Chris Sutton questions Liverpool’s recruitment after ‘disastrous start’ | OneFootball

For all the optimism of the summer, even the most patient of us can admit it’s been a brutal few weeks.

Liverpool’s 3–0 defeat at Manchester City summed up what BBC pundit Chris Sutton called “a disastrous start” to our Premier League title defence.

The former striker didn’t hold back on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, arguing that the £415m spent on reinforcements over the summer “hasn’t worked” and that too many of the new faces “have not hit the ground running”.

Sutton questions Liverpool’s recruitment after City loss

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Sutton’s verdict followed a damning assessment of the champions’ display at the Etihad, where we failed to register a shot on target until the 76th minute.

“It’s been a disastrous start,” Sutton said. “The new signings just haven’t delivered yet, and you can see the confidence draining away. You can spend £400m, but if the balance isn’t right, you’re in trouble.”

That sentiment mirrors what Jamie Carragher argued, when he said Liverpool “got it wrong” trying to build a more attacking side after winning the league last season.

He felt Arne Slot’s desire to create “sexier football” has instead left us exposed, a shift Sutton clearly agrees with.

Sutton and Rory Smith defend Slot amid criticism

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Interestingly, Sutton also echoed some of Rory Smith’s defence of our boss, noting that there are deeper reasons behind the “leggy” performances we’ve seen.

Smith highlighted the “human aspect” of Diogo Jota’s passing and how our disrupted pre-season “knocked things back a couple of weeks”.

Sutton agreed, but warned that excuses will only last so long if results don’t change.

His comments also follow his earlier claim that our head coach has lost faith in Milos Kerkez, suggesting the Dutchman’s early-season decisions may have unsettled our rhythm even further.

As we sit eighth in the table, eight points behind Arsenal, it’s clear Sutton’s words reflect what many of us are feeling – frustration mixed with the faint hope that this “disastrous start” can still be turned around.

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