Arne Slot admits he made one selection mistake which led to Liverpool losing the Carabao Cup to Newcastle
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Liverpool were beaten in the EFL Cup final in March 2-1 by Newcastle.
The Reds romped to the Premier League title last season and Arne Slot had a memorable first campaign in England, although he will have felt it could have been even better.
Liverpool lost to PSG in the Round of 16 of the Champions League despite finishing top of the league phase, something that really frustrated the Dutchman.
But another thing that annoyed him was the fact they also lost the Carabao Cup final just five days later, with the Reds really not showing up in that game at all.
This did put a slight dampener on the season as it was a very good opportunity for Liverpool to win some early silverware, but Slot has admitted that he thinks he was at fault for losing that game.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
The Reds played a lot of games last season due to their success in the Carabao Cup and due to the new Champions League format, with this being something that can have a real impact on the team.
This season will be the same, however, and they may potentially play even more as they are expected to go very deep into every competition they play in.
If this is the case, Slot will likely switch up his approach, with the Dutchman admitting that his lack of rotation is a reason why they lost the League Cup to Newcastle.
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“Consistency is 10 out of 10 times the factor in success.
What I did was, and everyone will have noticed, I played a lot of time with the same players,” Slot told Ally McCoist in an interview with TNTSports.
“I think that cost us in March, though, with the League Cup final, although Newcastle played very well and deserved to win, let’s make that very clear.
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“But November to March is the most difficult period here in England and I think we won the league because I was always so consistent when playing the same players, but it was also the reason why we weren’t the best for those two weeks in March.”
It is clear that Slot is trying his best to give players as much rest as possible, with his squad changing a lot more this season already.
Any player who has a history of injuries or is currently suffering from niggles, such as Alexis Mac Allister, Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak, are currently having their minutes managed significantly.
They have all been rotated with others in the team, with the hope being that they will avoid a burnout, but more importantly, any injuries.
If Liverpool do get to the final again this season, which is a strong possibility, it would be no surprise to see a bit of ‘Slot roulette’ in terms of his team selection in the early part of 2026.