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If there's one competition that rewards dependability of approach, it's the Premier League.

And Arne Slot's reliance on a key core of players has been a primary factor in Liverpool having lost just once in 29 top-flight games this season to open up a 12-point lead at the summit with only nine games remaining.

For example, only four midfielders have started a Premier League game this season, while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have lined up for every match.



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The reluctance to rotate, though, has come back to bite Slot in recent weeks.

And with Liverpool back in action on Wednesday at home to Everton after a 17-day break, there is genuine debate over how the Reds should line up.

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While much has rightly been made for much of the season about the impressive depth of Liverpool's squad, that was largely confined to the cup competitions with Slot keen to limit changes in Premier League matches.

The strengths and weaknesses of such an approach have become apparent during the last few months as the Reds have run away at the top of the table but faltered at the business end of the Champions League and League Cup when becoming more reliant on first-team regulars.

Although Liverpool haven't been in action since Wembley, most of the Reds players have been in action around the world for the respective countries.

Mohamed Salah will be on the right, but it could be that the number nine conundrum is solved by the fit-again Cody Gakpo returning to the left and Luis Diaz going back down the centre again.

Liverpool returned to training on Saturday and hopefully the Reds have used the international break to get some disappointment out of their system after the Carabao Cup final and Champions League defeats.

The break from action will also have given Reds boss Arne Slot some time to ponder the upcoming nine-game run that could turn a promising season into an historic one.

Indeed, win five games and Liverpool know the Premier League title is basically theirs, and that starts with the Merseyside derby and a score to settle with Everton on Wednesday evening.

What then, does Slot do with his team selection?

It shouldn't be forgotten that while Liverpool ultimately fell to defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, the performance wasn't the worst.

But Slot does need to make some minor tweaks in order to freshen things up.

Here's hoping the break has given Cody Gakpo a chance to get up to speed ahead of a return on the left hand side.

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And that would facilitate Luis Diaz moving centrally - a short-term and perhaps best option at this stage - with Mohamed Salah on the right.

The defence picks itself at the moment but in midfield, perhaps Harvey Elliott has done enough in recent weeks to earn a start, with Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones also pushing the usual trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.


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