Jamie Carragher is worried about where Liverpool are heading under Arne Slott and questions what the team’s identity is.
Liverpool lost 3-2 to Manchester United on Super Sunday, but Slott’s side remained in fourth place with work to do to qualify for the Champions League. Slott also has work to do to convince fans that he is the man to lead next season.
The Reds are without a win in eight away games against teams in the top half of the Premier League this season and have now lost 11 league games.
Former Liverpool defender Carragher is struggling with how Slott can resolve the situation. He said: ‘Are you worried about where Liverpool are going? Yes, I am.
“I think it’s going to be very interesting to see who Liverpool sign in the summer and what the profile of the players will be. “Bringing only good players hasn’t worked. It’s blown in their faces. There’s a lack of physicality.
“We are currently in a situation where teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea are looking for a manager.
“The three clubs I mentioned sacked their managers midway through the season. They ended up with (Alvaro) Arbeloa, who had never managed before, (Michael) Carrick, who was at Middlesbrough, and (Liam) Rosenior, who was young, but it was just too big.”
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On Gary Neville’s podcast, Nev and Carla discuss whether Liverpool or Manchester United are better suited for next season.
“Maybe those great managers don’t exist at the moment and those numbers aren’t available. Xabi Alonso is someone who makes Liverpool fans think, ‘We don’t want to miss him.’
“We can’t be a club that goes on for the next five or 10 years and says, ‘Oh, I want Jurgen Klopp’s football.’
“He’s a genius. He’s better at football than anyone else. So no matter what manager comes in, he’ll play his own football.”
“It’s not the lack of identity that worries me; it’s the identity.
Koby Mainu restores Manchester United’s lead against Liverpool
“So it’s on the shoulders of the manager. And going back to last year when Liverpool didn’t sign anyone, the one player he wanted was Martin Zvimendi again, who was also a technical footballer.”
“I’m not saying it won’t work. Over the last 10 years, the most successful teams in the Premier League have been technical football teams. But we’re moving away from the likes of Jurgen Klopp, because that’s what this manager wants.”
“This is where he led this team. And that’s the worry for me: Is this actually going to go more the other way?”
“Or does Liverpool think they need to go back to last season? Or does Arne Slott think, ‘No, we actually need a more technical footballer’?”
Carragher: We’ve been kind to “poor” Wirtz.
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Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher hilariously debate which club has the brighter future between Manchester United and Liverpool and which club is closer to winning the Premier League.
Carragher also believes it is time to start demanding more from Florian Wirths, who has taken almost a year to adapt to the Premier League since joining for £116m in the summer.
He said: “One player who I think has had a very easy time is Florian Wirths. I’ve never moved clubs, let alone moved to another country. But I think we gave him time. We were very, very kind.”
“He was poor today. Even if Liverpool play really well, it’s Szoboszlai and sometimes this season it’s Salah. Salah wasn’t the Salah he was last season, but he was still one of Liverpool’s best attackers.”
“When I was commentating for Liverpool away at Burnley at the start of the season, I described Wertz as neat and tidy. At the time he was nice. I wouldn’t say he’s a particularly strange guy now. He’s only been at Liverpool for a year.”
Slots: It’s very clear where we need to improve
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Arne Slott was furious at Benjamin Sesco’s handball that could have led to Manchester United’s second goal.
Liverpool head coach Slott is well aware of the team’s need to improve.
He said, “In a game like this, the difference between winning and not being able to win is not that big.
“We clearly know what we need to improve on. We have been working hard on that already in recent weeks as we have a little more training time.
“The same problems come back, but that’s not surprising at all because there’s not much you can change during the season.
“For us, for me, it’s very clear where we have to improve and we will do that next season as well.”
As for those improvements, “No, there’s no point in sharing them.”
Liverpool’s 4 goals in 19 games in the first half is embarrassing
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones analyzes this as follows:
Liverpool’s poor away days are not just a temporary thing, but are becoming a pattern that Arne Slott cannot ignore. There was a reluctance to the approach in the first half of the trip, which felt at odds with the club’s identity, which has been very exciting under Jurgen Klopp. A team built on intensity, front-footed football and early decision-making is now drifting through the early stages as if waiting for the game to come.
Concerns were further heightened by another blank before the break against Manchester United. This brings them to just four goals in their last 19 games in the first half. It’s a surprising relegation for a team full of attacking quality and promise. It’s not just the failure to finish, it’s the overall lack of urgency. The tempo is slow, the pressing is disjointed and Liverpool are too often passive rather than proactive.
It’s an embarrassing anomaly in what has been a miserable season for a club that should be chasing big honours.
