Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at home to West Ham (20:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Slot confirmed Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal on Wednesday and he is looking at Saturday’s trip to Wolves as a possible return from injury for Alisson although it will be “tight” for the Brazil goalkeeper.
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He was impressed by Kelleher’s display in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth: “I wasn’t surprised at all at his performance. He was very good in pre-season. It was pleasing to see he kept a clean sheet. He had to act a few times but he did it really well.”
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Slot hinted at rotating his team: “We will play with the best possible team, which means that players who are a bit more tired from playing a lot might mean I select different players. They will come in today and I’ll make the decision.”
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Federico Chiesa is fit to start but not to play the full 90 minutes: “He’s able to start in our opinion and if he does there are many options we have. He’s able to start but he’s not able to play 90 at the level we are playing tomorrow against a strong West Ham team.”
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On 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nonyi: “Let’s see first how everyone comes in this morning and then we’ll make a plan for every individual. They way I look at it now there will be a fair chance for him to be in our squad rather than the under-21s.”
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On the importance of the Carabao Cup: “It’s not only fans who like winning trophies – players and managers do too. It is always nice to win something and I know in the history of the club they have won this trophy many times, including last season in a very special way with a lot of youngsters on the pitch.”
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On the Hammers: “Tough start but they’ve faced some strong opponents. I’ve seen in their games they have had good spells. They’ve bought in a lot of players that have not been implemented yet but maybe tomorrow there is an opportunity for them. They will come back stronger and they have a good manager.”
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On recent positive comments by Trent Alexander-Arnold about his relationship with Slot: “I think we all remember the day that Jurgen left what that meant to him. To hear him saying that about his new manager after a few months is nice. It’s not always easy to come in and replace a manager like this.”
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Slot added Alexander-Arnold’s defending is about “concentration”: “The only thing I know is we are talking about a player who has won the Champions League and a league title. It’s clear to me he’s been a good defender all his life. It’s not about if he’s capable of doing things. It’s more about his concentration rate.”
Follow all of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news
