Liverpool’s disappointing form under Arne Slot has led to many players faced with heavy criticism after Wednesday night’s Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven
Alan Shearer has spared Hugo Ekitike in his criticism of Liverpool after their abysmal run continued on Wednesday night against PSV Eindhoven. The Champions League defeat is the Reds’ third straight loss by three goals.
The terrible form means Arne Slot is under intense scrutiny, with the club sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table and facing the possibility of facing a Champions League play-off. Following the defeat to PSV in midweek, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher unleashed a scathing attack on the situation at Anfield amid calls for Slot to be sacked. “Liverpool’s not a sacking club,” Carragher said on CBS Sports.
“Liverpool are different from almost every club in European football — the manager is the king, the manager gets time. I have always been in the camp that you stick with the manager … I’m angry with the players, if I’m totally honest. But it does get to a stage for any manager at a club where it’s untenable. It can’t go on any longer.
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“I’m not quite there yet, but I know others are.” He continued: “The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jürgen Klopp was Alisson, (Virgil) Van Dijk and (Mohamed) Salah.
“Alisson’s injured a lot now, he doesn’t play so much. But you watch Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.
“I don’t like criticising them, and I think some of the criticism of them this season as players has been harsh. You always look for leaders in your team to step up when things are not going well. And I’ve been critical of Salah off the pitch, I want him to come out and do an interview and speak to the Liverpool supporters about what the players are going to do, about what’s going on in the dressing room, giving the supporters hope that things are going to improve.
“But I don’t like criticising them on the pitch because they’re absolute legends for what they’ve done, and their legs have just gone. Van Dijk now can’t help other players, he needs help himself, and that just means he’s a normal centre-back like I was, maybe he’s not super human right now.”
Shearer has become the latest pundit to criticise the Liverpool players, but the former Premier League winner has defended Ekitike after his impressive start to life at Anfield. “I think the damaging thing for Arne Slot and for Liverpool at the minute is the manner of the defeats,” he said.
“If you’re going down and you’re unlucky, conceding unlucky or last-minute goals, then you say, okay, there’s plenty to work on. But the manner of the defeat… it’s hard enough losing any game, but the way they’re being beat has to be a huge concern because they’re all over the place.
“If it was one problem, maybe you could fix it, but there’s issues all over the pitch. In forward positions they look devoid of ideas. Defensively it’s a massive worry, they’re struggling for a right-back, and Szoboszlai started there, then (Curtis) Jones went in there. (Milos) Kerkez has been really poor.
“Van Dijk, well you look to your captain to put in big performances, yet Virgil’s performances… he looks leggy, slow, puzzled. He’s a shadow of the player from last season, as is Konaté. I suppose you can say that about any Liverpool player right now.
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“We’re talking about him because he’s the captain and voice of the dressing room. His words at the weekend were concerning, saying they need to look at themselves, do better, roll up their sleeves, and fight. Well, he’s got to lead by example, and at the minute, he’s a shadow of himself.
“You can say the same about Salah, Konaté, and most of the new signings, other than Ekitike, who went off injured. Even then, Slot left him out at the weekend, which I thought was strange. Other than him, there’s not a lot of responsibility being shown.
“Jamie Carragher pointed out that Salah is quick to speak when he gets Man of the Match or is negotiating a new contract, and I understand that side of it. But the time for talking is on the pitch, not off it. Whether you do interviews or not is irrelevant, you do your talking with performances. Salah isn’t doing that, Van Dijk isn’t, and many others aren’t either. That’s the real concern.”
