Liverpool’s ‘sexy’ football dream implodes as Carragher goes in on Slot for transfer blunders | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher has launched a scathing and detailed destruction into how Liverpool “got it wrong” in the transfer market this summer after a revisioning of the game in England left Arne Slot’s men behind – and we’ve looked at why the Sky Sports man’s claims certainly look accurate.

The Reds lavishly splashed out £440m (€505m, $600m) on several new faces this summer as Slot tried to further improve his title-winning squad at Anfield and create what Liverpool hoped would be a trophy dynasty at Anfield. However, just 11 games into the season, the Reds are in danger of being cut out of the title race after slipping eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

The dream Slot had this summer was simple: He wanted to emulate the free-flowing, jet-heeled attacking unit that had seen PSG sweep all before them and win the 2025 Champions League trophy in truly eye-catching fashion.

Embarking on an unprecedented summer aimed at creating something similar, Slot swept out those who did not fit in with that ethos and went in with big money for those players who could bring the vision to reality.

However, the evidence this season suggests the Premier League has now gone the other way, with a stronger emphasis than ever before on set-pieces, long throw-ins and physical presences in sides, which has seen the reigning champions regress rather than progress.

As a result, Carragher believes Liverpool have been left behind, claiming their attempts to play “sexy football” have been crushed by the more pragmatic style that has now become a key aspect of the Premier League.

The stats back that up too. As of late October, approximately 25% of goals in the Premier League came via set-pieces (discounting penalties), with a record high of 19% coming from corners. At that time, nine of those scored had come via long throw-ins.

It’s also no surprise to see leaders Arsenal topping that tally with 11 goals coming from either corners, throw-ins or free-kicks.

Liverpool sit equal 17th with just one, though maybe that could have been more had Virgil van Dijk not suffered a controversial VAR moment on Sunday.

And the Reds’ record of seven defeats from their last 10 games illustrates perfectly why Slot’s approach is simply not working and how having a different string to their bow could, inevitably, have resulted in Liverpool putting more points on the board.

Factoring in their new players’ inability to settle and make meaningful impacts, it is easy to see why Slot now faces a huge challenge to rouse his side this season, particularly on the domestic front….

Carragher makes valid point in destroying Liverpool transfer policy

In signing the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, though, Liverpool may have signed a string of players who are indeed pleasing on the eye and quick to instigate attacks, either from their own defensive third or through movements and key passes.

However, the reality is that all but Ekitike have struggled, with the majority in and out of the side and suffering from a lack of consistency (or injury in Frimpong’s case) so far.

All the more reason of which makes Carragher‘s cruel points valid ones as he tore into Slot for getting it wrong this summer.

“They’ve tried to take the team of last season that won the league, but in Slot’s eyes, he wanted it to be more sexy, more goals, more entertaining,” Carragher told The Overlap Fan Debate.

“He’s always speaking about Paris Saint-Germain. He loves Pep [Guardiola]. You hear him speaking about Pep before the game. His hero is Pep, so you know he’s trying to move that team towards more football and more goals, and the league has moved [the other] way.

“The league’s gone [more] powerful, set pieces, long throws, almost like a throwback to the 2000s, and Liverpool have been left behind. They’ve almost just got it wrong in terms of where the game’s going, and I think that’s been a big problem for them.”

Liverpool latest: Bid ‘launched’ for PSG superstar; big Robertson U-turn

Liverpool have reportedly launched an ambitious January transfer window raid on French giants PSG for an elite midfielder who walks straight into Slot’s starting XI, although TEAMtalk questions whether they can actually succeed in their chase.

Elsewhere, the Reds are aiming to convince Andy Robertson to discuss terms over a new contract at Anfield, a transfer journalist has revealed, and in news that will potentially deliver a blow for the club, which were exploring a move to sign the Scotland captain on a free transfer.