(Reuters) – Arne Slot will not be on the touchline during Liverpool’s League Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton, but the Dutch manager on Tuesday said he does not expect his ban to impede his ability to impact the team.
Slot will be serving a touchline ban during Wednesday’s match after receiving his third yellow card of the season during Liverpool’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Fulham on Saturday.
“If you are suspended in Holland you’re not allowed to be in and around the dressing room or do media. This is a lighter version of suspension,” Slot told reporters ahead of the match at St Mary’s Stadium.
“I’d say I’m used to it but this is the first time I am suspended. I’m still able to do the things I want to do. The least impact you have on your team is during the 45 minutes and the most is during halftime and before the game.
“The ideal situation is I would be on the sidelines but I got a yellow, which I probably deserved as well, so yes, this happens.”
Defending League Cup champions Liverpool have had a strong start to the season and sit top of both the Premier League and Champions League standings.
“This happened last season when this club won this competition,” Slot said.
“So I am not surprised with the quality we have that we are competing at this moment for these three trophies, and the fourth one (the FA Cup) is starting in January.”
Liverpool will come up against a Southampton side in crisis, with the south-coast club having sacked manager Russell Martin shortly after a 5-0 drubbing at home to Tottenham Hotspur left them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
Southampton’s under-21s manager Simon Rusk is expected to be in charge.
“It’s difficult what we can expect in terms of formation, in terms of personnel but what we do know is that we have to play an away game against Southampton, against eleven players,” Slot said.
The Dutch manager said Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa would be given minutes in the match and defender Kostas Tsimikas was inching closer to a return, adding: “Wata hasn’t played that much but fortunately for us he plays for his national team.
“The few times he can play in the League Cup helps him to keep his rhythm as well. You can expect (Chiesa) to get minutes. He won’t get 90. It is a game where not all our starters will start. We have to balance…
“(Tsimikas) is going to train with us today for the first time, so let’s see how that works out. Ibrahima (Konate) and Conor (Bradley) are still not training with us.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
