Arne Slot Names Heavily Changed Lineup for Liverpool League Cup Bow

Today at 02:05 PM

Liverpool's new manager has rung in the changes but the Reds' strength in depth means it's still a strong side facing West Ham in the League Cup.

Heading into Liverpool's first League Cup game of the season and the club's first domestic cup match under new head coach Arne Slot, there were plenty of questions about how many changes Slot would make to the lineup.

The answer, it turns out, is a lot. The headlining change is a first start for lone summer signing Federico Chiesa, who steps in on the right while superstar Mohamed Salah gets a chance to rest ahead of Wolves on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and striker Darwin Nuñez keep their places from the weekend while Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota start.

Still, Liverpool's strength in depth means despite the rotation it is still a strong side, one that for most will be favoured to dispatch the struggling Hammers and see Slot's Reds into the next round of England's second cup competition.

"Liverpool won this trophy in special circumstances last season and the club has a very strong tradition in this competition," Slot offered in his pre-match notes. "Tonight, though, is only the start of a journey for us as a group.

"Yes, the players will have muscle memory from last season and this can help us of course but at the same time we know we have to take our own steps and see where they take us. We cannot depend on what happened before."