Slot explains benching of Isak, Wirtz and Frimpong for Merseyside derby

Liverpool manager Arne Slot explained why Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong were left on the bench for the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday, saying the decision was driven by fitness and schedule rather than form.

Liverpool headed into the match aiming to extend a 100% start to the league season, while Everton, under David Moyes, hoped to claim a first win at Anfield as a visiting side this campaign. Isak, who cost about £125 million in the summer, had started for the club in midweek’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, but Slot chose Dominik Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike to lead the attack, with Conor Bradley at right back in place of the injured Jeremie Frimpong.

Slot spoke to TNT Sports after the teams were announced, saying the benching extended beyond the derby and into the week’s schedule. Three games in seven days, with the third game expected to be the most intense, demanded players who were fully recovered and ready for the physical test to come. He added that there was no athlete who would automatically accept sitting out, but he felt the decision was in Isak’s best interests given his recent workload and his limited time in team sessions during the week. He also noted that Isak’s rest was partly to do with him missing extra training sessions and the need to balance recovery with performance.

On Wirtz, Slot drew a similar line: three games in seven days, with the early kick-off heightening the intensity. “Three games in seven days, not in eight which is normal. Early kick off, one of the most intense games we have to play so we tried to manage it and for today I think Dominik Szoboszlai, who played both the games too, is more used to the intensity of the Premier League,” Slot said. The message mirrored the approach taken with Isak, emphasizing load management as the season progresses and acknowledging that Szoboszlai’s higher familiarity with the Premier League’s tempo could help the team in the derby.

Slot had been coy in the lead-up about whether Isak would start against Everton after leaving him on the bench against Atletico Madrid, noting recovery sessions and weighing how his body felt after the previous match. “I don’t think I tell the media a lot the day before the game how we (are going to) start. We had recovery sessions yesterday and let’s see how they all feel. Alex did feel his body more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played,” he said, adding that Jeremie Frimpong had returned from injury but was also kept back as part of the rotation.

The decision to bench Isak and Wirtz drew some immediate commentary. Former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch accepted Slot’s reasoning, saying a new league and tougher fixtures can justify a more conservative approach to selection in the short term: “It is difficult to adjust to coming to a different league, it is a difficult game. Arne Slot may have been going for a bit more steel - I totally get the decision.”

Frimpong’s absence continued to influence the lineup, with Conor Bradley starting at right back and Szoboszlai stepping into a role that reflected his versatility in a congested schedule. Frimpong had been back from an injury but had missed prior wins over Newcastle and Arsenal; Bradley started the derby with Szoboszlai operating in the right-side area when Frimpong was out, a tactical arrangement Slot has used to adapt to the minutes demanded by a brutal run of fixtures.

Isak’s absence from the starting XI also comes with context around the forward’s recent recruitment. Isak, who arrived for £125 million, had been working to regain full fitness after asserting his desire to force a move from Newcastle in the summer. While his influence has yet to translate fully in terms of goals or assists, Isak had started the club’s previous clash against Atletico Madrid, underscoring the careful management the manager is applying to keep his expensive attacking options fresh for high-stakes matches.

Slot’s broader philosophy in the derby reflected a familiar theme: balance between short-term demands and longer-term fitness. He reiterated that the schedule demanded careful rotation and that the staff would assess recovery, sleep, and readiness ahead of each game. “Let's see how he has recovered today. We're going to think about the line-up more today. We gave them a little bit of extra time to recover and one of the best ways to recover is sleep, as we all know. We had to play this week three times,” he explained, acknowledging that the week’s intensity required discipline around load management.

Analysts and observers noted that Wirtz, still adapting to life in the Premier League after his move from Bayern Leverkusen, had not yet found his footing this season. He has not registered a goal or an assist in six appearances, a statistic Slot did not dwell on, but the selection against Everton suggested a cautious return to service after a difficult start to life in England. Slot’s emphasis on squad management suggests that Wirtz’s moment to impact proceedings may come when the team faces a less punishing schedule than the one they faced this week.

The benching of three marquee signings during a heated city derby underscored Slot’s willingness to prioritize immediate fitness and squad balance over star status. The Derby also framed the broader question for Liverpool: how long can a squad containing several high-value newcomers maintain peak performance with a packed early-season calendar? The answer may hinge on ongoing assessment of recovery, training loads, and the tactical flexibility Slot demonstrated on Saturday.

As the Merseyside rivalry built toward its next chapter, Liverpool will look to translate their rotation-driven approach into results, while Everton will seek to disrupt what they hope will be a temporary lull in Liverpool’s momentum. The outcome of Saturday’s derby will be read not only in the result but in the manager’s continued justification of a strategy that places fitness and schedule discipline at the heart of selection for one of English football’s fiercest fixtures.