Arne Slot and his Liverpool squad are gearing up for a Merseyside Derby that presents an opportunity to showcase their season’s excellence in the Premier League. This comes on the heels of Slot’s admission that he made mistakes in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, not rotating his squad sufficiently after a gruelling Champions League knockout by Paris Saint-Germain.
For the first time this season, Liverpool has faced scrutiny. However, the sting of European disappointment and Wembley defeat will be quickly forgotten if they secure victories in the Premier League.
With a commanding lead at the top and likely just five wins away from clinching a 20th league title in May, the anticipation is building. The celebrations are set to be explosive, with red pyrotechnics and wild festivities, but there’s still work to be done.
It begins with Everton’s visit, with memories of the intense last derby at Goodison Park in February still fresh — a match that ended in a stalemate but hardly hindered Liverpool’s title chase. Even potential points dropped tonight wouldn’t spell disaster.
Yet, Slot has conceded that he misjudged the Newcastle clash, perhaps leaving something to prove this evening. In a Sunday meeting, he emphasized that relentless effort is essential.
Everton managed to outpace them at times in February, a scenario Slot is keen to avoid at Anfield. “Show them the work rate they have put in for so many games in a row,” Slot urged, highlighting the importance of maintaining their high-energy performances.
The Liverpool boss admitted to his lack of rotation in the squad, using PSG as an example. He said: “Paris Saint-Germain was a great example of that, so maybe, maybe, maybe I made the biggest mistake by not rotating enough.”
(Image: 2025 Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)
“But I thought there were four days in between for Newcastle, they had enough rest but again it is too simple to only say we were outworked, we have to give credit to everything Newcastle did because in the end we conceded a corner.
“That is nothing to do with a sprint or tracking back or whatever, it is just conceding a corner but it is emphasising on what made us where we are now.
“For me, that is, apart from quality, an incredible work rate every single game we played in the Premier League.”
Slot’s admission has sparked questions about whether Liverpool needs more depth in its squad. Only Nottingham Forest have used fewer players than Liverpool this season in the league, with the Reds using 24 and the Tricky Trees on 23.
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Out of all the teams playing in Europe, Liverpool has made the fewest changes per league game.
Despite this, Slot insists he trusts players like Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott, even though they’ve had fewer minutes compared to regular starters.
He stated: “It is not to say that if you don’t play someone, you don’t trust them. I do.
“But probably I find the other ones a bit better otherwise I would make a different choice. Or they fit better in the team. Mo has certain qualities and Dom has certain qualities and these help each other.
“Whereas with other players it is a bit more difficult. That is what makes a team. I cannot play with 11 Mo Salahs and I cannot play with 11 Dominik Szoboszlais.”
