According to Arne Slot, Liverpool’s decision to forgo Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez against Manchester City was motivated by two factors.

Liverpool secured three points at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday by delivering one of their most impressive performances of the season. Liverpool’s Premier League record at the Manchester City stadium is dismal, as they have not achieved victory there since 2015.

Nevertheless, Liverpool had a genuine opportunity to rectify the situation on Sunday, as City was experiencing a dismal season and was without their best scorer, Erling Haaland.

He made some intriguing decisions with his Liverpool team, and it was a significant day for Arne Slot. Slot has clarified his reasoning for omitting both Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez and playing without a recognised center-forward. From the moment Mohamed Salah scored his 30th goal of the season in the 14th minute, the outcome was never in question.

Liverpool has established an 11-point lead at the summit of the Premier League table and is now evidently on the brink of their 20th league championship. Arne Slot provides an explanation for the rejection between Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez. Slot’s decision to withdraw Nunez and Jota from the Etihad was not entirely unexpected.

In midweek, Liverpool’s head coach observed both players miss significant opportunities to secure the victory against Aston Villa. Nunez was called out by Slot for his lack of effort following that game, while Jota is still being managed to a certain extent following a relatively prolonged injury.

In an interview with LFCTV, the Dutch coach acknowledged that the fitness of Jota and the necessity of customising his tactics to match City were factors that influenced his decision-making. “Initially, Diogo Jota informed me yesterday that he was not yet fully recovered, which prevented him from commencing,” stated Slot.

“Cody Gakpo only trained for the first time yesterday, which means that there are two fewer attacking options.” Team MP W D L GD Pts 1 Liverpool At City, I believed that it was necessary to engage in a significant amount of defence when playing away. Despite his ability to contribute when necessary,

Darwin’s primary asset is not in defending his own box. “Therefore, we determined to introduce an additional midfielder to provide additional legs.” Further explanations of forward choices are provided by Slot. Many likely anticipated that Jones would be on the left side of the attack, as had been the case at Villa, when the team news was announced.

However, it was evident at the commencement of the match that Luis Diaz was operating in the wide area, with Jones occupying the centre of the field in close proximity to Dominik Szoboszlai. Liverpool’s organisational structure was lauded by Gary Neville, and it was generally successful.

Slot elucidated, “We desired to utilise two wingers because if you consistently defend, you are compelled to do so.” “We are always given the opportunity to create when we have two wingers who are fast and can play the ball in behind. Additionally, we have additional players to win the second ball.” I believe it turned out quite well.