t started a game for Liverpool since 12 February due to injury and missed the recent games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. He recovered in time to come off the bench in wins over Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Frustratingly, Gakpo then suffered a relapse in training ahead of the PSG first leg and was forced to once again drop out of the squad. Asked about his availability on Friday ahead of the Southampton game, Slot replied: “He didn’t train yesterday yet so let’s see if he can train with us today. Close call, it is not a long term injury but he still had a bit of pain yesterday, let’s see where he is today.”
Clearly the former PSV Eindhoven man didn’t prove his fitness in time and he missed out once again at home to the side bottom of the league. Slot will hope to call upon his services against PSG on Wednesday, although that is looking in increasing doubt.
Gakpo had established himself as a vital player under Slot in the first two thirds of the season, playing in all of the first 24 league matches and starting 16.
His inability to face Southampton afforded James McConnell another spot on the bench, and he could be given a rare opportunity to play in the Premier League. As could Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa, who were also named among the substitutes. But the decision to start the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah is an indication that Slot isn’t taking the challenge of Southampton lightly.
