Jamie Carragher argued that Liverpool are “a million miles off” where they should be after spending over £400 million last summer, with the onus on Arne Slot.
Liverpool are again in the position of dusting themselves off after a miserable defeat – for the second time this season, a 1-0 loss at Galatasaray.
While there is still a second leg at Anfield to go to determine who progresses to the quarter-finals, the performance seen in Istanbul has again increased the pressure on Slot.
In his post-match verdict for CBS Sports, Carragher claimed that while it was “not just all about the manager,” Slot would “carry the can” after failing to meet expectations around a record-breaking summer spend.
“I still think Liverpool will go through, but this is a worry for the manager and the team,” the former vice-captain began.
“What we saw tonight is what we saw early on in the group stages away in Galatasaray.
“This team is just a million miles off where it was supposed to be this season, which was that we’d be talking about them in the same light as Bayern Munich right now.
“That was the whole point of Liverpool spending over £400 million in the summer, to go the next step from winning the Premier League to going to win the Champions League.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Tuesday, March 10, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg match between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“And we’re talking about a team who have now got to change a deficit against Galatasaray.
“I think they will, but I don’t have any hope for Liverpool going any further than that if it’s Paris Saint-Germain in the next round, which I think it may be.
“That for me is a big worry. It’s not just the defeat, I think the performances from Liverpool this season are a big worry for the manager.
“I think I said on this show in the group stages that he’s got to do something, he’s got to change something. He’s tried everything!
“Nothing seems to be able to work and at no stage in this season have I ever felt Liverpool were in control of a football match.
“It’s either end-to-end basketball, so he wanted to stop that and change that, and then it’s just become slow and boring and predictable.
“If another manager could come in straight away, I don’t think it dramatically changes. I really do think the makeup of the squad, how it’s been put together, the lack of options in certain areas, is a big problem as well.
“So it’s not just all about the manager. But as we know, managers carry the can.”