Ian Doyle from the Liverpool Echo answers questions on Monday's FA Cup tie in which Barnsley visit Anfield.
How much rotation from the usual first choice team do you anticipate for Monday’s game?
A lot will depend on who is available – and who is nearly not available, if that makes sense.
For a team that spent £450m on players in the summer, it seems strange to say but Liverpool don’t really have enough senior players this season, and almost all of them have at some point been injured and been managing minutes.
It means there’s a chance it could be a completely scratch XI for Liverpool, which wouldn’t exactly bode well for them.
More likely, though, is a mix and match team of whoever was on the bench against Arsenal (on Thursday evening) and a few of the starters.
With the way the season has gone, how much of a priority will the FA Cup be this season?
In all honesty, probably not much.
At least not in the early rounds.
One thing that Liverpool fans have come to notice is when a manager from abroad comes in – namely Rafael Benitez, Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot – they tend not to have much time for the FA Cup initially.
That both Benitez and Klopp ended up winning it later in their Liverpool managerial careers suggests the penny dropped eventually. But I’d be surprised if Slot puts much stock in this game.
Barnsley fans well-remember their last few trips to Anfield, especially in 2008 in the FA Cup, is that game something Liverpool fans have been reminded of too because of this draw?
That depends on the age of the supporters.
Easy to forget that cup shock was almost 18 years ago and will mean little to probably every Liverpool fan under the age of 25.
Those of us who have been around a while will remember the league defeat in 1997 and the somewhat lively return game later that season.
For the most successful club in English football history, Liverpool’s record in the FA Cup is not great compared to their main rivals.
In the last ten years they’ve only got past the fourth round three times, although they haven’t been helped by some tough draws.
Do you feel Arne Slot and Liverpool will do anything different to last season at Plymouth which was obviously a big cup shock?
Consider this. Of the 14 players who featured that afternoon for Liverpool, five are no longer at the club, two are out on loan, three are injured and three have just 11 Liverpool starts between them.
Liverpool lost at home to Crystal Palace in the League Cup in October when playing a load of youngsters.
If Slot does the same against Barnsley I’d be putting money on an away win. It actually wouldn’t be a shock.
