Arne Slot has admitted that he’s not entirely pleased with Liverpool’s fate in the draw for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
After seeing off West Ham at Anfield in the competition last night, the Reds’ next obstacle in their efforts to retain the trophy is an away fixture against Brighton at the end of October.
It falls right in the middle of a 21-day period in which LFC will play seven matches and necessitates a 542-mile round trip which’d take nine-and-a-half hours by road.
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Speaking in his post-match press conference in reaction to the draw, Slot said (via liverpoolfc.com): “It’s again a difficult draw. I think almost all the teams that are still in are strong teams and you know if you want to win a trophy or win this cup then you will play against difficult opponents – which was West Ham tonight as well.
“I would’ve preferred to play at home because in our schedule it’s already so tight and so many games that you would prefer not to travel. If I’m correct Brighton is not next door – it’s quite a far away game, but it’s a quality team to face again.”
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Slot is accustomed to battling on several fronts domestically and in Europe from his time at Feyenoord, although the experience of an additional cup competition is a novelty for him, on top of the Premier League having four more matches per season (and of generally greater intensity) than the Eredivisie.
As it happens, the Carabao Cup fixture is due to be scheduled just three days before Liverpool and Brighton meet in the top flight, with that game taking place at Anfield, and it also falls immediately after a crucial showdown away to Arsenal.
It’ll provide another stern test for the Reds in what was already a intense period with some tough fixtures in the Premier League and Champions League, and a home draw would certainly have been preferable to visiting the AMEX Stadium, where we’ve triumphed just once in our last five attempts.
It’s far from desirable for Liverpool, especially with Fabian Hürzeler’s side unbeaten so far this season, but such is the hand that we’ve been dealt, and the onus is now on Slot and his team to conquer that particular challenge.
The head coach’s comments also bring into focus the increasingly pertinent topic of fixture congestion, with Son Heung-min, Alisson Becker, Rodri and Manuel Akanji all recently voicing concerns over the workload being placed on elite footballers.
It’s a legitimate grievance which should be becoming ever harder for football’s authorities to ignore, and just like packing a luggage case for long-haul travel, there comes a point where it’s simply impossible to fit any more without causing visible damage.
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