Arne Slot explains why he didn't start Rio Ngumoha for Liverpool vs Galatasaray

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Rio Ngumoha was once again on the bench for Liverpool’s second-leg Champions League meeting with Galatasaray on Wednesday.Despite losing 1-0, the teenager did not play a single minute in the reverse fixture, leading one former player to say he was ‘done’ with Arne Slot.Now, the Liverpool coach has explained he wanted more experience in his side for the Anfield meeting. Looks like Arne Slot will be benching Rio Ngumoha vs Galatasaray… Slot said Rio would only start one game out of the next three before Spurs.

How’d you feel about that?Credit: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images Arne Slot dropped Rio Ngumoha for more experienced Liverpool playersSpeaking to Laura Woods live on TNT Sports in the build-up to the fixture, Slot was asked how close Ngumoha is to a start in the Champions League.The 17-year-old matched a Liverpool 2025/26 record when he played 64 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.But Slot suggested that other players’ experience, as well as wanting to select players the club had paid big money for, was the reason Ngumoha was not in from the off.He said: “Very close [to a Champions League start]. He could have played tonight.

But if you look at the line-up I’ve chosen for a night like this, when a lot of pressure is on, to select the ones that are either playing here for years, that know what it takes to play a game like this, and to play the ones we brought in for substantial money.“He could have started, but I’ve decided to play the more experienced ones tonight.”In his absence, Slot opted to produce a front-three of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah.Surprisingly, there was no room in the XI for Cody Gakpo, while Dominik Szoboszlai was put back into midfield, and Jeremie Frimpong was moved into his more natural right-back position.Whether the selection calls pay off remains to be seen, as Galatasaray’s manager warned that his players figured out how to deal with Wirtz in the last leg.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox