Tottenham Hotspur are a dangerous opponent and Liverpool will have to work to prevent them from enforcing their style of play when the sides meet in a League Cup semi-final first-leg clash, manager Arne Slot said on Tuesday.
Liverpool and Spurs employ aggressive and attacking brands of football, with the last match between the sides in December resulting in a thrilling 6-3 win for the Merseyside club.
With both teams having scored more than 40 goals in the Premier League, another goalfest could be on the cards.
“We expect before we go into the game is that two teams have such a clear identity and playing style. Both teams are trying to force that identity towards the other,” Slot told reporters ahead of the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Large parts of the away game two weeks ago we could show our identity. But they in large parts showed how good they are. Scoring three goals against us is a big compliment.”
Slot also hinted that he would shuffle his pack for the match, adding: “If you look at all the fixtures this season, there’s so many things going into a line up. It’s going to be a decision made about what is the best line up for tomorrow.
“In my opinion the best line up might be ones who don’t start a lot… Maybe some of those players will play tomorrow. Maybe players who have played a lot will play.”
Slot added that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been dealing with illness, was unlikely to start the semi-final tie.
The Dutch manager also once again defended Trent Alexander-Arnold, after the right back drew some criticism from pundits for his performance in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United amid reports of a move to Real Madrid.
“I think we were all disappointed, not only Trent. We were all disappointed,” Slot said.
“Parts of our game we weren’t completely happy with. It wasn’t only Trent, there were more things we could have done better. Trent didn’t play his best game, but some others also didn’t play their best.
“If you play 50, 60 games in a season, one of them won’t be your best performance. Maybe we should highlight these players are playing so well despite playing two games in a week.”
Alexander-Arnold is part of a trio of key players including top scorer Mohamed Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk whose contracts are nearing an end, but Slot shot down any suggestion that the uncertainty was affecting the players on the pitch.
“If everybody plays well, nobody is distracted by their ‘contract distraction’,” he added.
“Nine times out of 10, (results are) down to how well the other team plays.”
