With Liverpool’s attempts to defend their 2024-2025 Premier League title as of today see the Reds trailing in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League and dealing with a serious defensive
injury crisis, the FA Cup probably isn’t the top priority for Arne Slot’s side.
One would still expect the manager and players to talk about how every match matters, and there will always be hopes a home date at Anfield against Brighton on the weekend can be turned into a victory and advancement to the next round. But realistically, it’s just not the top priority.
“Not the first time this season that we have to play three games in seven days and I’ve said many times, it’s part of being a top club, a big club,” Slot said ahead of the match. “You play a lot of games. But three in eight is already better and some other teams only play three in nine.
“Then it also depends of course on what draw you have and we play a very strong Brighton team. I think there are a lot of comparisons between Brighton and us—they absolutely do not deserve to be in a position they are in at the moment, they are much better than the table shows.
“So yeah, it’s another challenge. Yesterday it took me a long time before I fell asleep because I was constantly considering what options I have for the line-up and what I should do, because do you play the same players again or others? But which others and in which positions?”
It may be a short turnaround and three games in a week—clearly a challenge given injury issues—but after Brighton the Reds get a full week to prepare for Nottingham in the league the following weekend, perhaps the only reason we might not see an entirely changed side.
“We’ve got three priorities,” Slot added. “FA Cup, Champions League qualification, and the Champions League. But we’re also aware of the limited options in terms of the squad. So load management is important as well, because the last thing we need right now is another injury.
“That is always a difficult balance for a manager, the performance staff, and medical staff—what is the best decision? Iit is true a player could get injured if he has to play three games—but also many times players can just play three games in seven days. So that’s the challenge.”
