Arne Slot Sends Vitezslav Jaros Message and Explains Liverpool “Competition”
Arne Slot shared his thoughts on Liverpool’s attacking depth following their 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
He remarked that having multiple quality options in attack is “normal at a club like Liverpool,” following a strong performance that saw Cody Gakpo score twice and Luis Diaz add another to secure the win.
The victory propelled Liverpool, the defending champions, into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where they are set to face Southampton away. Gakpo opened the scoring with a remarkable goal just after the break, putting Liverpool ahead at the Amex Stadium.
Gakpo added a second goal to strengthen Liverpool’s lead before Brighton’s Simon Adingra responded to narrow the scoreline. Diaz extended Liverpool’s advantage late in the game, though Tariq Lamptey’s deflected effort off Jarell Quansah created a tense conclusion.
When asked about the rotation on Liverpool’s left flank, specifically between Diaz and the two-goal scorer Gakpo, Slot expressed satisfaction with the players’ contributions. He highlighted the effective play of his fellow Dutchman, Gakpo, as a standout in the match.
“Cody scored a lot of goals in the second half of last season, so has been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now,” Slot said. “He continues to be that and that can only be a good thing.
“For me, he is a regular starter. He doesn’t start every game but he starts on a regular basis. He is in a tough competition with Luis Diaz, who when he went to the left tonight also scored. It’s normal at a club like Liverpool that you have two quality players for many positions.
“If you look at the way Joe Gomez played and Jarell Quansah, who was maybe a bit unlucky with the goal he conceded, the overall performance from the both of them I liked as well. They are in competition with Virgil van Dijk and Ibou (Ibrahima Konate).”
On goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros, who turned in a fine performance on his full debut, Slot added: “Everybody could see how important his saves were.
“The first big chance of the game was for them where he saved a one-v-one, in the second half we all remember some saves he made as well.
“But added to that, how comfortable he was with the ball at his feet, making the right choices, when to go short and when to go long towards the striker, and it helped also for him the quality Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez brought in the build-up. I liked that triangle today a lot in ball possession.”
In other news, Cody Gakpo Sends Arne Slot a Message as the Liverpool Forward Scores Brace Against Brighton
