Arne Slot facing BIGGEST decision yet as Liverpool boss

Arne Slot has managed a near-perfect start to his Liverpool career, and the Reds’ start to the season has been massively impressive.

Liverpool currently sit five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and are already nine points clear of supposed title rivals Arsenal.

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Slot’s side have also won all of their UEFA Champions League matches and are through to the quarter final of the Carabao Cup.

Things have gone about as well as they could have for Slot barring a disappointing 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, the Reds’ only defeat of the campaign so far.

Now though, as Premier League football returns after the international break, Slot is facing his biggest decision yet as Liverpool boss, and it could have a huge impact on the remainder of the season.

Should Slot rotate against Southampton?

The Reds’ first Premier League game following the international break is a visit to St Mary’s to take on Southampton on Sunday 24 November.

The Saints are rock bottom of the league table and have only won once in the competition, against Everton earlier in November.

Liverpool’s next two games after they take on Southampton are a visit from Real Madrid in the Champions League and then, four days later, a visit from Manchester City.

These are two matches that could define the rest of the season for Slot and his team, especially the clash against Manchester City.

This therefore raises the question: should Slot rotate against Southampton with the Real Madrid and City games in mind?

If he does and Liverpool lose to the Saints it could be disastrous but if it pays off, and Liverpool emerge victorious in all three matches, it could set Slot's side up for a spectacular season.

The Reds are likely to qualify for the next round of the Champions League regardless of the result against Los Blancos, but a win would still be nice.

The City game however represents a chance for Liverpool to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, assuming both sides win their games this weekend, and that would be absolutely huge.

Who could Slot rest against Southampton?

Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliott both recently returned to training after spells on the sideline, it isn’t clear just how close to fully fit either player is but both players could be left out of the XI for the Southampton game in order to ensure they are fit enough to play a part in the following matches.

Virgil van Dijk returned from international duty early due to a potential injury problem, and again it is unclear whether the Dutchman will be able to play against Southampton.

Even if he is fit enough to play, giving the 33-year-old another few days of rest could mean he can play the full 180 minutes against City and Real Madrid.

Another injury worry is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is expected to miss the visit to the south coast but could be back for the following matches. Regardless of his fitness, the Southampton match represents the perfect opportunity for Conor Bradley to get some minutes.

Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were all heavily involved for their national teams over the break and will have had to travel back from South America before returning to training.

It would make sense therefore to rest at least one of these players, although one of Nunez and Diaz will likely have to play due to an injury to Diogo Jota.

Slot has plenty of decisions to make right across the pitch, and he must tread carefully as a loss to Southampton could derail the Reds’ title charge.

Supporters will trust their new boss to make the right decisions and will hope that Liverpool can emerge victorious from all three games and go on to bring some silverware to Anfield at the end of the season.

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