Arne Slot will be looking to steer Liverpool back to winning ways at the weekend while Jurgen Klopp and some ex-Premier League legends have had their say on the Reds
Liverpool will be hoping to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday as they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The huge clash with the Blues now comes with added significance after Arne Slot’s side were beaten by Crystal Palace last weekend.
The Palace defeat has brutally exposed some underlying issues that have plagued the Reds all season. Despite Slot’s side winning their first five games of the season, the reigning Premier League champions have somewhat flattered to deceive.
Late winners were required to beat Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal and Burnley. A commanding first half performance in the Merseyside Derby against Everton was also entirely absent in a second period that saw the Reds labour to a slim 2-1 win.
Liverpool broke the bank to recruit the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak this summer, yet while they are still top of the league by two points, Slot’s side are yet to fully click into gear. With tactics being questioned by ex-boss Jurgen Klopp and Premier League legends having their say over Liverpool’s under performing stars, Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest news coming out of Anfield.
Klopp questions Liverpool’s style
Arne Slot’s predecessor Klopp has recently praised Slot but also questioned Liverpool’s current tactical set-up. Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, the German, who won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool, claimed the Reds look “really good” but did have a reservation over how open Slot’s side look this season, with the Reds having conceded seven in six games.
“Liverpool is playing a specific (style), so really, really good,” Klopp said. “Very offensive orientated. Do they take the risk a little bit of being exposed? Different ways to go, let me say it like that.”
Jeremie Frimpong issue raised
New full-back Jeremie Frimpong has also been questioned by ex-Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton. Sutton isn’t so sure that Slot is keen on the Dutchman with both Dominik Szoboszlai and Conor Bradley being deployed at right-back instead of the former Bayer Leverkusen star.
Frimpong has had to contend with an injury early on in his Liverpool career that kept him out for weeks. However, the 24-year-old has been singled out for his role in Palace’s late winner last weekend.
Speaking on the Football Daily Podcast, Sutton said: “I’m not sure he’s having [Jeremie] Frimpong, Arne Slot. At the weekend I was at the game against Crystal Palace – and let’s get it right, they thoroughly deserved to beat Liverpool. They were really direct in the way that they played with balls in behind and Liverpool just couldn’t cope.
“But the reason I say that [about Frimpong] is that he [Slot] made substitutions and he put Szoboszlai to right back. He took Bradley off, Szoboszlai to right back and Frimpong stayed on the bench.
“He eventually did come on and was part of that, you know, his poor defending. It was amazing, and that’s probably why he’s not having him because that was an amazing decision from Frimpong in that moment to actually even have in his mind to start moving forward when his job as a right back is to essentially defend.”
“He left [Eddie] Nketiah alone and the finish was brilliant but that was down to to him. So when you think that Liverpool have changed full-backs from last season – and even Kerkez off the left-hand side – I do feel that they are a work in progress.”
Everton icon sends warning
Toffees’ hero Duncan Ferguson believes Arsenal will win the Premier League title this season. Ferguson was speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football alongside Reds’ icon Jamie Carragher.
The former Blue believes Mikel Arteta’s side look stronger than Liverpool this season. “I was very impressed with them [Arsenal], I’ve put them down for the favourites for the title, I think they’ll be in front of Liverpool,” Ferguson said.
He added: “He [Arteta] changes formations he changes tactics, he’s putting different personnel in for the game… what I’ve saw of Liverpool, the wee bit of Liverpool I’ve saw this year and what I’ve saw of Arsenal, Arsenal look a stronger team.”
Salah issue raised by Premier League legend
Alan Shearer has suggested that Mohamed Salah is suffering from a lack of confidence, stating that the Reds’ attack “doesn’t look right”.
While Liverpool have scored 12 goals in the Premier League, the joint second most with Arsenal and just behind Man City, Salah only just two Premier League goals to his name – a peculiar stat for the club’s third highest goalscorer of all time.
“They’re still trying to work out Wirtz because they left [Cody] Gakpo out, put Wirtz on the left, Salah on the right and Isak down the middle and it still didn’t look right,” the Newcastle and England hero told the Rest is Football podcast.
“Salah certainly doesn’t look confident and not the Salah were used to yet, it’ll change and it’s a matter of time but they’re all trying to figure out how to get the best out of each other. They haven’t played well as yet, they’ve scored all those late goals and again, they get a late goal but it was role reversed.”
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