It is a symptom of a manager under pressure that every time a Liverpool teamsheet drops, there are people unhappy.
Arne Slot’s lineup for the FA Cup tie with Barnsley was much stronger than the sides picked for domestic cup defeats to Crystal Palace and Plymouth, but that in turn left little time for those on the fringes.
There were rare starts for Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, but Trey Nyoni only arrived on 87 minutes, while Calvin Ramsay and the recently returned Wataru Endo didn’t leave the bench.
Fans have campaigned for more minutes for each of the fringe quintet at different points of the season, but encouraging words from Slot have not translated into game time in the competitions that really matter.
It is natural for a new head coach to take a year to assess who he believes he can work with.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The summer departures of Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott suggested the squad had been pruned – you would expect those that remained had earned his trust.
And yet, the infamous five of Chiesa, Endo, Ngumoha, Nyoni and Ramsay have combined for a grand total of one start across Premier League and Champions League, the Italian getting the nod at home to Wolves when Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai were unavailable to start.
Between them, there have been 89 squad selections across those two competitions, but only 32 appearances for a total of 398 minutes. Virgil van Dijk has played 540 minutes in the Champions League alone.
Chiesa was only registered for Europe once Giovanni Leoni suffered his season-ending injury, while Ramsay remains ineligible. The message is clear, they have only been used when there is no other option.
Ngumoha’s late, late winner at St James’ Park was one of the moments of the season and considered by many to be evidence that he is ready for regular football at an elite, trophy-chasing club like Liverpool.
However, his six substitute appearances in the league have all come at points when the team were desperate for a goal and all other attacking options had been exhausted.
Does Arne Slot really rate Liverpool’s fringe players?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - New Year's Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026: Liverpool substitute Rio Ngumoha on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United FC at Anfield. The game ended in a goal-less draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
There’s more than one side to this story.
When Chiesa has made it onto the pitch, he hasn’t grasped his opportunity. Too often, there is plenty of effort but not much else in the way of technical ability or creative output. His one moment of quality came in the season-opener against Bournemouth, while the majority of the 12 appearances since his last goal contribution have flattered to deceive.
Ngumoha and Nyoni are talented players but need careful management.
Ramsay’s start against Crystal Palace was his first for the club in 1085 days and the plan was for him to go on loan, until Conor Bradley joined Leoni and Isak on the long-term treatment table.
Endo’s ‘finisher’ role, designed to protect a lead, hasn’t been as necessary as Liverpool have had fewer leads to protect.
His last two outings, at Chelsea and Leeds, were unsuccessful as late goals were leaked that cost the team three vital points.
Arne Slot wants a small squad, like Pep Guardiola
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 9, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot and Manchester City's head coach Josep "Pep" Guardiola (R) shake hands before the FA Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
All have reasonable arguments to explain why these players haven’t been used more often. The trouble for Slot, though, is that having repeatedly expressed his desire to work with a small squad, he can’t afford to carry so many that he deems unstartable.
His stance on squad size has been a common theme throughout his tenure, as he outlined in the aftermath of that Crystal Palace defeat in October.
“I am a firm believer that 20 or 21 players is enough, but you have to keep them fit as we did last season,” he said.
Failure to keep the squad fit has often forced Slot’s hand in terms of team selection but has also exposed the dangers of working with a smaller group.
Player Total Minutes (PL & UCL)
Chiesa 291
Endo 223
Ngumoha 76
Nyoni 2
Ramsay 0
He added: “I like my squad so much, but we don’t have 25 or 26 [players], so if we end up with two, three or four injuries, 15 or 16 players, where Rio and Trey are two of these 15 or 16, then things can become complicated.
“This is a decision we (Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes) have made together, I completely believe in this, because if you have 25 [players] it’s very hard to manage your squad.”
Back in February, Slot explained his methods in more detail: “To pick the first 11 is difficult, but to tell someone they are not in the squad makes it harder.
“To leave someone out that works so hard on a daily basis that wants to be involved in the game as well, and not even taking him to the game, that is the hardest decision for me to make.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match at St James' Park, Newcastle. Picture date: Saturday November 22, 2025.
Slot isn’t the only elite manager to work this way.
I was sitting in front of Pep Guardiola when he declared in May that he would rather walk away than oversee a bloated squad.
The Spaniard explained: “I don’t want that, I will quit.
“Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to give (leave) my players in the tribune that they cannot play.”
There may have been a hint of hyperbole but the message was clear. Throughout his Man City career, Guardiola has marshalled one of the smallest squads in the league.
Statistic (2025/26 All Comps) Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich) Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Appearances (Starts) 24 (21) 33 (28)
Total Goals 14 10
Total Assists 11 7
Mins per Goal Contribution 78.5 mins 142.2 mins
Progressive Carries (per 90) 5.12 3.88
Pass Completion % 81.7% 84.1%
Source: FBref/Transfermarkt/FotMob. Stats include League, UCL, and Domestic Cups.
Only in his first season and last year did the Spaniard hand five or more league starts to more than 20 players.
In 2016/17, he was still shaping the squad in his own image, but in 2024/25, a nosedive in form and a cluster of injuries sent them into the transfer market for solutions, adding Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Abdokodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis at a cost of about £173 million.
This season’s transfer dealings have saw a net squad reduction of two, but injuries to Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol has caused that gap to narrow with the signing of Marc Guehi. Even an ideologue as stubborn as Guardiola can soften his stance when his back is against the wall.
A nosedive in form and a cluster of injuries sounds awfully familiar, but Liverpool look less likely to add new faces.
Did Liverpool really see Rio Ngumoha as Luis Diaz’s replacement?
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 27, 2025: Liverpool's substitute Rio Ngumoha before the FA Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Giving 18 players five or more league starts was enough for a Premier League title in Slot’s first year. One more start for Andrew Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong, and two for Joe Gomez before May, will mean that the total is matched. At this stage, it looks unlikely that anyone else will join that group.
It’s important to reiterate Slot’s words. This plan is backed, or perhaps even dictated, by Hughes. And yet, there are times when the strategy appears at odds with itself.
In particular, the decision not to replace the integral Luis Diaz makes it impossible not to view Ngumoha as a viable option. There appears to be only one answer to this problem.
Liverpool’s title-winning campaign of 2024/25 tailed off in the spring as the energy and intensity dropped, notably in that fateful week in March when Champions League and Carabao Cup ambitions were ended by PSG and Newcastle.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, January 17, 2026: Liverpool's substitute Federico Chiesa receives final instructions from head coach Arne Slot during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Burnley FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Slot admitted his reluctance to rotate had played a big part, so to find him relying on a small core of players once again, despite a large summer outlay on new players, is concerning.
The likelihood is that most of the fringe five will leave in the summer, either on loan or on permanent deals.
In the meantime, Slot may have to take a risk on entrusting more time to his unstartables, to avoid the bigger risk of his favoured few running out of steam once again.
Have Your Say
Is Arne Slot’s refusal to place his faith in Liverpool’s fringe players justified?
With the five players mentioned barely featuring, do you trust Slot’s judgment that they aren’t ready or do you fear the starting XI will run out of steam just as they did last spring?
Let us know your thoughts on Slot’s squad management in the comments below.