Arne Slot explains Liverpool team selection as Reds boss copies Jurgen Klopp by fielding incredibly young Carabao Cup XI against Crystal Palace despite terrible form

Slot made sweeping changes to the side that started Saturday's 3-2 loss at Brentford, a result that meant Liverpool had lost five of their last six games in all competitions ahead of the arrival of Palace on Wednesday night. The Reds' sole victory in that run came in a 5-1 Champions League triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt as the Merseyside outfit struggles continue in their second season under the Dutchman.

However, Slot followed in Klopp's footsteps and named an inexperienced side for the fourth round fixture against the Eagles. The former Feyenoord boss also set his side up in a five-man backline, a change from usual 4-2-3-1 setup, with the likes of Freddie Woodman, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison and Rio Ngumoha all featuring from the outset in an unfamiliar system. Milos Kerkez, who came off after an hour at the weekend, was the only Liverpool player to retain his starting spot from the Brentford defeat.

The Liverpool head coach also packed the bench with young stars, with Slot prioritising the upcoming visit of Aston Villa on Saturday. Ahead of the game, he explained his decision to make wholesale changes despite the club's terrible run of form.

When asked about his team selection by Sky Sports ahead of Wednesday's game, Slot said: "People who follow this club know we use this competition for younger players. We want to create a pathway for them, to play in front of 60,000 people, in front of our own fans, that’s one reason.

"The other is that we only have four or five injuries but if I have to play again the same players. There are multiple reasons why we have lost so many games, no excuses to lose so many but it hasn’t been helpful that almost every time we have only two days in between and after we have had to play away, and then again an away game, so we keep playing the same players.

"Like for example I tried with Alexander Isak, players who missed out on pre-season, it is a big risk of another injury, and we only have at this moment in time 15, 16 senior players available."

The unexpected line-up comes after Slot admitted that it is the "responsibility" of the players to "put things right" in his matchday programme column. "It goes without saying that our recent form has not reached the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves," Slot started.

"This is, of course, a major disappointment, especially given the positive start we made to the season. From our perspective, there are no excuses. Yes, we are aware of the reasons and we will discuss them, but the one thing we cannot and will not do is use them as an excuse. Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right. There is no other option.

"Part of this process involves being hurt. We should be hurt by results like Saturday's when we lost to Brentford, and we should use the feelings this creates to further fuel our motivation. Not that anyone could accuse the players of a lack of effort – if anything, the opposite is true – but how we use this effort and desire is what will make the difference."

"Tonight's fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward, not just in this competition but also in our season as a whole," Slot continued. "That it comes against an opponent that continues to prove itself to be very strong means this will be a testing cup tie but, again, this is the kind of challenge that we have to embrace.

"Of course, we have already faced Palace in the Premier League this season and the result on that occasion was not what we would have hoped for. Credit to Palace for that.

"Their winning goal came very late on that occasion after we had equalised following a difficult first half for us, so we should be aware not just of the problems they can cause but also of their ability to keep going until the final whistle."

However, it seems the decision backfired horribly as Crystal Palace found themselves 2-0 up at half-time, with the Reds' torrid run seemingly set to continue.

Liverpool follow up the weekend's home clash with Villa with a home meeting with Real Madrid, and a potential reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold, before a trip to Manchester City ahead of the international break.