Jamie Carragher has said Arne Slot will not have a “leg to stand on” if his Liverpool side fail to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Slot made a dream start at Anfield by leading Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season at the club.
The Reds finished ten points above Arsenal last season. However, the Gunners are now 14 points better off than Slot’s team after 23 rounds in the Premier League this season.
Liverpool must focus on Champions League qualification
While leaders Arsenal look set to challenge Manchester City and Aston Villa for the title this season, Liverpool’s main focus should be on ensuring they don’t miss out on a place in Europe’s top club competition in 2025/2026.
A place in the top four is guaranteed enough, but there is a good chance that England will get an extra place in the Champions League, meaning that the team that finished fifth in the Premier League this season will probably also qualify.
After losing 3-2 at Bournemouth last weekend, Liverpool are currently in sixth place. Directly above them are world champions Chelsea and a resurgent Manchester United, who have beaten Arsenal and Man City in their first two games following the reappointment of Michael Carrick as caretaker manager.
Jamie Carragher names three things Arne Slot’s Liverpool “can’t deal with”
Speaking Air sports On Monday evening, Carragher suggested serious questions would be asked about Slot’s future if he fails to guide Liverpool to a place in next season’s Champions League.
Club legend Carragher pointed out Liverpool’s huge summer in the transfer market and also highlighted three key areas where Slot’s team are not good enough: set-pieces, dealing with counter-attacks and breaking down teams who sit deep.
“If you don’t qualify for the Champions League because you won the league the season before and spent as much as Liverpool, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on,” Carragher began.
“The real concern I have for Liverpool when it comes to qualifying for the Champions League is the three big things that stand out in the Premier League now: set-pieces, counter-attacks and running into low blocks. Liverpool can’t deal with any of these things.”
“What we see is a team in the Premier League that is not fit for the Premier League. Once you start to see what Manchester United and Chelsea have done in recent weeks, you start to see that Liverpool could actually finish outside the Champions League positions.”
“I’m really scared for them. Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, then I think we have a completely different proposition when it comes to the manager’s job.”
“For me it’s very different. If we’re talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, then that’s a collective responsibility, and Liverpool don’t win the league every year.”
“Not reaching the Champions League [being] champions, spending £450 million and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is normally the biggest determinant of where you finish in the league, I think you have serious questions.
Are Liverpool in transition under Arne Slot?
Carragher’s removal from his former club came after Slot claimed his team were going through a period of transition following their summer signing spree.
“Everyone at the club, me, the ownership board, sporting directors – we know what it takes to take the next step in this transition phase,” Slot said after Saturday’s defeat at Bournemouth.
Gary Neville hit back at Slot for his transition comment. Speaking on his podcast, Neville stated: “I don’t listen to that. £450 million spent in the summer on all those players was the season you would win back-to-back titles.”
Amid Liverpool’s poor form, there has been some positive news for the club recently. Last week, Liverpool was confirmed as the best Premier League club based on turnover in the 2024/25 season.
A total income of £702 million placed the Anfield team in fifth place in the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, behind only Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
#Jamie #Carragher #condemns #Arne #Slots #Liverpool #key #failings