Jamie Carragher names the three Liverpool players Arne Slot clearly doesn’t rate including ‘talented’ youngster

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Liverpool are currently preparing for a huge match in their hunt for the Premier League title.

The Reds travel to Man City on Sunday afternoon following their draw with Aston Villa this week and Pep Guardiola’s side will not make it easy for the Merseyside club.

With Arsenal playing West Ham on Saturday, the gap at the top of the Premier League could be just five points when the match at the Etihad kicks off, which could add a layer of pressure for Arne Slot’s men.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	26	18	7	1	62	26	36	61
2	ArsenalArsenal	25	15	8	2	51	22	29	53
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	25	14	5	6	41	29	12	47
4	Man CityManchester City	25	13	5	7	52	35	17	44

Lee Dixon has spotted signs in Liverpool that suggest they are struggling, while others feel that the Reds look tired as Slot has not rotated heavily this season.

Jamie Carragher believes the Dutch coach doesn’t fully trust three players within his current squad, which could be a problem throughout the remainder of the campaign.

• READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold may well have dropped a big hint about his Liverpool future during Aston Villa draw

Arne Slot doesn’t trust three Liverpool stars

Liverpool could be without Cody Gakpo for their clash in Manchester, while Man City hope Erling Haaland will be fit, although his record against the Reds is pretty poor.

Slot is likely to make just one change from the Aston Villa match with Luis Diaz expected to return for Curtis Jones, which highlights the lack of rotation at present with big games arriving constantly.

Carragher wanted Liverpool to sign a left-sided defender during the January window and hoped the Reds would make additions to get their Premier League campaign over the line, but they did not arrive.

The former Reds defender now has concerns over the fitness of Liverpool’s squad and the Sky Sports pundit has suggested that Slot does not trust three players within his squad.

“The Liverpool manager has tended to favour the same starters from a preferred pool of 14 or 15,” Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph. “He does not seem to trust back-up options such as Harvey Elliott or Wataru Endo unless there is no option.

“Last summer’s sole summer signing, Federico Chiesa, has contributed nothing. Again, his lack of minutes suggests Slot does not believe the Italian is a game-changer.”

Slot’s lack of trust in the trio seems quite strange as the Dutch coach has praised all three at some stage during the season.

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Fitness will not be a worry for Liverpool and Arne Slot during the title run-in

Endo was fantastic for Liverpool against Wolves on Sunday as the Japanese star played a big role in keeping the Midlands club from finding an equaliser.

Slot has praised Endo’s ‘mentality’ throughout this season and stated this week that Darwin Nunez could learn from the Reds midfielder’s attitude.

Harvey Elliott was described as ‘talented’ by Slot earlier this year but the Dutch coach does not seem to have faith in the English star having failed to play him in the Reds’ last four Premier League games.

These players are likely to see more minutes as the campaign moves towards its conclusion as it may have to be the case.

It has been perceived that Liverpool have got tired towards the end of past seasons, but that has not been the case, and it should be the same this year barring any significant injuries.