Brush off the disappointment from midweek’s defeat; Liverpool meet Newcastle United at Wembley tomorrow for a first shot at silverware under Arne Slot.
Though falling in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain stings, the Reds have the chance to spark a stunning closing run to 2024/25 with victory in the Carabao Cup final, having won the domestic competition last term.
Liverpool have been the best team in England this year, 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League, but Newcastle are desperate for a slice of silverware after several years of progress and hard graft under Eddie Howe.
They do meet the Merseysiders with a raft of absentees left on Tyneside. Anthony Gordon is suspended after his red card against Brighton in the FA Cup; Lewis Hall’s season is over following a foot injury and Sven Botman has suffered another setback and will not feature.
However, Slot has a fair few concerns of his own at Liverpool.
Liverpool's mounting injury concerns
Cody Gakpo bounced back from injury to feature in extra-time against PSG, though his impact was negligible and he did not take any of the three opening spot-kicks, suggesting fitness is not yet brim-full.
He is back though, and so too Ibrahima Konate is expected to feature despite hobbling off late on in midweek.
The same, however, cannot be said for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who jarred his ankle in the second half of Liverpool’s Champions League exit and now faces an anxious wait pertaining to his availability before the end of the season, where Real Madrid will look to snap him up on a Bosman.
Further injuries to backliners suggest Slot may have something of a defensive crisis on his hands; with Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley both sidelined, Jarell Quansah will be forced to deputise in an unnatural right-back berth at Wembley, albeit one he is performing admirably this season. Tyler Morton is also out.
Chalkboard
With Gakpo back, you’d think it might be time for Diogo Jota to be returned to the bench, with the Portugal forward really struggling to impress in recent months.
How Slot could replace Diogo Jota
PSG successfully nullified Liverpool’s frontline for the vast majority of the two-legged Champions League tie. At Anfield, Slot’s side had far more joy but failed to breach French defences and ultimately fell on penalties.
But Jota’s struggles were a continuation of the luckless fortunes he’s had across the campaign, beset with more injury issues that have now affected his once unerring shooting boots.
Last season, Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher remarked Jota might be Liverpool’s “best finisher” in the Premier League. Ever. In terms of pure ball-striking quality, composure, anticipation, this might have substance, but the 28-year-old surely can’t accept such praise at the moment, for he has gone eight games without a goal for the Reds.
24/25
28
15
23/24
32
23
22/23
28
24
21/22
55
4
20/21
30
20
Shackled in both legs against PSG, Slot needs to put Jota on the bench and open up the floor to someone else. It might feel like Luis Diaz is the obvious answer, having played 11 matches as Liverpool’s centre-forward this year, bagging six goals.
However, Gakpo’s uncertain fitness might mean it’s best to bring him on in the second half, especially with the prospect of a second shootout in a week a very real possibility.
As such, Slot might want to bite the bullet and unleash Darwin Nunez from the outset. Now, Liverpool’s Uruguayan nine may not be enjoying his football all that much, consistently struggling to hit the heights expected after joining from Benfica for £85m in 2022, but he’s a frenzied and difficult-to-defend-against player.
Moreover, he might find that opportunities come his way across the opening hour of the fixture, with his impact often negligible after entering the fray in the closing stages of matches.
Liverpool writer Leanne Prescott called the 25-year-old an “utterly infuriating and incredibly chaotic” striker after the Reds beat Southampton in the Premier League last weekend. Sounds about right.
However, he is of course capable of providing an outlet for Liverpool, with his defensive application also sure to come in handy as his side look to take control in the early stages.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 14% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 17% for progressive carries and the top 1% for tackles per 90, illustrating that point.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Gakpo’s cool-headedness and expertise from the spot suggest he should perhaps be unleashed in the second half, especially given his recent fitness blows and the intensity Newcastle will look to bring to the clash in the early stage.
In an ideal world, a fully-fit Gakpo would flank an on-form Diaz from the outset. But as Tuesday evening’s Champions League showdown proved, this is not an ideal world.
The Dutchman may not be fit enough to play from the outset; the fact he wasn’t among the first to take a spot-kick against PSG does insinuate as much.
Nunez keeps on flattering to deceive in the later stages, albeit with a few seat-raising moments to his name. Maybe Slot should surprise a few Magpies and give him the nod at number nine, charging the Reds with frenetic energy.
Gakpo’s cool-headed finishing may be called upon, but it could be a difference-making weapon in the final stages, when tired legs abound on Wembley’s green grass. Anyway, plenty for Slot to think on.
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