Arne Slot was keen to move his pre-match discussion away from Diogo Jota and shine a light on the attitude of Liverpool’s backup stars.
The Dutchman labelled the Reds’ reserve contingent as ‘outstanding’ for their contributions on and off the pitch around the midweek meeting with West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.
“I think it’s more about what I like from certain players that haven’t played that much. Their attitude has been outstanding as well,” the former AZ Alkmaar boss told Sky Sports.
“That’s also what they show during the week when most of them had to play. You can only play a game like this if your attitude is good in the week before.”
Cody Gakpo, in particular, excelled at Anfield on Wednesday night, collecting Sofascore’s highest rating on the day (9.5) after registering a late double against Julen Lopetegui’s side. A performance that, understandably, prompted calls for Slot to keep the faith in the ex-PSV man with his selection calls.
The Dutchman registered three key passes and created one big chance in the 5-1 thrashing of the Hammers with the likes of Federico Chiesa (making his full debut) also impressing.
Perhaps there will be further opportunities for both to make an impact from the bench against Gary O’Neil’s Wolves!
You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @SkySportsPL:
"That's why the two of them play" 🤝
Arne Slot explains his Liverpool line up 📝 pic.twitter.com/sZd7iZRr3i
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 28, 2024