Arne Slot has fired back after critics slammed his Liverpool starting XI for his side's Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.
Liverpool were knocked out of the Carabao Cup following their crushing 3-0 defeat to Palace at Anfield on Wednesday.
Ismaila Sarr scored a quick-fire brace before the break, with Yeremy Pino adding a third two minutes from time to secure a convincing win.
Oliver Glasner once again got the better of Slot, having already beaten his team in the Community Shield and in the Premier League last month.
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Glasner fielded a strong XI, which included the likes of Marc Guehi, Daichi Kamada and the aforementioned Sarr, while Slot made wholesale changes from their defeat at Brentford last weekend.
Freddie Woodman, Trey Nyoni, Calvin Ramsay, Kieran Yusuf Morrison and Rio Ngumoha, who has featured in the league, all played from the start, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai absent from the squad.
Slot's team selection ultimately backfired as they crumbled at home to Palace, but he defended his decision to pick a team full of fringe players and youngsters.
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"This club has always used this competition for academy players as well," he said in his post-match press conference.
"It felt to me the right decision and I've not changed my opinion of that because we lost."
The Dutch boss added: "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.
"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.
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"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."
Liverpool are going through a rough patch, having lost six of their past seven games across all competitions and a brutal schedule awaits the defending English champions.
They face Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City in the next 10 days.
Topics: Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Football, Carabao Cup
Nasir Jabbar