Diogo Jota responds to change Arne Slot is being forced to make at Liverpool

Arne Slot was not used to squad rotation at Feyenoord, but accepts he must mix things up at Liverpool to keep them fighting on four fronts this season - and Diogo Jota says the team are backing the Dutchman

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has backed Arne Slot's bid to rotate his squad to help the team battle on four fronts this season.

The Reds thrashed West Ham 5-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night to move in to the fourth round, with Slot's men also hoping to battle for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup later in the season.

But in order to remain competitive, Liverpool boss Slot is having to mix up his starting XI to keep the players fresh - something he was not used to at Feyenoord because there were less competitions to play for.

Slot has had to ensure new signing Federico Chiesa gets enough minutes after arriving from Juventus with a lack of match fitness, while he is also attempting to integrate Darwin Nunez too - and Jota says the team have embraced the idea of squad rotation if it increases their chances of success.

“We know the staff work on managing the players and (their) load as we know a lot of things are coming and we want to be in the best place possible,” Jota told LFCTV. “Some players didn’t play much yet so we know these games can be tricky but we showed we are all prepared.

“Physicality-wise we need to get those minutes and we are ready for a big season with hopefully a lot of games. We wanted to progress in the cup; we won it last year and we wanted to do it again.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve won it twice already. Like in a game when you score two you want the third one and that is exactly what we want this season.”

Despite only making one major signing this summer in Chiesa, Slot has a huge squad filled with quality strength in depth. He has two players for every position across the front line and five of those six have already found the net.

Jota has netted three times in all competitions this season and will be hoping to continue his momentum after previously struggling with injuries in recent years - forcing him to miss 248 days over his fear seasons at Anfield.

When asked how he could help Jota overcome his fitness woes, Dutch boss Slot replied: “Rotate. I think we are trying to manage his minutes like the others in the best possible way. But we also try to prepare them during the week and during the first months of pre-season to prepare them for so many games in the Premier League.

“Sometimes there are small margins, sometimes you can be unlucky as well. If you saw what happened with (Manchester City midfielder) Rodri, that is so unlucky for him.

“In the end you need a bit of luck as well. What the players can do is be as professional as possible, live in the best possible way for their career and I think that’s what they’ve done until now. We, as a staff, try to prepare them in the best possible way to go without injuries through this period.”

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