Arne Slot fielded a weakened Liverpool side in an attempt to beat Plymouth in the FA Cup, but despite having two senior players on the bench, Curtis Jones remained unused throughout the match.
After the game, Slot explained why Jones didn’t feature, despite the team’s eventual loss to the bottom-ranked Championship side (via liverpoolfc.com):
“Curtis Jones was on the bench, but he came to me this morning and said, ‘I don’t think I am fully recovered yet’ after yesterday’s training session.”
This led to more youngsters being on the pitch than originally planned, but Slot still felt there was enough quality on the field to secure a better result.
The Dutch coach expressed his frustration with the performance, as Liverpool were knocked out of the competition by a team from the lower half of the Championship.
Robbie Fowler described the display as “un-Liverpool-like,” and it wasn’t until the final stages when Liverpool played more directly that they started creating chances.
Darwin Nunez was the only other first-team option off the bench, nearly scoring late to equalize.
Had there been more experienced players available, Liverpool might have had a better chance at victory at Home Park.
However, Slot’s selection seemed to prioritize resting the squad ahead of a demanding Premier League run, with five tough matches in just 15 days.
If Liverpool goes on to win the league in May, the defeat to Plymouth will likely be forgotten. The hope now is that it doesn’t derail what has been an excellent season so far.
