Arne Slot named a strong senior side for Liverpool’s 4-1 win over League One side Barnsley on Monday night, with the head coach defending his team selection.
While Slot made six changes to his starting lineup from the 0-0 draw at Arsenal four days previous it was still a particularly strong XI at Anfield.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha came in for Alisson, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz.
But there was muted criticism of the head coach for denying more opportunities for youngsters against a side struggling at the bottom of the third tier.
Speaking after the game, Slot emphasised his desire to take the FA Cup “very serious,” with Liverpool unlikely to compete for the Premier League title.
“It’s important for every team to have strength and depth in your squad, we could see it when we played Arsenal, when they made their five substitutions,” he said.
“Today I mixed the lineup a little bit. It wasn’t like Plymouth last season, it wasn’t like Crystal Palace this season.
“One, because we take this competition very serious. Second of all, because I didn’t also have the possibility to do so. I couldn’t make 11 changes.
“I could, but then I’d have to look at the U21s and the U18s.
“I think it showed tonight that we needed a lot of first-team players to win this game, so I think I made the right decision to play a lot of starters as well.
“I could have played four or five U21 players, but I chose not to do so.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 20, 2025: Liverpool's substitute Wellity Lucky during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool U21s returned to action on Friday afternoon and the likes of Wellity Lucky, Tommy Pilling and Kieran Morrison – regulars in first-team training – all played 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Norwich.
Trent Kone-Doherty, Amara Nallo and Will Wright also started in that victory having been involved with the senior squad at points earlier in the campaign.
It is likely that Slot would have turned to his academy ranks if the injury situation was any worse – and almost certainly if the FA Cup was not, as it arguably is now, one of the priorities in the second half of the season.
The failure to include more of Liverpool’s young talents should not be the major criticism to take from the 4-1 win over Barnsley, instead perhaps how they toiled for much of the game against third-tier opposition.