Arne Slot has hinted he may have changed his mind on his starting goalkeeper for the Carabao Cup final, having suggested that Alisson Becker could get the nod at Wembley.
The Reds will be looking to win the first trophy under Slot’s guidance when they face Newcastle on Sunday. With the Premier League title looking all but assured, it could be the first part of a double for Liverpool, having had their treble dreams ended by Paris Saint-Germain during the week.
Most of Slot’s team for tomorrow’s final can be confidently predicted, with his strongest side now clear at this stage. The Liverpool head coach though does face a question mark at right-back after Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out through injury, as well as in goal.
Unlike the situation at right-back, Slot has both his first and second-choice goalkeepers available, leaving him with a tricky decision between Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher. Although the formr is his undisputed No.1, the latter has started the majority of Liverpool’s domestic cup games over the past couple of years.
Indeed, the Irishman has started three of the Reds’ five games on the road to Carabao Cup final, and will be expected by many to start another final, having starred in the 2022 and 2024 triumphs over Chelsea. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Newcastle though, Slot hinted that Alisson could well get the nod.
“They haven’t heard it themselves, but everyone that uses common sense [might guess],” said Slot when asked which of his goalkeepers would start. “So, [look at] all of our line-ups, [you] might have an idea.”
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Should Alisson be given the starting berth, it would be departure from what Slot suggested he would do for the final last month.
Although the Brazilian started the first leg of the semi-final against Tottenham, Slot explained that decision was made in order to give him more playing time following his return from injury, with Kelleher taking his usual spot for the second leg back at Anfield.
“Almost every time we’ve played the second goalkeeper in the League Cup, so at Brighton it was Vit [Jaros] because at that moment in time Caoimh wasn’t a No.1 because Alisson was injured,” Slot explained.
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“There was only one exception and that was Tottenham away where Alisson came back from an injury, and I felt that he needed some extra playing time, because if you come back from an injury – you see this with many players – they sometimes need a bit of time to be at their best again.
“Three days later, we played the Accrington Stanley game, and then three days later we played Forest, and with him just being back from an injury, it felt better for him to play, have a week rest and then have Nottingham Forest, so that was more with the idea of being the best possibly prepared for the league.
“Yesterday was a League Cup game, so that meant Caoimh was in goal, and he absolutely deserves to be in goal for everything he did this season.”
