Jamie Carragher believes the incoming Liverpool manager has a tough job on his hands
Jamie Carragher speaking to Sky Sports.
Jamie Carragher admitted he was surprised by Arne Slot's Liverpool sacking(Image: Sky Sports)
View 2 Images
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has admitted that he was left surprised by Arne Slot's sacking. The Dutch head coach was relieved of his duties on Saturday morning following the Reds' turgid Premier League title defence.
The news of the search for his successor emerged less than a week after the curtain came down on the campaign with Liverpool earning a point in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. It was enough to secure Champions League football for next season at Anfield but marked the end of a season that brought 20 defeats in all competitions.
Andoni Iraola, who will leave Bournemouth and become a free agent upon the expiry of his contract next month, has emerged as the front-runner to become the Reds' 23rd full-time tactician. However, Carragher was left shocked by the timing of the Premier League-winning managers' dismissal.
He told Sky Sports: "I was surprised, a lot that has been coming out of the club was that the manager was saying. Arne Slot was saying that in his press conferences, he was close to appointing a coach, so there's no way the club has sanctioned that if he thought he wasn't going to be in charge. I think it's sudden, caught everyone off guard including Arne Slot.
"I was torn on Arne Slot, I must say, I would've backed any decision and I can see both sides of the argument but an elite football manager finds a way to fix Liverpool to make it better but he wasn't helped with recruitment, have anyone of them done well?
"You could put that on the manager, does he need to get more out of them? Should them players have done more? Yes. Should the people above him give him a better squad? Yes. There's a lot of people to point fingers at."
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageWhat became Slot's final months of his tenure were marred by Mohamed Salah's public comments against the head coach as he cut short a lucrative two-year deal at Anfield.
The Egyptian bid an emotional farewell to Liverpool supporters after a record-breaking nine years, last Sunday, but he fired one more parting shot in a warning to the Reds hierarchy surrounding the drop in standards at Anfield.
Carragher was outspoken in his criticism of the Liverpool icon's antics. The former defender reaffirmed his dislike of Salah's conduct towards the manager.
He continued: "There is no doubt that he lost supporters, I think that was harsh on the back of what happened 12 months before. Supportersbase has a huge influence, when you talk about player power, that can't have helped with Salah. I'm not happy with that, I don't ever want Liverpool Football Club to have player power to speak out about a manager who won the Premier League.
"What manager does it help when a star player comes out publicly criticising the manager, that shouldn't happen no matter the situation. Maybe it's forced the clubs' hand but the performances have been poor, my fear was that Liverpool might have a situation where Man United have been where they have a manager they're unsure about, stick with him in the summer and end up changing it two months later, you almost wasting a year.
"I don't know what goes on in the dressing room, I didn't like Mo Salah's post, I didn't think he should come out publicly. Who does get on with every manager?
"Players have lots of different managers but you don't go out on social media and do it publicly or put clapping emojis when someones having a go at your own manager. That probably tells you what's going on in the Liverpool dressing room right now. It shows it's not as easy of a job as it is from the outside so the new man coming in will have to sort that dressing room out."
Andoni Iraola during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield.
Andoni Iraola during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield.(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Iraola transformed Bournemouth's fortunes as an impressive finish during the second half of the campaign fired them to European qualification for the first time in their history.
The Cherries' football has been praised and some have compared the front-footed attacking play to the philosophy needed at Anfield. Carragher heaped praise on the Spaniard but stopped short of endorsing him for the job as he highlighted flaws - including implementing his relentless regime during a hectic schedule.
He said: "He's done a brilliant job. There are still huge question marks, the football is something Liverpool want to get to, high intense football, but it's not all about that when you're Liverpool manager. That was what worried me, Liverpool off the ball were so poor. He's fantastic at that but with the ball, dealing with low blocks.
"My worry is can you play at that intensity when you're playing every three days? Whenever you bring in a manager for a top club at England, can they win the league? Liverpool had a manager who won the league, that's why I was always torn, whoever comes in is a risk but Liverpool did have a manager who won the league."