Arne Slot has firmly disagreed with Jamie Carragher’s scathing assessment of Liverpool being ‘a team of individuals’.
Liverpool’s title defence has been disastrous and their patchy form throughout the season has seen pressure mount on the manager.
After the 1-1 draw at Anfield against lowly Tottenham on Sunday, Carragher gave his view the following day on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
He said: ‘There’s lots of things wrong with this Liverpool team. Nothing’s working or functioning going forward or defending. But the biggest thing that stands out for me that Liverpool have lost is the press.
‘I’ve been asking myself all season: is this down to the manager or is it the profile of the player?
‘I think Liverpool’s hierarchy will be sat there thinking “We won the league last season, and when we recruited, we think we recruited better players than we had before”.
Arne Slot launched an impassioned defence of his team after Jamie Carragher’s takedown
‘You could argue that, talent-wise, but Liverpool are not a team – they are a team of individuals.’
Ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Galatasaray, Slot was directly asked what he made of Carragher’s verdict and launched an impassioned defence of his team, giving an example of how his team showed they are battling together.
He said: ‘I agree with a lot of things Jamie has said throughout this whole season. This particular one, I disagree with him. I don’t see this after we conceded for 1-1. After so many disappointments, it would not have been strange or weird if the players had given up.
‘But they did not. I can tell you, they had a counter-attack where seven or eight of our players were back in our 18-yard-box and we blocked the shot and the corner led to a chance all the way on the other side for Hugo Ekitike.
‘A team that has given up, a team of individuals or a team that does not work together, does not show that resilience after our 120th setback this season. That is a bit of an exaggeration but we have had many.
‘I don’t know why he (Carragher) said it, what he meant with it, what examples he used to say this. Again, he said a lot of things throughout this season that I agree with because I see similar. I cannot always say them but I have seen similar. It is helpful for me to not go into detail with other ones I have agreed with.’
He went on to add: ‘That we are still not a unit that I want? Then again we are agreeing but that comes with not playing so many times together. It is not like we are 11 individuals, if he meant that then I completely disagree.
‘If he means we are not perfectly playing together in ball possession and off the ball then he is right. That is nothing to do with an individual mentality but that the connections are not as strong yet. All these things we have to adjust to every single team. I see a team that is fighting together.’
Carragher said Liverpool looked like a team of individuals after they dropped points on Sunday
Liverpool take on Galatasaray at Anfield on Wednesday night, a goal down on aggregate from the first-leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Slot will be desperate for the Reds to revive their fortunes and produce an uptick in form, with two trophies still to play for.
Champions League qualification is also a must and the draw against Tottenham put them fifth, a point ahead of Chelsea.
