Jamie Carragher calls on Arne Slot to take Liverpool "back to what they were" with 1 key change

Arne Slot has been urged to restore stability to Liverpool’s starting lineup by going back to what they were last season to help build confidence and consistency.

There will be few that argue against the narrative that Liverpool have not been anywhere near their best to start the season, with late winners needed and more chances afforded to the opposition.

A statement summer of transfers has changed what was otherwise a settled team of two years, and patience is needed for it all to click and for chemistry between players to spark.

Liverpool have won seven and lost two across all competitions, but it is the manner of their performances that has seen Jamie Carragher call for Slot to restore as much parity as he can.

“Liverpool are not playing football, they are playing basketball,” the former Liverpool defender said on CBS. “It’s just end-to-end and I don’t think top teams play like that, and I expressed that to the manager early on.

“He’s obviously a fantastic manager, but right now Liverpool went from a top team, but also a workman-like team, and they sprinkled a bit of stardust on it in terms of the transfers they brought in.

“And they haven’t gained anything going forward, but they’ve lost a lot defensively.

“I think for the manager now, last season was such a smooth ride; he now needs to really earn his money.

“He did last season, won the Premier League, but there are a few problems he has to fix. It will be really interesting how he goes about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players.

“Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, he is just not at the races at all. He’s a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go.

“But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool get back to what they were last season, and then go from there to try to build some confidence and some stability.

“Right now it looks like a mess.

“It’s not the losses, it’s not the defeats, it’s the performances. And this has been coming from day one. Liverpool got battered by Newcastle in the second half of that game, and Newcastle had 10 men.

“Things like that can’t happen,” he stressed.

“Crystal Palace created seven big chances, that is more than any team has conceded this season and Liverpool are the champions. This is not a shock, it’s been coming. And the manager needs to fix it.”

Chelsea is Liverpool’s next test and returning to a 4-3-3 formation will be on the wish list of many, with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai restored as the midfield three.

It is a long season and patience will be required, but three defeats in a row before the international break must be avoided by Slot and going back to basics could be exactly what’s needed.

Click here to read article