Liverpool boss Arne Slot is unlikely to feature as many second-string players in the team’s remaining Premier League games as he did against Chelsea on Sunday, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.
The Merseyisders won the title on April 27 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at Anfield, and Slot made six changes from the team that clinched the league when his side lost 3-1 against Chelsea last weekend.
Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott came into the starting lineup, but the duo had not started a single top-flight match prior to the club’s defeat at Stamford Bridge.
When asked by Sports Mole if Reds fans should expect similar team sheets in the final three games of the season, Lynch argued that Slot will almost certainly reinstate his regulars, saying: “I’m not so sure that we’ll see mass rotation again over the remainder of the season. There’s not huge motivation to do that.
“We’ll see that he’s more ready to bring an Endo on with 30 minutes remaining rather than 10, and the same for Harvey Elliott, but it did make sense for this game to give them a go and give the fringe players a reward for the work that they’ve put in, particularly as I’m sure there’s still a few hangovers that are in that Liverpool squad after the weekend before.
“I don’t expect when the next game comes around that you will see Ryan Gravenberch left out of the squad. He will be straight back in the starting XI, same with Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, or even Andrew Robertson at left-back – Ibrahima Konate was left out. We will see them over the remainder of the season.”
With a clash against Arsenal to come next Sunday at Anfield, Slot will want his team to show why they managed to beat the Gunners to the Premier League title.
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Should Liverpool’s performance against Chelsea be of concern?
Liverpool conceded in the third minute against Chelsea and struggled to create chances in the final third, producing just one shot on target in the first half.
Mohamed Salah failed to score or provide an assist, meaning he has only scored one goal and registered one assist in his eight most recent matches for the Reds.
Lynch insisted that it would be unfair to read to much into the performance given the number of changes, when he told Sports Mole: “I don’t think we were expecting Liverpool at 100% – the manager sends the message to the players effectively with the selection. That’s not just leaving Ryan Gravenberch at home, but six changes in total to the starting XI, giving a lot of fringe players an opportunity.
“Chelsea pile on quite a lot of expected goals towards the end, and Liverpool dominate possession, dominate the ball. They don’t create loads of chances, but they’re in so many areas to create chances quite a lot. I thought Liverpool were really good in buildup and getting into areas, but they didn’t make it count.
“It was not a terrible performance from Liverpool, but if you give goals away in the way that they did, then it’s always going to cost you. The upside is that, ultimately, it’s a shrug of the shoulders for Liverpool and ‘let’s move on‘ because these remaining games don’t matter at all.”
If Slot had selected a stronger starting XI, there is every chance that his side would have at least avoided defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, especially considering the Merseysiders had only lost one of their previous 19 Premier League fixtures on the road.
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Will Liverpool be motivated in their final three games?
The Reds will take on Arsenal this weekend before facing Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace in their final two games of the season, with all three sides likely to pose significant challenges.
If Liverpool perform as they did against Chelsea in their remaining fixtures, then there is a chance that the champions could drop points on more than one occasion.
Lynch emphasised that while Slot is likely to field strong XIs, it may still be difficult to get the squad to play at their best, telling Sports Mole: “When you go in with that mentality [against Chelsea] and you’re coming off the back of a big celebration, it’s not a shock that Liverpool weren’t at their best, particularly as they were up against an opponent who [needed to win].
“You won’t see the best, most motivated version of Liverpool, but there’s no real reason not to go with his strongest XI. What we will see though is if it’s the final 30 minutes of a game, there’s no point running Szoboszlai into the ground when you don’t need to. You can make that change for Elliott and Slot will be keen to do that, regardless of whether it’s 1-1 or Liverpool are 1-0 down.”
Liverpool could still accumulate 91 points should they win their last three games, a total that legendary Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger failed to achieve, and the chance to create further history could prove to be somewhat of a motivating factor.
