Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has doubled down on his squad selection and playing style despite a poor run of form for the Premier League champions.
Wednesday night’s 3-0 home loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup was Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven matches in all competitions, with the Reds also seven points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Slot was criticized for the team he put out against Palace, with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike among the host of first-team players left out of the matchday squad.
The Dutch coach confirmed that Ryan Gravenberch could come back into the team to face Villa on Saturday after returning to training on Thursday, but Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak are “99.9 per cent” out.
