Arne Slot has some big decisions to make ahead of Liverpool's Merseyside derby clash with Everton at Anfield this evening
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Liverpool's manager Arne Slot and Liverpool's Conor Bradley applaud the fans at the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Arne Slot must weigh up whether to bring Conor Bradley straight back in for Liverpool's derby showdown with Everton
(Image: AP Photo/Jon Super)
Arne Slot will face three selection dilemmas when Liverpool return to action at home to Everton tonight. The Reds host their Merseyside rivals as their Premier League title run-in gets underway.
Arne Slot’s men were only in league combat once throughout March, beating struggling Southampton 3-1 at Anfield at the start of the month.
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After overcoming the Saints, Liverpool went 16 points clear at the top of the table - albeit while still boasting two games in hand on second-placed Arsenal.
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That lead has now been cut to nine points after the Gunners drew 1-1 at Manchester United and won 1-0 at home to Chelsea before beating Fulham 2-1 at the Emirates last night.
Liverpool, who now have a game in hand on their last remaining title rival, only need 16 points from their final nine matches to seal top spot. But they will go into the showdown with Everton on the back of back-to-back defeats.
The Reds suffered a premature Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain before falling to a disappointing loss to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final in their last outing 17 days ago.
Liverpool have had plenty of time to stew over those back-to-back setbacks while head coach Slot has had plenty of time to think about the team choices he will have to make against the Blues.
His first comes at right-back and is a rather straightforward one - who will start at full-back in the continued absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Reds vice-captain is sidelined with an ankle injury, which opened the door for Jarell Quansah to start at Wembley - though not in his favoured position.
Such a selection was rather enforced with Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez also sidelined. However, Slot confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that Bradley has now returned to training.
He could be handed an instant recall as a result in his favoured position. However, Slot admitted Liverpool have to tread carefully with Bradley after he suffered his second hamstring injury of the season back in February.
“Conor is training with us again but we have to make a decision on whether he is playing,” the Reds boss said. “Playing means coming in or starting, that is something I keep for myself.
“He has only had a few sessions after being out quite long with a repetitive injury, so we have to make smart decisions.”
With a return for Alexander-Arnold not imminent, Liverpool won’t want to rush Bradley back before he is truly ready. Consequently, Slot will have to be ‘smart’ as he weighs up his first selection decision.
His next dilemma comes in midfield, after admitting he made a mistake when picking his line up for the Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle. In hindsight, Slot admitted he should have rotated more off the back of a gruelling 120 minutes against PSG, and that it might have made sense to start Wataru Endo.
“Maybe, maybe, maybe I made the biggest mistake by not rotating enough,” he said. “Not rotating enough in the line-up for Newcastle - but I thought there were four days in between, they had enough rest…
“He (Endo) deserved maybe to come in if you look at the bigger picture of what he has done for the team, also in the League Cup…
“Maybe I have to agree with you, that after 10 minutes I should have taken someone off to bring Wata in. But you don’t see many managers taking a player off after 10 minutes.
“Maybe I made the wrong decision by not starting him, that’s better to say! But we will never know.”
At Slot's latest media briefing, Slot would insist he trusts his fringe players despite the likes of Endo, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa not being selected to start a Premier League game this season.
But the Dutchman also suggested that that might not be about to change, despite his previous admission about rotation, when explaining why their game time had been limited.
“It is not to say that if you don’t play someone, you don’t trust them. I do,” Slot insisted. “But probably I find the other ones a bit better otherwise I would make a different choice. Or they fit better in the team.”
It would appear Slot intends to persist with his favoured players at the expense of his fringe stars for the Premier League run-in off the back of such an admission.
But having also admitted he perhaps could have rotated more, he must decide whether he needs to make better use of his full Liverpool squad for the final weeks of the season.
While the Reds have not been in action for 17 days, the majority of Slot’s players have still been on international duty. Only he and his backroom staff will know just how refreshed each individual is when it comes to selecting his line-up to face Everton.
Finally, Slot’s third dilemma is one he has continued to face all season long - who starts upfront?
Both Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have flattered to deceive while Luis Diaz does not look fully comfortable when asked to play through the middle as opposed to his favoured left-wing position.
The attacking trio have all struggled in front of goal in 2025, scoring just two goals between them from their combined last 41 appearances. Nunez has one goal from his last 13 games while Diaz has one goal from 18 outings. Meanwhile, Jota is now on a 10-match scoring drought.
Such returns prompted onlookers to suggest Chiesa as a possible solution after his impressive goalscoring cameo off the bench against Newcastle, but Slot’s admission would suggest that the Italian will remain sixth-choice.
So that leaves him still picking between the out-of-form trio, though Slot did point out that Diaz was back in the goals for Colombia during the international break.
With Cody Gakpo back from injury, and previously in electric form with 14 goals from his last 22 games, before being struck down by injury in the last Merseyside derby, he is deserving of reclaiming his starting berth on the left.
Yet his absence in recent weeks, making only four substitute appearances from Liverpool’s last eight matches, opened the door to both Jota and Nunez to stake their claim for a starting berth ahead of the Carabao Cup final. It was an opportunity neither player was able to grab, with their Anfield futures remaining uncertain as a result.
While the Reds look set to sign a new centre-forward this summer, for now they will persist with the options already at their disposal. That leaves Jota and Nunez vying to start, along with an out=of-position Diaz.
Until one of them is able make the most of a starting opportunity, Slot is left with a dilemma with each passing fixture when debating which attacking option is his best fit to start upfront.