Liverpool boss Arne Slot shares only ‘downside’ of reaching Carabao Cup final after thrashing Tottenham 4-0 in semi-final second leg

Liverpool boss Arne Slot believes that the only downside of reaching the Carabao Cup final is the rescheduled midweek game against Aston Villa later this month. The Reds secured a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the semifinal second leg at Anfield on Thursday, February 7.

Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Virgil van Dijk all found the back of the net, with the Merseyside club progressing to the final with a 4-1 aggregate score. Liverpool will face Newcastle United in the final on March 16, at Wembley.

That has caused a fixture congestion, with their league game against Aston Villa on March 15 rescheduled to February 19. Interestingly, the Reds were not supposed to play that week after securing direct entry to the Champions League knockouts.

However, they will now lose their advantage ahead of the crucial game against Manchester City on February 23. Slot has now acknowledged that the fixture congestion is not ideal for the team.

However, speaking after the 4-0 win as cited by The Mirror, the Dutch manager insisted that being successful means playing more games.

"Very pleased to go there but we know we will face a very tough opponent. They are a very good team but they will face a very good team as well," said Slot.

He continued:

"There is only one downside to reaching the final. It is playing Villa in midweek but being successful creates even more games. It is a positive and players get stronger in my opinion by playing games."

Liverpool next face Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday, February 9.

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Are Liverpool eyeing a Barcelona midfielder?

Frenkie de Jong

Liverpool are planning to reinforce their midfield at the end of this season and reportedly have Frenkie de Jong on their wish list. The Dutch midfielder has struggled to break into Hansi Flick's starting XI this season.

De Jong has registered two goals and one assist from 22 games across competitions for Barcelona this season, but only seven of them have been starts. Interestingly, the 27-year-old's contract expires in 2026 and the Catalans are apparently ready to let him go for €35m.

Meanwhile, Liverpool were keen to reinforce their midfield last summer as well and apparently had their eyes on Martin Zubimendi. While the Real Sociedad midfielder remains on their radar, the Reds are also considering De Jong as an option. However, the player's reported €486,000 per-week wages could pose a problem.