Arne Slot disagreed with Jamie Carragher’s theory as to why Virgil van Dijk was benched for Liverpool’s game against Brighton, insisting he doesn’t need to find any more leaders in his defense.

Van Dijk was something of a surprise omission from the starting line-up at the Amex Stadium, with the Liverpool captain having started each of the Reds’ previous 36 league games.

Analyzing the change on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher suggested Slot may be looking to find more leaders in his defense, should Van Dijk not play at any point in the future.



The Liverpool boss disagreed on that theory though.

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“Nah, that’s not the reason now to play without him, to see if there’s a leader, because I think Ibou Konate is already experienced,” Slot insisted.

Arne Slot speaking to Sky Sports before Liverpool's game at Brighton

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Slot’s other changes against Brighton saw Federico Chiesa handed a first league start for Liverpool as speculation continues over his future, having struggled to make any sort of impact since arriving from Juventus last summer.

Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas were also handed starts, with Slot seemingly having one eye on next season.

“It’s interesting for me to see a few players that we haven’t seen enough if you look at their quality, so then I talk about Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa,” Slot explained.

“This is a good moment for them to show where they are against a very difficult opponent because Brighton has had a great season.

“I think it’s good to see all of them, but maybe especially these three.”