Slot has been handed exactly what he asked for ahead of Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final with Man City - opinion
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As the international break enters its second week, attention is starting to turn towards Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City on Saturday.The Reds have a huge few days to prepare for, with the visit to City quickly followed up with a trip across the Channel to Paris.Arne Slot will hopefully have been spending the time putting together a plan for how to get Liverpool through what promises to be a difficult few games. Who should Richard Hughes be targeting above all… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones As he gets his blueprint ready, the Dutchman will have been delighted to see two of his key players – Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate – given a rest by France on Sunday.Ekitike and Konate given crucial rest ahead of Liverpool crunch periodAhead of the international break, Slot railed against the possibility of most of the Liverpool squad playing twice for their countries.“Unfortunately for us, it’s [England] the only country where we don’t have internationals, so all the other ones will probably use our players again twice, I think,” he said after the Reds were beaten by Brighton.
“But it’s also something I’m going to ask our data department, that a lot of our players are in the top 10 in terms of playing minutes, because I have so many times had to play the same players because of the model we are having, because of the injuries we are having.”Hungary boss Marco Rossi hit out at Slot for what he perceived as ‘interfering’ with his team selection, but the fact that he substituted both Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez during his team’s win over Slovenia on Saturday suggested that the message got through to some degree.Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Arne Slot is under even more pressure after what Jurgen Klopp has just done at LiverpoolDidier Deschamps also appears to have taken note, resting Konate for the entire 90 minutes of Sunday’s 3-1 win over Colombia after the centre-back played a full match on Thursday.Ekitike did still get on the pitch, but only played the final 27 minutes, handing him what could also be some crucial rest ahead of another busy period with the Reds.Ekitike fitness set to play crucial role for LiverpoolKonate has had to play an awful lot for Liverpool this season, and although his fitness has held up well, there is always a worry that overusing the centre-back will lead to another breakdown. As a result, a night off in Maryland on Sunday may have been just what the doctor ordered.Ekitike’s relative lack of involvement will perhaps be the bigger factor in determining whether Liverpool make it through in the FA Cup and Champions League, however.
PROVE ME WRONG: Hugo Ekitike WILL have a better Liverpool career than Luis Suarez Credit: Johnnie Izquierdo/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Alexander Isak is expected to feature against PSG, but with the Swede likely to be short of match sharpness, Ekitike will carry the main goal scoring burden.Liverpool looked lost without the Frenchman during their defeat at Brighton, and having him fit and ready to contribute will make a massive difference against City.There have been times when it has looked like the reality of leading the Liverpool line every three days has been too much for Ekitike. He has looked shattered at times when the Reds have really needed him.But as they head into an absolutely critical 10 days in their season, Slot will be delighted that his star striker was at least afforded a little breather.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox