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Liverpool manager Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to face Tottenham in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday after his poor performance against Manchester United.
Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this month and was in a bad mood in Sunday’s thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield.
But Slot says the entire team is ready to respond against Tottenham and highlighted their excellent season so far.
He said: “I think we were all disappointed (by Sunday’s draw against Manchester United), not just Trent Alexander-Arnold, we were all disappointed.
“First of all, about the result. There are parts of our game that we weren’t completely satisfied with. It wasn’t just Trent, there were more things we could have done better.
Next, our #CarabaoCup semi-final first leg ✊ pic.twitter.com/ZrwbFI7xcF
-Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 6, 2025
“Trent didn’t play his best game, but some others didn’t play their best either.
“If you play 50, 60 games in a season, one of them will not be your best performance. Perhaps we should highlight that these players are playing very well despite playing two games in one week.
“I think it will benefit all the players (not just Trent Alexander-Arnold, to play again tomorrow). Everyone wants to play. “Almost everyone is fit.”
Liverpool have lost just once all season in all Slot competitions (against Nottingham Forest) and have won no less than 23 of 28 games so far.
They won the EFL Cup for a record 10th time last season and go into Wednesday’s game at Tottenham as favorites to retain it.
Like Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are out of contract this summer, but Slot says they remain focused on winning.
“If Mohamed Salah misses a penalty against Real Madrid, he is distracted by his ‘contractual situation,'” Slot said.
“If Trent doesn’t play well, he gets distracted by his ‘contract situation.’
“If everyone plays well, no one will be distracted by their ‘contractual distraction.’
“I don’t focus on social media posts or what people say. “If you do that as Liverpool manager, you won’t have a life, because people are always talking about us.”
Team news: Szoboszlai a doubt
Liverpool have been boosted by the return of defenders Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley, who played against United on Sunday.
Striker Federico Chiesa was on the bench for that match and is available, but midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is unlikely to play due to illness.
