‘Slot has gone down in my estimations’ – Liverpool fans react to 3-0 Carabao Cup exit | OneFootball

Liverpool stumble as Slot rotation sparks Palace pain

Arne Slot’s Liverpool walked into a League Cup night that felt less like opportunity and more like a shrug, and Crystal Palace happily collected the reward. On Post Match Raw, Guy Drinkel and Karl Matchett wrestled with the mood, and if supporters expected catharsis, they got cold reality instead. As Drinkel put it bluntly, “we could have just not watched that game, came on this podcast and had the same conversation right now cos we knew we weren’t going to win.”

This was rotation in its most extreme expression. Wholesale change, experimental structure, young faces everywhere. Yet Liverpool at Anfield produced “one shot on target all game against” Palace, Matchett noted, calling it “rubbish.” That line alone captures the strange inertia surrounding the club right now.

Photo: IMAGO

Selection gamble and Slot scrutiny

The team sheet told its story: senior names were sparse, cohesion nonexistent, structure unfamiliar. Matchett described the selection as “a complete waste of the game” and added “this was a waste of an opportunity to put it into action.” Drinkel’s reaction was sharper still, branding the approach “cowardly.”

Slot’s decision to rotate so heavily will be debated long after this cup exit fades, especially given the run ahead and the mounting tension around performances. Matchett emphasised the stakes, saying Slot “has nobody to blame but himself cuz that’s what he’s chosen to do.” For all the variables of a long campaign, Liverpool fans expect a thread of continuity and competitive edge. Instead, as Matchett summarised, “this was just to get the game out the way.”

Liverpool’s crisis of rhythm has no single cause, but this felt like pouring sand into an already-clogged engine. Different system, mismatched personnel, plummeting confidence. “Three completely different performances, three completely different lineups, three completely different systems,” lamented Matchett of recent fixtures.

Palace precision, Liverpool hesitation

There were no tactical revelations, no sparkling cameos to soften the blow. Palace’s efficiency contrasted starkly with Liverpool’s disjointedness, prompting Matchett to dryly remark that “that team was never beating Crystal Palace.” Ismaïla Sarr’s finishing and Palace’s sharp movement cut through a side struggling to string passes together.

Woodman made his senior debut, Ramsay showed flashes, and youngsters like Kieran Morrison and Amara Nallo experienced the deep end. Yet youth exposure offered little comfort. “It’s not the right time for that,” Drinkel sighed, reflecting the unease of throwing prospects into a malfunctioning senior setup.

Even glimmers of fight came wrapped in frustration. Drinkel chuckled at the sight of “Chiesa scrapping with a child,” a moment that symbolised effort without effect. Liverpool never built pressure, never controlled rhythm, never looked like a side with Premier League champions in its dressing room.

Villa ahead and narrative turning

Attention now shifts to the league. The mood on the podcast grew heavier as the talk turned to Aston Villa. Drinkel did not soften the stakes, saying “I think Villa could be terminal for him.” Matchett agreed the timing piles pressure, noting that Slot “has taken the players out, he’s taken himself out of needing a result tonight.”

Perspective matters. Slot lifted the Premier League in his first season, trust is earned through triumphs, and yet elite football rarely offers long patience when patterns fray. Liverpool supporters are not expecting perfection, but they expect direction. As Matchett concluded, “what positive can he even try to spin from tonight?”

This was not a night to judge careers, nor a night to condemn youth. It was, however, a night where Liverpool dimmed their own light, surrendered rhythm and ceded belief. A reset is needed, not merely in personnel but in conviction. Against Villa, the pulse must return. For now, the conversation lingers on a single uncomfortable question voiced on Post Match Raw: “What was the point of this tonight in the end?”