Arne Slot has been subtly criticised for his treatment of one Liverpool star with a clear point made on how former manager Jurgen Klopp would have handled the situation
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and current head coach Arne Slot
Clinton Morris believes former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and would have taken a different approach compared to Arne Slot(Image: Getty)
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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison has admitted he is not a fan of how Arne Slot has used Milos Kerkez in his first season at Liverpool. The summer signing from AFC Bournemouth endured a challenging first few months at Anfield, but has gradually improved his performances.
Despite that, Slot went for experience in last Sunday's Merseyside Derby victory over Everton with Andy Robertson starting at left-back. He joined Liverpool from Hull in 2017 early into Jurgen Klopp's reign with Morrison praising how his integration was handled in comparison to Slot's use of Kerkez.
Speaking exclusively with Freebets.com, the home of the best betting sites, he said: "Kerkez has been thrown in and struggled - I liked how Klopp eased Robertson in gradually. Slot hasn't done that (with Kerkez).” The former immediately became Liverpool's first-choice left-back which saw Robertson forced to play a reduced role.
The Scot very nearly joined Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window but the plug was pulled on that deal. It has since been officially announced that the 32-year-old will be leaving the club after nearly a decade at the end of the season.
As such, it was his final Merseyside Derby and the same applies to Mohamed Salah with his appearance marked by scoring the opening goal. Beto later equalised but Virgil van Dijk headed home the winner in stoppage time to relieve some pressure on Slot and put Liverpool in a strong position to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Though it has been a disappointing season for the reigning champions, Morrison believes a top-five finish will be enough to keep Slot in the job.
He said: “He needed to finish in a Champions League spot. If he does that, I think he gets another season — at least the start of it. There'll be more players going than just Robertson and Salah.
"Players will be sold to free up money and bring in better-paid talent. As for Slot, I speak to a lot of my Liverpool friends who aren't happy — the style of football, the passivity.
"But you have to think back to last season when he won the Premier League. A lot has happened at Liverpool this season. If he secures Champions League football, I think he starts next season as Liverpool manager.”
The gap to those below fifth-placed Liverpool was at seven points at the start of the week following Chelsea, Brentford and Brighton all dropping points.
Liverpool players celebrate after beating Everton
Liverpool took a big step toward securing Champions League qualification for next season after beating Everton
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Midweek results have already seen that change but Slot's side can restore that advantage again by beating Crystal Palace this weekend at Anfield. That could actually be quite a challenge though, with the Eagles beating Liverpool three times already this season.
However, Morrison looks to be going against one of his old clubs by backing a home win and he is doing so for one key reason.
He admitted: "On the weekend it's a tricky one — Palace will have one eye on the Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk. This could actually be Liverpool's time to beat them.”