Arne Slot: No positives to take from Liverpool's early FA Cup exit

Slot's charges endured a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Plymouth on Saturday.

The League One side, struggling in the Championship this season, secured a memorable victory, sending Liverpool out of the competition in the fourth round.

Despite Slot's intention to field a stronger lineup, the Reds' performance was far from convincing. A much-changed team, with Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez seeing limited involvement, failed to capitalise on their superior quality.

The manager expressed his frustration after the match, admitting that there were no positives to take from such an early exit.

Plymouth now look ahead to a fifth-round clash against Manchester City, while Liverpool's early departure provides some unintended benefits.

With two free weekends in March due to the elimination, Slot and his team can now focus on their Premier League and Champions League commitments.

However, the manager made it clear he would have preferred the opportunity to give more game time to fringe players.

"There was a wise man that once said to me that nothing good comes from losing a football game and I completely agree," he said.

"So we would have definitely preferred to play six games in 18 days or seven in 21 or eight in 24 because that is the schedule we are in.

"Now with us losing this game, there is one moment where we have a normal week but that is definitely not what we wanted when we went to Plymouth.

"It was difficult because the plan was of course to play with Joe for 60 minutes or longer. The plan was to start Curtis but he came out Sunday saying that he didn't feel well enough to play.

"So then all of a sudden we missed two important players. I think people know Darwin's situation that he became a dad one or two days before the game and that happened in Spain, so he came in a bit later.

"So there were some circumstances that weren't perfect. The idea was to play with a stronger team than we did, but still this team should have been able to win that game.

"And the fact that we didn't and we didn't against PSV as well also tells us that these players definitely need these games to get the best out of them.

"It is so difficult to get the best out of them if they hardly play any games. And that's why, again, it's disappointing that we don't have these extra games for them in 18 days."