Arne Slot confirms 'completely changed' Liverpool plans vs Southampton in Carabao Cup

Arne Slot has revealed he will ring the changes for Liverpool's Carabao Cup clash with Southampton on Tuesday night after already confirming five first-team regulars will not feature. The Reds defeated Everton 2-1 in Saturday's 247th Merseyside derby as strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike secured the points at Anfield. Slot had already suggested many of his star performers would be given a breather for the third-round cup tie with the Championship Saints following the weekend's match.

And the manager has now confirmed a completely fresh XI will face Southampton. The Dutchman also insisted the officials were right to add just three minutes at Anfield as Everton sought a late equaliser, despite saying he would have preferred additional time to complete a promising counter-attack before the final whistle. "We can go through all of [the players], Wataru Endo and a few more, these are the players that need a game and we're happy that we have one," Slot said.

"If we wouldn't have had one, we probably would have arranged a friendly in this week for these players because they need to play games as well to keep them ready whenever we need them.

"We've utilised a lot of our squad in the last three matches because we felt it was necessary to maintain this energy throughout all the games - but not all of them. And for those few who haven't played, it's certainly the ideal time for them to get some game time.

"It's the same approach we took last season in the League Cup. There are so many matches that need to be played and our players are capable of doing so, but occasionally they need a bit of rest as well. We sometimes overlook this because we are so focused - and I'm the first one - on our matches at Liverpool but many of them have also played twice for their national teams.

"So, they can do a lot but every now and then they need a little bit of rest - and I'm talking about two days of rest, which is still not a lot.

"Yes, there will be a completely changed line-up. But it's clear that our players are fit. Much has been said about the added time against Everton but I would have loved to play on for 34 seconds more because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment. That, I believe, says everything about the mentality we have, always wanting to score a goal.

"The three minutes were completely correct [against Everton], by the way, because there were only three moments where a substitution was made. There was no time-wasting because that's not what we do - unfortunately, I have to say, sometimes - and there was no treatment of injuries, one goal scored.

"Then you come to three [minutes]. Where in many other games when we need a goal, there's a lot, a lot, a lot of time-wasting going on, I can tell you."

On the plans to rotate, Slot added: "Last season we reached the final with these [changed] line-ups. There's no trophy we underestimate, we always want to win every trophy we compete for. But that's the good thing about the quality of the squad we have, that we still have a very good team that we can play tomorrow.

"But we have to think about the long-term as well. If we want to compete in every single trophy then some players need a normal week, which is not playing during the week once in a while as well. That's managing a team throughout the whole season with trying to compete at every level we are competing for."