Arne Slot dropped hint against Brighton that ‘brilliant’ player has lost his place in Liverpool’s best XI

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Liverpool can’t have been too pleased to see the name of Brighton come out of the hat for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Amidst an already frantic fixture schedule, the Reds knew that a trip to the Amex would be real test of their mettle.

Sandwiched in between games against Arsenal and a second clash with the Seagulls at Anfield, it was always likely that Arne Slot would heavily rotate for Wednesday’s game.

That is exactly the way it proved, with the Liverpool head coach swapping eight of the eleven who started at Arsenal on Sunday.

One player who retained his place despite the changes was Andy Robertson.

Robertson has been criticised recently for some below-par displays and when you couple that with the fact he played 90 minutes in a second-string team against Brighton, things now look ominous for the Scot’s long-term starting spot.

Andy Robertson in danger of Liverpool demotion

Robertson has been a hugely important player for Liverpool ever since his signing in 2017.

The 30-year-old has been the undisputed starting left-back for everything the Reds have won in the seven years since.

Throughout much of that time Robertson has been a bastion of dependability, both in terms of fitness and performance.

But with injuries now starting to catch up to the former Hull City man and his form suffering a little as well, there are real questions over his long-term future as a Liverpool starter.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s Carabao Cup player ratings against Brighton

Another factor in Robertson’s demise this season has been the good form of Kostas Tsimikas.

Tsimikas came on and looked excellent against Arsenal but would ordinarily have been expected to play in the Carabao Cup game that followed anyway.

That he didn’t suggests Slot has now made a decision that Tsimikas will be Liverpool’s left-back in the Premier League on Saturday. In turn, that suggests a new, starting role for the 28-year-old moving forward.

Can Andy Robertson win back his place?

Robertson has lost his place in the team to Tsimikas before. The Greek really turned up during the 2021/22 season and threatened to permanently displace Robbo.

But the No.26 soon roared back in typical fashion to claim back his place. Perhaps lightning could strike twice.

It isn’t like Robertson has been poor for the whole season. He has looked back to his old self at times and the Scottish press hailed Robertson as being ‘brilliant‘ during the October international break.

Now into his 30’s, though, there is a real concern that we are witnessing the beginning of the end for Robertson at the top, top level.

In our opinion, there is a need for Liverpool to address this and bring in a new left-back over the next two transfer windows. But in the meantime it looks as though Tsimikas is going to be given the chance to stake his claim.