John Aldridge. Picture: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Imagesplaceholder image
John Aldridge. Picture: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool fell to a 4-0 loss against Manchester City with Hugo Ekitike and Dominik Szoboszlai’s respective actions irking fans.
John Aldridge slammed Hugo Ekitike for swapping shirts after being substituted in Liverpool’s loss to Manchester City - and suggested there is a lack of character in the dressing room.
The Reds’ chastening 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup quarter-final was another low point of an insipid season. City scored all their goals within a 20-minute period, with Arne Slot’s side’s defending woeful.
Liverpool have lost 15 times in all competitions throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Their Premier League title defence has been meek and they sit just fifth in the table, while there is little confidence ahead of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Incensed travelling supporters left the Etihad Stadium in their droves before full-time against City. And to compound their frustrations, the sight City forward Rayan Cherki wearing Liverpool striker Ekitike’s jersey on the bench before the game was completed enraged fans.
Speaking in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge says the behaviour wouldn’t have been tolerated had big personalities by club legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in the past.
The former Anfield striker said: “That was unacceptable, I have to say. Incidents like that point to a lack of characters in the squad, the likes of Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher wouldn’t have tolerated that. Attitudes need to change; this is part of the wider problem at Liverpool right now.”
Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai also antagonised those left in the away end at full-time. The midfielder had a confrontation with those in the stands and had to be led away by team-mate Federico Chiesa.
Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s standout performer this campaign but Aldridge was on the side of Kopites. He added: “I am not sure exactly what Szoboszlai’s point was and maybe something was lost in translation.
“He is one of the few players who doesn’t deserve a lot of criticism this year so I won’t do that here, but it didn’t look good. He needs to understand that fans have every right to vent their spleen when they have just been so comprehensively outplayed the way they were against City on the day.”
Liverpool’s poor season means that Slot is under pressure as head coach despite winning the Premier League in his maiden campaign. There are significant sections of supporters calling for a change in the Anfield hot seat.
On Slot’s future, Aldridge said: A lot of the supporters have shown in recent weeks they are far from happy with the situation. The boos and the early exits after the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last month was compounded by the sight of plenty of match-goers walking out after about 60 minutes or so on Saturday afternoon.It's not for former players to be calling for the manager to get the sack and that is something I don't want to do on these pages.
“But look, Arne will know the score, this is football and if results and performances don't improve then talk about his future will always be there.Fifteen defeats this season is the most since the 2014/15 campaign under Brendan Rodgers and since winning the league 12 months ago, you have to say there have simply been far too many days where Liverpool have been second best.It's usually the manager who carries the can for that and the line has to be drawn somewhere in the end.”
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