‘Slot has wrecked the team’: Fans clash over Salah, signings and Liverpool’s lost spark | OneFootball

Liverpool’s bruising 3-0 loss to Manchester City has lit up The Independent’s comments section, as readers weighed in on Miguel Delaney’s latest Inside Football analysis and his claim that Arne Slot’s side has lost its title-winning edge.

Many readers agreed that Liverpool’s struggles stem from deeper structural issues, with several pointing to poor recruitment and a failure to refresh the squad after last season’s success.

Slot’s decision to spend heavily on Alexander Isak while letting players such as Luis Díaz and Harvey Elliott leave drew particular criticism, while others argued the new signings simply need more time to gel.

Mohamed Salah’s form and future dominated much of the discussion. Some backed Delaney’s view that Liverpool should have sold him in the summer, suggesting his presence is slowing the team’s transition.

Others felt that the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and tactical changes have contributed to Salah’s dip in performance, and that moving him centrally or giving him time away from the limelight could reignite his spark.

There was also sympathy for Slot’s predicament, with a few readers noting that no manager could have planned for such upheaval, both on and off the pitch.

I don't think Salah has been 'pitiful'. I suspect the death of Jota has hit him badly. I also know that Diaz and Núñez created space within which Salah thrived. This space has now gone. I think he would benefit from being moved centrally to play behind a Number 9.

Slot has not only destroyed Liverpool's midfield, but he's wrecked the defence and attack.

Buying Wirtz and selling Diaz; selling Elliott; selling Quansah and not buying Guehi sooner; and spending an insane amount on Isak when we could've bought a much cheaper striker.

City outclassed us. Expect many more defeats. If we fail to qualify for the Champions League, Slot has to go.

Diaz wanted to go, Elliott was a bit-part player and at the time he was sold Quansah wouldn’t have got a look in.

City are a fantastic club who were smarting from last season; anybody could see they would bounce back.

It’s a shame Leoni got injured, otherwise Konaté would be out for him. Bradley isn’t good enough even if he is a cult hero, but for me defensive issues all stem from Salah being unable or unwilling to put a shift in defensively.

We could have got a DM and an RB for Isak’s fee, but we needed quality cover up front and unfortunately he is struggling to get and stay fit.

Slot going in early November is laughable. Wait until May, or if we are down the bottom at Christmas, before judging a league winner.

City did what they had to against a weak Liverpool team. As a Red, I am extremely worried about the lack of pace and passion in our side.

Well done Pep. It was not so much a 'masterclass' as it was an exposé of Slot’s inability to keep a match-winning team together. It's the age-old adage: don't change a winning team. But I guess the lure of splashing out record amounts on players who don't warrant it overrides support for those who deserve it.

City deserved to win, and by three goals is perhaps about right.

The ref and linesman – I would not call them overly biased, but then I wouldn't call them 'fair' either.

The MC penalty should never have been awarded. Doku's foot hit Giorgi's knee, not the other way round.

As for Robertson, he should know better than to loiter where he was.

I thought the "slump" was due to a VAR conspiracy against all things Liverpool FC and nothing to do with a dreadful transfer window, an ageing team and a manager who is a little out of his depth...!?

On effort, drive and tactics, City deserved to win.

Refs Kavanagh and Oliver yet again exposed their bias against Liverpool with head-shaking calls for a non-existent penalty, a good goal disallowed when Robertson got out of Donnarumma's way and even ducked, and stupid calls for yellow cards that were not merited.

There should have been more yellows for City. It should have been a 2-1 win.

Maybe the Reds would have had more self-belief in the second half to convert a draw. Instead, they hung their heads waiting for full time.

For what it's Wirtz, I think Liverpool should be thankful that they won the title again simply by being less worse than the other teams around them rather than through any great mastery on their part.

It was never going to be possible to repeat that and, to his credit, Slot knows this and tried to bring in some fresh blood.

Diaz wanted to go because the club wouldn't commit to him, wouldn't improve or extend his contract. For some reason, he remained underrated at Anfield. And look at him now at Bayern...

Slot stretches credulity beyond breaking point in attempting to deny the summer transfer business was planned to bring about a change of formation and tactics.

Wirtz is a No 10 – we don't play with one, we have three CMs. Frimpong and Kerkez are wing-backs, we have full-backs.

Without Trent, maybe it was time for a switch, to a Wirtz-centric 3-4-1-2. He's the 1, two of the 4 are the wide men.

Ekitike and Isak (or, on this season's form, Chiesa or even Gakpo) up front.

Snag: no place for Salah. Maybe it was envisaged as the new shape once he'd disappeared to the AFCON. Whatever – it's never worked, perhaps because it hasn't been implemented properly.