Arne Slot has received a lot of criticism during what has been a difficult 2025/26 season for Liverpool so far.
The Dutchman’s treatment of Federico Chiesa has angered fans at times this term.
Some supporters were even discussing potential alternatives to Slot during their dire run of form last month.
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Liverpool went on a run of just three wins from 12, their worst string of results since the 1953/54 campaign when they were relegated from the old Division 1.
The Merseyside outfit have since begun to turn things around on the pitch, going unbeaten in their last five across all competitions, but Ryan Babel still thinks one thing has made Slot look bad.
Luis Diaz sale to Bayern Munich was a mistake
Mohamed Salah slammed the club earlier this month after what has been a mixed campaign for the 33-year-old.
Wayne Rooney is among those to criticise Salah this term, highlighting how he should be doing more from a defensive point of view.
But speaking on the FILTHY @ FIVE podcast, former player Babel has said that the sale of Luis Diaz has not helped the Egyptian, as he was doing a lot of the pressing work.
He went on to say it means Salah has to do more and suggested that has made Slot ‘look bad’.
Babel stated: “And sometimes if the right puzzles are not together, like I think one of the mistakes I believe is leaving Diaz, you know, letting him go.
“And even with Nunez, he was maybe not the striker Liverpool needed, but the work ethic he did, and had took a lot of work off Mo Salah’s pressing as well, right?
“And now you have different types of players and Mo Salah has to do more and the overall, yeah, it can eventually make the manager look bad.”
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Richard Hughes’ role in Luis Diaz exit
Diaz is now thriving at Bayern Munich, scoring 12 and assisting seven in 21 matches across all competitions.
Was it a mistake to let him go? Perhaps, but the blame should not be put on Liverpool’s manager.
Instead, it was club chief Richard Hughes who played a key role in the Colombian leaving Anfield over the summer.
It was previously revealed that Slot wanted to keep Diaz, but Hughes overruled the coach and sanctioned the sale.
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