Beijing time on December 19th at 4:00 am, an EFL Cup quarter-final focus will be staged, Liverpool visited Southampton. In the pre-match press conference, Liverpool coach Slater opened up on the team's preparation and tactical arrangements and other topics.
Talking about striker Wakita's competitive form, Slotter revealed, "Originally Wakita was in quite good shape, but after the game against Fulham, he wasn't in the best of shape and missed training yesterday. We'll have to see how he recovers today, and although we don't expect him to start, hopefully he'll get some game time."
As for the likelihood of winger Federico Chiesa's appearance, Slotter believes, "It's a good opportunity for him to show himself, but the exact length of his appearance is not yet clear. Given that he has been out for five or six seasons and the intensity of the game, it would be inappropriate for us to expect a full game from him. However, if he maintains his good training form, he will have a chance to make an appearance. Not all the starters will start today's game, so we need to rationalize the playing time."
Responding to the question of goalkeeper Kelleher's debut, Slaughter responded confidently, "You can expect him to start." He also spoke highly of Kelleher's personality and temperament as a substitute goalkeeper: "He should look at the first half of the season as a self-improvement process as he has earned a number of appearances. We are very fortunate to have such an exceptional second goal."
In addition, Slaughter mentioned the opportunities for young players to play: "Young players such as Amara Naro and James Norris have been impressive. We are already using them, such as Njoni who played in the League Cup. Given that we only have four defenders available and that those who make frequent starts may not be able to stick around for the full game or may even miss out, the youth players will be given a chance to play and perhaps some unexpected players will be in the final line of defense for tomorrow's game."
