30 Oct 2025 07:34:40
What annoys me most about last night is something that the management team do not consider when playing experimental teams like the one yesterday. And that is the fans. In particular the fans who have never been to Anfield before and that may well be their one and only chance for several years due to how the tickets get sold so quickly. It is often the case that its a young fans, or for that matter a fan that travels from abroad, first chance to see Liverpool play at home as the league Cup tickets are slightly easier to get hold of than EPL or CL tickets .
They pay their money, get excited and then see a team of youngsters who respectfully, most will never see the light of day as a regular Liverpool first team player . I think its unfair and a little disrespectful to the fans doing what the club did last night . And as I said last night, if the 10 rested players manage to loose Saturday Slot has to go . My worry is he will do what previous United managers have done, been on the brink then won a few games to ease the pressure .
30 Oct 2025 07:53:09
Well how about when Klopp won the cup fielding the kids all throughout the competition? The difference was we won those games, the kids played brilliantly with spirit and aggression and the fans never complained. Was Slot supposed to suddenly change his initial plans and field a strong 11 when certain players are in need of rest, we have a mounting injury list and Villa would have had 7 days rest in the weekend game?
True, Klopp's team of kids had played together all the time in the reserves setup and the formation was the same as the first team, whereas the team last night had an entirely new shape and the likes of Nyoni and Mac Allister who have probably never started a game together as a double pivot. That is a significant difference. At the same time, none of us nor Klopp would have expected the kids to advance as far as they did, either.
As for tickets being easier to get hold of, surely there has to be a reason for that? If i bought tickets for the Carabao Cup and expected to see Wirtz and Isak leading the line then that's hardly a fair expectation?
30 Oct 2025 08:02:18
Disgrace mate.
30 Oct 2025 08:03:46
Sorry but do you really think the club and the manager really care about the fans?
The club owners have zero affiliation to the City and neither does Slot. It is a sad indictment of days gone by when the fans actually meant something.
Sadly, they are just seen as another revenue stream these days.
30 Oct 2025 08:31:19
You're all just using the lineup last night as a stick to beat Slot with. Every single Liverpool manager has at some point sacked off the League Cup and played the kids in order to focus on the League and Champions League.
Klopp put out bigger p-takes than the side last night many times. I don't remember you all crying about the fans' money when Klopp sacked off the League in his first season to focus on the Europa League which we didn't even win.
We clearly aren't capable of the quad. The reality is we need to put everything into the League and Champions League and time on the training pitch. We don't need a bloated fixture list right now. Maybe if things have improved by January, we can have a go at the FA Cup.
30 Oct 2025 08:40:30
You have to expect rotation for a cup game, that’s just common sense.
You don’t expect him to go so light that doesn’t leave anybody on the bench just in case.
I didn’t massively have an issue with the eleven but the bench was ridiculous.
What made it worse was the first team weren’t even at home putting their feet up. They were sat behind the bench freezing and miserable. Completely pointless evening.
30 Oct 2025 08:54:14
Blaming fsg coming out again and it’s not even Christmas, .
30 Oct 2025 08:59:00
Arne Slot should have named the team the day before, and then supporters could have made "THEIR" "OWN" decision whether to go or not, it should not have been Slots solely "OWN" reserve team selections that LFC supporters were actually forced to attend!
More problems for FSG the main stand roof decided to follow our leaky defence for two seasons by pouring in with rain, the supporters in those affected Blocks should be refunded without hesitation or asking, as the stand is "not fit for purpose" exactly like the teams results/ performances lately.
30 Oct 2025 09:14:08
“Every single Liverpool manager has at some point sacked off the League Cup and played the kids in order to focus on the League and Champions League. “.
Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan didn’t. Try and defend it all you like but it was amateur stuff from Slot given the p. poor form we’re in and doesn’t at all help any preperation for Saturday. What excuse are you going to trot out if/ when Villa win on Saturday? We’re preparing for Madrid?
Villa will take one look at us and know we’re mentally and physically weak and that we’re there for the taking.
