Arne Slott named a weakened Liverpool side a candidate to face Crystal Palace if they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup, but the Reds manager was told he should have taken a different approach.
Arne Slott has been accused of “looking for trouble” by mentioning Liverpool’s weakened team ahead of their defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. The Reds manager selected a youthful squad for Wednesday night’s fourth-round clash after his team lost their last four Premier League games.
Milos Kerkes was the only player to retain his place after Saturday’s defeat to Brentford, with three teenagers starting for the home side at Anfield. Ismaila Sarr’s two first-half goals and Elemy Pino’s late goal saw Palace knock last season’s finalists out of the competition.
Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has criticized Slott’s team selection, suggesting he has too many players to choose from and is unsure of the best starting XI. This follows the Reds making 10 new signings during a record summer transfer window at a cost of around £449m.
The former Wolves and Wrexham manager also suggested that the Dutchman should have followed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s guidance and kept more senior players on the bench to ensure Liverpool’s progress. The Gunners secured a place in the cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Brighton thanks to Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka (the latter scoring from the bench).
Speaking on talkSPORT, Saunders said: “He’s looking for a hard time picking a team like that. As soon as I saw the team, two thoughts came to mind. Either they’re trying to get out of the cup, or they think it’s important and are looking forward to the next five games.”
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“But when you pick a team like that as a manager, it sends a message. The bench tells you everything. If you look at what Arteta has done, he had reserves on the bench in case things didn’t go well.”
“Normally you have the best players sitting there and if things start to go wrong, you can put it right. Palace are a good team and he basically plays in the Under-23s against Crystal Palace. I don’t know why he didn’t have ammunition on the bench.
“I think the argument from the fans is, ‘Wait a minute, we spent half a billion pounds on the team and now we have a team that can’t get everyone on the pitch.’” They’re on the bench. Wasn’t this a chance to give some of them a game? ”
He added: “A football manager just finds a formula to get results, and sometimes he stumbles on it, and sometimes he makes it happen. At the moment, he’s struggling to find that formula because he has too much material. He’s signed too many players.”
Liverpool’s defeat means they have lost five consecutive domestic competitions for the first time since 1953. Despite the manager lifting the Premier League title in his first season in charge, the club’s recent form under Slott is a cause for concern.
Recent results have seen the Reds fall from first place in the league to seventh place, with their hopes of winning the Carabao Cup dashed by the Eagles. The Eagles have defeated the Reds three times in as many months.
Liverpool next face Aston Villa in the league on Saturday as they look to end an alarming run of form. This match will be followed by two tough tests, with Real Madrid scheduled to visit Anfield in the Champions League on November 4th, while Slott’s side will travel to Manchester City in the league on November 9th.
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