Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has faced criticism after making 10 changes to his starting XI to take on Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup - a decision that ended up backfiring
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during Wednesday's Carabao Cup defeat against Crystal Palace
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during Wednesday's Carabao Cup defeat against Crystal Palace
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Alan Shearer has insisted that talk of Arne Slot getting sacked is 'an overreaction' but conceded he will be under 'massive pressure' if Liverpool fail to beat Aston Villa on Saturday after he made wholesale changes for the Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace.
Slot made 10 alterations from the loss at Brentford in the Premier League, resting the majority of his senior players and opting not to even include them in the matchday squad for the last 16 tie.
Milos Kerkez was the only player to keep his place in the XI, with Giorgi Mamardashvili, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike dropping out and not even getting a spot on the bench.
It's a decision that didn't pay off, as the Reds were thumped 3-0 by a rampant Palace side. Ismaila Sarr scored a first-half brace for Oliver Glasner's men, before Yeremy Pino wrapped up the win late on. The result marked Liverpool's sixth defeat in seven matches across all competitions.
Reflecting on Slot's decision to make so many changes and leaving his big-name players out, Shearer believes that it's a massive gamble and the Liverpool boss will only find out if it's the right decision if they manage to beat Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
Should the Reds lose, that's them out of the Premier League title race, according to Shearer. "In terms of Arne Slot losing his job – yes, without a doubt it's an overreaction. He did a great job last year," he told Betfair.
"I know he came into a very good football club with some excellent players, and they didn't add a lot to it, hardly anything, really. But he still did a great job last year, and obviously Liverpool are really struggling now.
"I wouldn't say crisis just yet - but they're in a very sticky situation. We might have to use the word crisis if Villa beat them at Anfield on Saturday. For now, I'd say it's a sticky situation rather than a full-blown crisis.
"I thought it was a huge gamble that backfired against Palace. Having said that, if they win on Saturday and again on Tuesday, then from his point of view it could prove to be the right decision - because the Carabao Cup would have been low on the priority list.
"But when you're a club already struggling and desperately in need of a result, it's risky to put out that sort of side and those substitutes. If you lose narrowly, say 1–0 to a dodgy decision - fine. But when you're battered at home and Palace fans are singing 'Can we play you every week?', that's damaging.
"We won't know the full extent of the fallout until after Saturday evening's result. It's put more pressure on the players who'll come back in for the Villa game at Anfield. If they win, he'll say it was the right decision - but they have to win now after that selection.
"If they lose on Saturday, I don't see them in the title race. If they win, build confidence, they've still got the quality to go on a big run. Saturday evening is huge - another defeat, and I think they're out of it."
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