Liverpool limped out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat at Plymouth, although Arne Slot‘s method to the tie underlines the place the larger priorities lie between now and Might.
Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool
FA Cup Fourth Spherical | Dwelling ParkFebruary 9, 2025
Objectives: Hardie pen 53′
Slot makes priorities clear
No Liverpool supervisor will ever be glad after defeat, however you sense that Arne Slot received’t lose an excessive amount of sleep over this one.
Had the Dutchman considered the FA Cup as a key intention for this season, he merely wouldn’t have taken the chance of leaving so lots of his senior stars on Merseyside.
Nor would he have left Curtis Jones on the bench when the Reds had been struggling so badly for management within the centre of the park.
The very fact is, the Dutchman decided over the place his priorities lie, and was clearly comfy with the chance that his huge calls would possibly carry a few loss.
He should now hope that there are advantages coming down the road because of the truth that the fixture schedule instantly seems much less daunting.
Huge blow to fringe gamers
In fact, whereas an FA Cup exit means much less pressure on the squad, it additionally represents dangerous information for many who at present discover themselves on the fringes.
With solely Premier League and Champions League fixtures and a Carabao Cup ultimate remaining this season, it’s arduous to see the place these gamers decide up important minutes between now and Might.
Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo are amongst those that will now need to try to struggle their approach into Slot’s alternatives in these competitions.
If not, then it may very well be a quiet finish to the marketing campaign for them.
Jota fails to stake beginning declare
Usually, you wouldn’t think about Diogo Jota among the many aforementioned fringe gamers given he clearly has the standard to be Liverpool’s beginning No. 9.
However damage disruptions and the type of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez imply the Portuguese finds himself a little bit decrease down the pecking order than he would possibly like.
And he did little to strengthen his case on this 90-minute outing in opposition to the workforce with the worst defensive report within the Championship.
One shot, zero possibilities created and simply 39 p.c of his passes accomplished tells the story of a forgettable efficiency that received’t have his rivals for begins involved.
One other blow for unfortunate Gomez
It’s simple to make the argument that, as Liverpool’s third-choice centre-back and third selection in both full-back position, Joe Gomez is much from the most important potential damage miss for Liverpool.
However that doesn’t imply it wasn’t massively disappointing to see the Englishman compelled out of this recreation with simply 11 minutes on the clock.
Gomez’s versatility means he makes this Reds squad stronger in a number of positions when accessible, and his standing as a frontrunner was underlined by him being given the captain’s armband at Dwelling Park.
As such, will probably be hoped that this newest health setback will not be a critical one, and that Gomez’s newest comeback has not ended with him being condemned to the sidelines for quite a lot of weeks nearly instantly.
Win on Wednesday and all is forgotten
Fortuitously for Liverpool, they’ve the possibility to get this end result shortly out of their system on Wednesday night.
A win within the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park is all the time welcome, however one that might carve out a nine-point lead on the prime of the Premier League would depart followers in dreamland.
It could even be simpler after such a end result to inform the story that an FA Cup exit ought to assist get the Reds over the road in profitable a twentieth title.
Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool
