Jamie Carragher has warned Arne Slot he doesn’t ‘have a leg to stand on’ if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
The reigning Premier League champions find themselves in sixth place after falling to defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday evening, and are two points off Man United in fourth.
But despite their ropey domestic form, the Reds find themselves in fourth place in the Champions League league phase, having defeated the likes of Real Madrid and Inter Milan in their European exploits.
That, however, is part of the problem according to Carragher, who believes Slot has built a team ‘not suited’ to the demands of the current Premier League.
Instead, the Liverpool legend reckons the Dutchman has built a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, but one not capable of the demands of England’s top flight.
‘I think three big things stand out for me in the Premier League… it’s set pieces and long throws, it’s counter-attacking football… and if you’re a top team like Liverpool coming up against “low blocks” as Arne Slot likes to say, Liverpool can’t cope with any of them, Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
Jamie Carragher has warned Arne Slot that Liverpool must qualify for the Champions League
The reigning Premier League champions are in sixth place after their defeat by Bournemouth
‘So what we’re seeing is a team in the Premier League who’s not suited to the Premier League, but when we see them in Europe, is set pieces as important and long throws No.
‘Counter-attacking is always important, but not as much in European football, and nobody’s just sitting there in a low block.
‘So this suits Liverpool. They can beat Real Madrid, they can go away to Inter Milan and win, they can go away and Marseille win, and they’ll finish in the top eight and be in the knockout round.’
Carragher said Liverpool fans can ‘accept’ not winning the Premier League after winning it last season, but he says supporters will be fearing not qualifying for the Champions League after Man United and Chelsea’s recent uptick in form.
‘I really fear for [Liverpool], because as I said, I don’t think this team is equipped for Premier League football.
‘Once you start feeling Champions League qualification for next season, that’s when I think we’ve got a completely different proposition when we’re talking about the manager’s job. That for me is completely different.
‘If we’re talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, that is collective responsibility, and Liverpool don’t win the league every year.
‘Not making the Champions League from [being] champions, spending 450 million and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is the biggest sort of determinant factor normally about where you finish in the league, I think you’ve got serious questions.’
Carragher believes Slot has built a team not suited to the latest demands of the Premier League
Asked by Sky Sports presenter Dave Jones whether it was then ‘Champions League or bust’ for Slot, Carragher said the ‘disrespect’ the Liverpool boss had received this season was ‘far too much’, but admitted he couldn’t even defend that.
‘if you don’t qualify for the Champions League, haven’t won the league the season before and having spent as much as Liverpool do, I don’t think you’ve got a leg to stand on,’ he added.
Carragher’s latest comments come just days after he leapt to Slot’s defence, when speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate.
The Liverpool legend said last week: ‘I want to tell you where I stand on the manager. I am starting to get a little wound up.
‘I know social media is something you shouldn’t always use as a barometer of what every football fan thinks, but I feel there is a real disrespect towards Slot, considering what he’s done for the club.
‘I know it’s not been a great season but I’m almost a little taken aback by some of it on there. Fans don’t always have to agree so you think they will be sensible, but I don’t like it.
‘I think six months after winning a league title, I think it’s a little disrespectful, almost like they think he hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing.’
