Liverpool’s performance against Manchester United was more evidence of a long-time problem laid out by Jamie Carragher on the broadcast.
It was a pretty toothless display from the travelling Reds. They didn’t get played off the park, but the lack of attacking firepower prevented them from completing a comeback. The result is disappointing, but it was the performance that had the former Liverpool defender so concerned. He couldn’t hold it in.
During the first half, Carragher was already talking about Liverpool’s lack of physicality in a harsh assessment of the current squad. And he puts that on Arne Slot.
Can someone explain why this was allowed to stand?
Apparently United are allowed to handle balls into the net now 😤
Jamie Carragher’s damning assessment of Liverpool under Arne Slot
Liverpool are enduring an injury crisis at the moment, and it wasn’t the strongest of front lines fielded at Old Trafford.
But it wasn’t just the lack of threat that had Carragher concerned. He takes issue with the makeup of the team as a whole.
He said on the Sky Sports broadcast: “There’s nothing worse than being in a team that keeps the ball, that are just neat and tidy. You want to play against those teams, you feel you can hurt them aggressively on the counter-attack, just set up. I used to love playing against those teams as a player.
“There’s nothing worse than your team becoming that. When you think of those teams of the past, doesn’t matter who it was, that you maybe disliked watching that are neat and tidy, and as soon as the game gets fast, aggressive and difficult you’re found wanting.
“And that’s the big problem with Liverpool this season under Arne Slot. There is talk of where the criticism comes from Liverpool supporters, because he won the title last season. And I get that.
“But the longer a manager is in situ, the more we see his style of football and it’s definitely more of a technical game. You can see that with the personnel that was brought in during the summer.”
Slot has looked to implement his own ideas this season, and it hasn’t gone well. His approach differs substantially to that of Jurgen Klopp — a fact that doesn’t do him any favours with the fans.
Liverpool are a far more technical, less physical outfit, and that has become a weakness as the Premier League trends in the other direction.
Carragher cites the Dutchman’s first transfer target to get his point across.
He remarked: “If you actually go back to his first summer, the guy he wanted to bring in was Zubimendi. He’s the type of player [that show they’re] definitely moving away from certainly what it was under the previous manager. Which is understandable, everyone has their own ideas, but too often we’ve seen this type of performance – soft and weak.”
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Hard to disagree with his assessment of the performance, and it’s a plain fact that Liverpool need more physicality in the central areas. Slot looks set to stay at Liverpool beyond the summer, so it’s time to fix the flaws with the system he wants to play.
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