Jamie Carragher has given his thoughts on Liverpool’s poor season, and where he feels the problems started for his former club as Arne Slot comes under increasing pressure
Jamie Carragher feels Liverpool’s problems go back to the summer transfer window(Image: Sky Sports)
Jamie Carragher has suggested that Liverpool’s problems this season can be traced all the way back to last summer’s transfer window.
The Reds are coming to the end of what has been a poor campaign, despite going into it with plenty of optimism after winning the Premier League title. Liverpool will finish the season without any trophies, while Champions League qualification is still not secure before the final game of the campaign.
Defeat at Aston Villa on Friday means Arne Slot’s team will now have to wait to see whether Bournemouth and Brighton will still be in the race for the top five come the final weekend, with both teams yet to play their penultimate games and still in a position where they could overtake Liverpool.
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Much has been made of the Reds’ problems this season, with Slot coming under increasing pressure for his job as fans grow more and more restless with his side’s performances. Carragher though feels the problems started before a ball was even kicked.
Liverpool embarked on a record-breaking spree last summer, having spent over $600 million on bringing in the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, while the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold departed.
“For me, the problem all season, it goes back to the summer recruitment,” Carragher told Sky Sports ahead of the defeat to Villa. “Every player they brought in was more attacking than the one that left.
Virgil van Dijk’s double couldn’t prevent Liverpool from falling to another defeat at Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
“I just looked at the games in pre-season, looked at that first game [vs Bournemouth], and it just felt like end-to-end basketball, and Liverpool weren’t that the season before under Slot, they were a lot more controlled, and it just seems to have been lost this season.
“Whether that’s down to the manager getting his way on the team a little bit more, the signings that have come in, or the problems Liverpool have had injury-wise as you see today.
“But it just feels like Liverpool never, when you look down at the teamsheet, have enough players who are good enough without the ball, and I actually think that’s the case tonight.”
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A huge summer lies in wait as for Liverpool as it looks to rectify those problems – and the task could yet be made even harder if it fails to qualify for the Champions League.
Regardless of whether it does or not, Carragher doesn’t see an easy fix for his former side, with both Slot and those higher up in the club facing huge pressure to get it right this summer.
Asked who has the tougher job between Slot and Liverpool’s recruitment team, Carragher responded: “Whenever you get asked that, the answer always is a bit of both. That’s always the answer.
“This team, the way they’re set up with and without the ball, we’re not talking about a team that are amazing with the ball and score lots of goals but are open at the back, they’re very poor in possession and very poor out of possession.
Arne Slot faced more questions over his future after Liverpool’s defeat to Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
“There’s nothing you can really hang your hat on with the manager’s team this season, and that’s where the pressure comes from. People from outside of Liverpool are probably looking at Liverpool supporters saying ‘you won the league last year, what are you talking about saying maybe he should move on?’
“But it’s because there’s never been at any stage this season where you’ve felt like you’re looking like a real team. Even for a few weeks, or they’re doing one part of the game really good, but out of possession they need to improve. Nothing’s been good for Liverpool this season, so I think there’s a lot of work to do on the training pitch through the manager, but also recruitment-wise.
“They spent a lot last season, but it’s about getting the right players, not spending the most money. Go back to what Liverpool did best under Jurgen Klopp – it wasn’t about signing superstars, it was about signing the right players for the team.”