Arne Slot blames ‘squad depth’ for Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace

'We needed to start with four players under the age of 19'

A much changed Liverpool side — without the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah or Hugo Ekitike — were dismantled by the south Londoners.

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The result leaves the Reds having lost six of the last seven games.

As it was the Eagles that began Liverpool's woeful run of form, with a 2-1 victory back in September, Wednesday's defeat will have made the last few weeks feel like an inescapable cycle for Slot.

Despite Liverpool spending more than £400 million on new acquisitions this summer, the Dutchman has put his side's defeat down to a lack of squad options.

Speaking after the game, Slot said: "This club has always used this competition for academy players as well.

"It felt to me the right decision and I've not changed my opinion of that because we lost.

"I saw [Manchester] City's line-up and I don't think they had one starter from the weekend but it felt as if - if you look at their line-up - that they had played with their 11 starters.

"Maybe that gives a little bit of an insight that everybody has always said how big of a squad we have. When we played Chelsea I said they are missing eight but they can still bring Estevao in.

"We are only missing four players at the moment and already we needed to start with four players under the age of 19. After I made two substitutions we were on six.

"Against Brentford it was two days after we played Eintracht Frankfurt away and I saw a team that is struggling to play three games in seven days, but it is not an excuse," he added.

"I've seen the struggles some players have had in pre-season. It's a new challenge to play in the Premier League and Champions League, three games in seven days.

"Our squad is probably not as big as people think it is. There has not been a change in the way we look at this."