Liverpool head coach Arne Slot shares Pep Guardiola‘s view that it is not always beneficial to have a large pool of players to choose from.
Manchester City boss Guardiola made it clear this week that he is unhappy with the current size of his squad as he threatened to quit if it is not trimmed over the summer.
City signed four players for significant transfer fees during the winter transfer window as the club looked to rescue its season after an alarming drop-off during November and December, while Kyle Walker was the only first-teamer to depart.
That meant a number of first-team squad players had to be left out altogether when Liverpool faced Bournemouth earlier this week, prompting Guardiola to call for the issue to be rectified in the summer.
“I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad],” Guardiola said. “I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to give my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.
“As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club. I don’t want that.”
Slot echoed Guardiola’s sentiment after he was asked whether he felt that Liverpool needs to spend big during the summer transfer window.
(Image: PA)
“I think another question is: ‘Does a player that doesn’t play that much want to stay at a club where he’s not playing that much?'” Slot responded.
“I always say that to be on the bench for one season is already difficult – to not play a lot two seasons in a row is almost impossible, so it’s not only what I want, it’s also what the player wants.
“City will probably strengthen the squad again. If the rumors are correct, Arsenal is planning the same, so it would be stupid if we are not looking at trying to strengthen the squad as well.
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“Again, I’ve said it many times, it’s not that easy because this team has already won the league. So to find players that can strengthen us – that might not be that difficult – because there are certain players in the world where I think, ‘if they would come, it would be nice’.
“But they’re also playing at clubs where they don’t want to leave. So there are not many that can strengthen us, but the few that are out there, we will try to get them. At this moment of time we’re not sure if that’s possible.”