30 Oct 2025 09:14:19
@Kim, do you imagine any manager in elite level football selects the team 5o make fans happy? Really, do you?
@007, why oblige the opposition by telling them who is going to play a day in advance of when we have to? Do you not imagine that the opposition might alter their plans to nullify their opponents plans?
We are playing badly, have done for the overwhelming number of games so far this season, but some of the criticisms put forward by an increasingly hysterical group is just becoming totally devoid of any thought at all.
30 Oct 2025 09:21:36
007, what if fans had already bought tickets, organised travel and hotels, booked time off work etc?
I wonder if the season ending injury to Leoni in the last round was on Slot's mind when naming the team ?.
Yeah, it was a gamble and we'll only know if it paid off by how we do in the next few games and, possibly, the rest of the season.
30 Oct 2025 09:27:16
I'm with Wassa, the bench was a disgrace. It was a throwback to the Plymouth game.
I've been consistent with my take on our weakened line ups in cup competitions. I was forever slagging off Klopp for forfeiting our place when he first took over.
I'm trying to get my head around how we can spend 400 million and still have a weak squad.
30 Oct 2025 09:31:06
League cup last season
3rd Round - Kelleher, Bradley, Gomez, Quansah, Tsimikas, Jones, Endo, Jota, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo - Bench 7 First team players.
4th Round - Jaros, Bradley, Gomez, Quansah, Robertson, Jones, Endo, Morton, Diaz, Szob, Gakpo - Bench 6 First team players.
Quarter Finals - Kelleher, Trent, Gomez, Quansah, Elliot, Nyoni, Endo, Mac, Nunez, Morton, Gakpo - Bench 1 First team players.
Semi both legs - more or less full strength.
Whichever side of the fence you're on its pretty clear last seasons league cup teams/ squads were stronger than last nights.
30 Oct 2025 09:43:13
The random CAPS are giving off SERIOUS rubbish-up-and-eat-home vibes, and that’s before one actually reads the post.
30 Oct 2025 10:36:49
The hypocrisy is real. Klopp did the same with his domestic cup lineups.
The difference is, Klopp wasn't a big fan of the loan system for the kids so we had more of them about the place to draw upon. McConnell for example could have been pretty useful had we known Macca was going to be so bad.
With the injuries we have, it was the right decision for the sake of the season. We need to get back on track in the two big comps.
We made the decision to ship a lot of the fringe players. There's an argument that it may have been one or two too many without replacing them. That is where Hughes has to take some share of the blame.
30 Oct 2025 10:57:01
There was a time Klopp initially used to sack off the EFL and FA Cup games and people complained about that, too. He was being beat up for "disrespecting the Cups" and it was worth it cos we won the PL and CL so it was a good trade off. I'll ignore the OTT stuff cos it's just not worth my time, personally.
For me once I heard the line up (didn't see the game due to other commitments), I shrugged and already took the L before it even happened. It was a gamble we all knew would fail from the off, if we're being honest esp. with Palace fielding 6/ 7 of their starters.
Now, Slot has to prioritise (a situation he put himself in, btw) so essentially IMO, he let the regular starters know that, "We are going hard for the next 3 games so yo'all better get your minds and bodies right and ready to go".
So, let's see what happens moving forward starting with Villa on Sat.
30 Oct 2025 11:05:35
Pelican, said the exact same thing re: the hypocrisy of it all. Klopp used to get slapped for foregoing these comps. and suddenly now when Slot does it (he brought this onto himself, I agree), the OTT crash-outs are now flying, as if we have never seen this with other managers in the past.
I wasn't surprised Slot picked the team he picked, tbh so Im not shocked about the result at all. And like you, I wanted McConnel to stay cos I think he is a good young player. It didn't happen so we got to take the L there.
30 Oct 2025 11:07:11
Good work, JK. Hope you're well, mate.
30 Oct 2025 12:09:26
Rome all good mate hope you're well?
30 Oct 2025 14:05:18
I'm good thanks mate. Had some bad news earlier, I've a ticket for Saturday!