The actions of four Liverpool first-team players before kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday have drawn criticism from former players.
Liverpool players photographed kicking up in the Old Trafford tunnel (Image: Instagram/stansportfc)
Bizarrely, Liverpool have been accused of being disrespectful towards Manchester United after footage emerged of a group of teams having a kick-up inside the tunnel at Old Trafford.
Arne Slott’s side lost 3-2 to United in the Premier League on Sunday, but Don Hutchison criticized their actions before the game.
Goals from Mateus Cunha and Benjamin Sesco gave United a 2-0 lead, before sloppy errors allowed Dominik Szoboszlai and Kodi Gakpo to equalize. Coby Mainu’s low shot from the edge of the box won United the winner, completing their first league double against Liverpool in 10 years.
The result highlighted the predicament Liverpool currently face, and footage showing a relaxed atmosphere among the senior players before kick-off did not help their case. Footage posted on social media showed Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Florian Wirths and Jeremy Frimpong kicking the ball inside the Old Trafford tunnel.
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That didn’t work out for Don Hutchison, who played for the club in the early 1990s. He wrote in X: “I hate the Liverpool players keeping up in the tunnel at Man Utd. The likes of (Jurgen) Klopp + (Jordan) Henderson + (James) Milner would never have allowed this kind of lowering of standards.”
Asked to clarify what he meant, Hutchison added: “The problem is…keeping up in the tunnel looks disrespectful to the opponent. It’s a lack of concentration. Focus on team meetings/coach instructions/tactics. Take your opponent seriously. It looks sloppy.”
United’s defeat ended Liverpool’s three-game winning streak in the Premier League, who sit fourth in the Premier League, seven points behind their rivals. After winning the title in Slot’s debut campaign, they have struggled this season and will end without a trophy later this month.
On Sunday, Liverpool suffered their 18th defeat of the season (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
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The news that Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will leave the club at the end of the season will further dilute the senior leadership group mentioned by Hutchison. Only Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker will remain as regulars who have been with the club for a long time, but there is a possibility that Alisson could leave.
Sunday’s loss was Liverpool’s 18th loss of the season in all competitions, and Slott was forced to lament yet another poor performance. “In terms of being able to win games like this, the difference is not that big. We know where we can improve and we are already working hard on it,” he said.
“The same problems keep coming back, which is not too surprising because we don’t have much time to fix them during the season. Tactically we can change some things, but for me it’s clear where we have to improve and we will do that.”
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