Jamie Carragher said before Liverpool’s away match at Aston Villa that the Reds “still don’t look like a team” under Arne Slot, questioning their identity, balance and consistency.
Arne Slot has been under scrutiny by pundits and supporters for the way his side are set up during the 2025/26 campaign.
Last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea saw the full-time whistle greeted with boos, though it wasn’t for drawing to one of their main rivals in the Premier League. The Kopites saw a lack of fight, which led to the anger in the stands.
Liverpool take on Aston Villa on Friday evening, and former Reds player Jamie Carragher speaking on Sky Sports ahead of the match, where he was critical of how the team have played this season, which sees them still fighting for a place in the Champions League next season.
With the highs of league title success last May, the honeymoon period is over for the Dutchman, and it’s been a constant sign this year, one of the criticisms Carragher has.
He said, “He won the league last year, what are youse talking about? and some are saying maybe he should move on but it’s because there has never been any stage this season where they have looked like a real team.
“Nothing has been good for Liverpool this season, so I think there is a lot of work to do on the training pitch of course through the manager but also recruitment wise.”
"They are very poor in possession and very poor out of possession"
Jamie Carragher discusses Liverpool's problems this season 🔴 pic.twitter.com/O20CZlzn4N
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 15, 2026
The most recent game against the Blues showed this as Dominik Szoboszlai was the sole player to lead the team in their pressing approach, though when he looked for a helping hand, none arrived, with his teammates shrugging, questioning when to step up to meet their opponent.
However, it’s not just in their style of play that they don’t feel like a collective at times this season. Many times tackles have been flying in, or a player makes a mistake and none one steps into the role to question the referee, or offer their teammates some support. To the fans, this is very unlike a Liverpool side that has been built on being together in the past.
It’s fair to say that the Dutch head coach hasn’t got the best out of last summer’s signings, the club made in a £450 million transfer window. Outside of Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez, it’s hard to justify the fees spent on the incomings who were supposed to kickstart this new era at Anfield. Therefore, it’s tough to believe he will be granted another warchest this time around, though he must.
Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards need to identify figures to bring to the club to make them stronger on and off the ball, as Slot’s troops have looked toothless at key points through the season, which has left them in the current position them find themselves.
Additions are needed out wide to strengthen their attacking areas, after the sales of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have left them without a bite when it comes to pushing the opposition into mistakes. Replacements will be needed at fullback, especially when Andy Robertson leaves and a goalkeeper could be an extra man on the shopping list.
As Carragher says, fans are questioning himself despite his past success, but if the poor performances continue, he will continue to lose faith with the fanbase, with several members already looking past the Slot era into the possibilities of a new future