'Hopefully': Steve Nicol says Liverpool fans are about to 'find out' something about Arne Slot this weekend
03/14/2025 09:00 AM
There are some questions surrounding Liverpool ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
The Reds travel to Wembley on Sunday to contest for the first major trophy on offer this season with Newcastle, on the back of several blows this week.
Arne Slot’s men were dragged all the way to penalties before being knocked out of the Champions League by PSG on Tuesday, an event Paul Merson believes has handed Newcastle an advantage over Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold would also pick up an injury during Liverpool’s defeat and many are questioning how the Premier League leaders will respond at the weekend.
A cup final may be the perfect way for Slot’s team to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment and Steve Nicol has had his say on the topic.
Carabao Cup a blessing for Liverpool’s season
Slot can achieve something Jurgen Klopp, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley failed to do at Liverpool this weekend by winning the Carabao Cup as the legendary trio never picked up silverware during their first seasons in charge of the Reds.
It will not be hard for the Premier League leaders to get up for their trip to Wembley and it is the perfect game to bounce back from following Tuesday night’s defeat.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol believes it is the ‘greatest thing to happen’ to Liverpool this season as it could stop their European exit from affecting the remainder of the campaign.
“To be honest, in some ways, it’s the greatest thing to happen that you’ve got a cup final the next game,” Nicol said.
“You know, generally, you can’t wait to get back on the horse when you’ve had a poor game, regardless of whether it’s a big game or a small game.
“If you’ve had a poor game, you can’t wait to correct that. So I think in some ways this is maybe a good thing.”
The cup final could also turn out to be a curse for Liverpool as if they lose it, their season could be over in the space of a week and will likely peter out as the Reds are guaranteed to lift the Premier League at the end of the campaign.
In order to prevent this from happening, Nicol believes Slot will have to use a skill that has not been seen at Anfield so far this season.
Steve Nicol wants to see Arne Slot use key skill at Liverpool
Although the Liverpool squad should be able to lift themselves up for the Carabao Cup final, Slot will have a major role to play in this.
Nicol wants to see Slot’s man-management skills in action at the weekend as he believes that weapon in his coaching arsenal has yet to be tested this season.
Speaking on ESPN FC, the former Liverpool star said: “What we will find out though, with Slot this season, we’ve been talking about how good his coaching is, how good his decision-making is, how the way they play. Sometimes they play 100 miles an hour, but sometimes it’s slow and controlled.
“But I don’t think he’s ever had his man-management skills tested yet, and his motivation and man-management skills will absolutely shine through, hopefully at the weekend, because if he can pick his team up and get them playing anywhere close to what they’re capable of, that will be down to those things that I’ve been talking about.”
This tool was often used by Slot’s predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, and it was one the German coach mastered. The Liverpool boss will have had to use it this season, but not as much as he needs it on Sunday.
