Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has been urged to avoid repeating a mistake made by his predecessor when his side host Chelsea in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at Anfield on Wednesday night.
The Reds are carrying momentum after back-to-back victories against Brentford and Brighton, which lifted them into the top four for the first time this season. Iraola now faces Chelsea, managed by Xabi Alonso, in a competition Liverpool have won a record 11 times.
Aldridge warns against wholesale changes
Reds legend John Aldridge has warned Iraola against fielding a heavily rotated side, pointing to the approach Arne Slot took during Liverpool's fourth-round Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace last season. In October 2025, Slot named eight teenagers, three of whom started, in a squad that lost 3-0 at Anfield.
Aldridge cited the depth and quality within Chelsea's squad as the main reason Iraola cannot risk a weakened team. Writing in his column for the ECHO, he said: "We can't do that with Chelsea because they're out of Europe.
"They need the cup, they need it, and they will come to Anfield and play their strongest side. We've got to match them and it's going to be tough. I'll tell you what, it's tough for the manager because we've got injuries and you want to keep the players fresh for the league and for Europe.
"I don't envy the manager, but we do want a cup run and you win this game and you're in the quarter-finals, so it's a tough one. It really is a tough one."
Carragher backs Alexander-Arnold return
Jamie Carragher has said he would welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold making a return to Liverpool. The 28-year-old has struggled to establish himself at Real Madrid following his £10million transfer last summer, managing only three league starts this season and slipping to third in the right-back pecking order behind Denzel Dumfries and Federico Valverde.
His limited game time, combined with Liverpool's lack of creativity down the right flank, prompted Carragher to say he would embrace the England star's return. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: "I'd have him back. Give him plenty of stick, [because] I think he made a mistake. I think he made a big mistake. But, as I said, if something benefits Liverpool Football Club going forward...
"And when you think of the problems Liverpool have in terms of the right-back. Ronnie (Ronald Araujo) has been fantastic, but we do have a problem in terms of full-backs passing. We've definitely missed his creativity."
