Liverpool haven’t won a game since being crowned champions, but Arne Slot is already prioritising next season when the rewards can be reaped.
If you were to judge the away ends alone at Chelsea and Brighton they would tell you the Reds won, and convincingly so.
Reality does not quite match up to the party atmosphere, one intent on seizing every moment to celebrate the champions irrespective of the scoreline and performances.
It can be hard to swallow or accept a defeat, but Slot and Co. earned the right to rest and experiment when they won the Premier League title with four games to spare.
A squad trip to Dubai and a champions welcome for Slot in Ibiza in the week leading up to Brighton spoke volumes, but what is being lost is the crucial rest handed to key players.
There was no Alexis Mac Allister or Diogo Jota at Brighton, while Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson went unused – players who would have started had Liverpool needed to win.
A head start on title defence
“Alexis will not play for us this season any more,” Slot told reporters after Brighton, emphasising “he needs rest” to “recover completely and be ready for the start of next season.”
The Argentine does not have a “big injury” but his issue is not one the Reds need to risk in meaningless games, a luxury that is all too rare in the modern age of non-stop fixtures.
While the results have been disappointing since the title was confirmed, the bigger picture cannot be overlooked as Slot has sought to maximise rest for those integral to next season.
Mac Allister will have played only 45 minutes since being crowned champions, and with one game to go Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch have both missed a match.
Robertson has sat on the bench for 180 minutes, Diogo Jota has done the same for 202 minutes and Luis Diaz 164, while Dominik Szoboszlai has missed a total of 95 across the last three games.
The only players to complete the full 90 against Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton are Alisson and Mohamed Salah, and that is of no surprise even if the latter could do with rest.
In their place, Slot has handed opportunities to the likes of Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and even Federico Chiesa.
Their performances will have no bearing on their futures at the club, the Dutchman has emphasised as much since winning the title.
“I don’t think it would be fair to any player if you worked with them for a whole season and then changed your opinion on one or two games that are coming up,” Slot said.
“My opinion has been made up in 10 or 11 months.”
Perhaps not what those on the fringe want to hear, but it is a win-win for all involved as they get rare game time while, crucially, those key for next season are well rested.
With international action to come at the conclusion of the season, taking advantage of the rarity of four dead rubbers by resting players supersedes the need to set any particular points tally.
Not only is the risk of picking up an injury at the end of season reduced, Liverpool are carefully managing the load of their players in a bid to have them start next season fresh.
As there is no international tournament this summer, there was always to be a longer period of rest compared to last year, but the Reds are ahead of the curve compared to their rivals – especially those competing in the Club World Cup.
There are too many games in the schedule, players have stressed as much, and although one could debate how Slot has rotated his side, you cannot fault him for rotating.
It was a lesson we had hoped he would learn by season’s end and already Liverpool find themselves in an envious position heading into their title defence.
In resting players, giving more time off, Slot is improving the chances of success next season. And that is all that matters, not the results in these final four games.
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