Slot ‘making excuses’ – but should he have rested key players?

Arne Slot hasn’t put a foot wrong since guiding Liverpool to a Premier League title in his debut season — but Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup disaster may go down as his biggest misstep yet.

The Dutchman’s gamble to rest his stars backfired spectacularly as a youthful, second-string Reds side crashed 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the last 16.

Liverpool were without Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, and Hugo Ekitike — all rested as Slot handed opportunities to fringe players and academy prospects. But the experiment imploded.

Three teenagers started, and five more sat on the bench. After a promising start, Ismaila Sarr struck twice before half-time, and 18-year-old Amara Nallo’s red card ended any hopes of a comeback. Yeremy Pino’s late goal sealed a humiliating exit — Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven matches.

Slot defended his decision, insisting, “This club has always used this competition for academy players… It felt like the right decision, and I haven’t changed my opinion because we lost.”

Still, with a grueling run ahead — Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City within 10 days — questions are mounting.

Is Liverpool’s squad truly as thin as Slot suggests? Or did the manager’s rotation call show misplaced confidence in youth at a time the team needed stability most?

Either way, as the Anfield rain poured down, the excuses sounded as heavy as the defeat itself.