Arne Slot decided to let some of his most important Liverpool stars rest for their latest Champions League match of this phase because they don't have to protect a top spot.
The head coach of Reds wanted big stars such as Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah a rest after seven victories from seven so far in Europe, meant that they could get such a luxury prior to the last match of tomorrow evening against PSV Eindhoven.
Slot said: “It took me a while to understand this new format, but I am now 100 percent sure it doesn't matter if you end up first or second because we are guaranteed to play the team that is 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th, And then it is until the draw.
“We can't fall to third place. It has no impact on the competition table, but we will try to win. A wise man once told me that he has never seen anything good about losing a game. “
Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones were all left together with Salah and Van Dijk.
It gives them extra peace for a difficult road to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, while the Reds look to keep their six -point lead at the top of the table. They cannot fall under third place in Europe and a point at PSV will secure the top position.
The advantage of in the top two means that they will not have the second placed side to the final and a place in the last-16 and all their tires in the second row will have in the knockout phases, are at home.
The collision with the Dutch side can also be a chance for players such as Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez to push more minutes in larger matches when they impress.
But lock said: “They don't have to prove themselves, we know what their quality is, but we play many, many games and those we have left behind, but we have to think in the long term.
“If you look back on our season and the players playing all the time, we always try to give them a break after three, four or five weeks when it is the League Cup of FA Cup to help them get their freshness back. “
Slot confirmed that those who did not travel have free on Wednesday, while the team is opposed to PSV in Holland. They will train on Thursday and some employees here in Holland will fly back early to lead the session prior to the trip to the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
Kelleher, Jaros, Davies, Bradley, Mabaya, Quansah, Nallo, Robertson, Tsimikas, Norris, Endo, McConnell, Morton, Nyoni, Elliott, Morrison, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo, Kone-Dohytyty.
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