“It’s not the defeats, it’s the performances” — Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reveals how he’d fix Reds

This isn’t last season’s Liverpool. That much was clear, seeing a starting lineup with Jeremie Frimpong starting on the wing instead of Mohamed Salah. It became even clearer with Galatasaray defeating the Reds 1-0 on Wednesday at the cauldron that is Rams Park in Istanbul. 

Rotation is necessary for balancing a squad that has to face Chelsea during the weekend, but when Frimpong was purchased to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai starting at right back says plenty about how much work that coach Arne Slot has to get this squad back to the level of the one that won the Premier League title last season. The Reds have struggled, now losing two games straight, but the signs were there when they needed 90th-minute winners to pull out previous matches. Former Liverpool player and current CBS Sports analyst Jamie Carragher isn’t impressed by what he’s seeing from the Reds.

“It’s concerning, but the last two games aren’t just concerning. I think Liverpool’s full nine games this season have been very concerning. I was worried about Liverpool very early on, and I expressed that to the manager on the side of the pitch against Bournemouth on the first league game, the one that Liverpool ended up winning 4-2,” Carragher said.

“I don’t feel like I’m watching a top team. Liverpool aren’t playing football at the moment, they’re playing basketball, it’s end to end, and I don’t think top teams play like that.”

Some losses that Liverpool suffered, like Jarell Quansah going to Bayer Leverkusen to be a starter, are things that will happen to a top team. Leverkusen could offer the young defender a starting role that Liverpool couldn’t, but it’s not a sale that looks great right now, as Ibrahima Konate is struggling in the center of the defense. Szoboszlai, playing out of position, also gave away the penalty that Victor Osimhen buried to give Galatasaray the win.

Unlike other matches, Liverpool weren’t able to find a way back, only putting four shots on goal and struggling to generate chances from good areas. For a team with Florian Wirtz, Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Alexander Isak, that shouldn’t be the case.

“They haven’t gained anything going forward, but they’ve lost a lot defensively. I think for the manager, last season was such a smooth ride for them, and he’d now got to really earn his money. He did last season, he won the Premier League, which is unbelievable, but he’s got a few problems that he’s got to fix, and I’ll be interested to see how he goes about it because he spent a lot of money on certain players, and right now, I don’t think that the balance of the team is quite right,” Carragher continued.

“The obvious problem that stands out is Florian Wirtz. He’s just not at the races at all, he’s a young boy going to a new league, he’s got plenty of time to grow as a Liverpool plater but right now, I think he needs to come out of the team for Liverpool to get back to where they were last season and then go from there to try and build some confidence and defensive stability.”

Against Galatasaray, Wirtz had his chances, but he’s been asked to play a different role with Liverpool than the one that he had with Leverkusen last season. With the German side, Wirtz was the focus of things, taking 78 touches per 90 minutes, which he used to generate 0.31 expected assists and 0.36 expected goals per 90 while taking close to three shots per game. With Liverpool, that number of touches has dropped to 60. His chance creation is similar with a 0.29 xA per 90 minutes, but the shooting numbers have decreased with Wirtz taking almost half as many shots and only generating a 0.19 xG per 90.

Moving to the Premier League and to a team with Salah as the focus of the attack, some of this is expected when looking to adjust, but it’s hurting the balance of the squad. Year one was expected to be tougher than it was for Slot, replacing a club legend in Jurgen Klopp, but he also inherited a team that was ready to win. It took 27 matches in all competitions for Slot to pick up his second loss last season. This season, it has only taken nine matches to reach that mark. There’s leading a charmed life, and there’s coasting to the Premier League title ahead of the new year.

Four players who started against Galatasaray weren’t with the club last season, and they’ll be expected to have critical roles moving forward. Given the financial commitments made to members of the squad, Slot will need to figure out how to get the best out of the them but time isn’t on his side. The Reds are still atop the Premier League by two points over Arsenal, but as a clash with Chelsea looms over the weekend, the Gunners could end up leading the league by the international break. Arsenal knows their identity and game plan under Mikel Arteta, and while Liverpool knew theirs under Slot last season, they need to regain it this season.

Let’s take a look at how that can happen:

Move Szoboszlai back to midfield 

Much of Liverpool’s success has been built upon the duo of Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai pushing teams. Both have high defensive work rates, but also have the eye for passes to get their teammates involved in the attack too. It was a great balance that made Liverpool tough to play against. Mac Allister has missed time with injuries, while Szoboszlai has spent time as an emergency right back, but with Conor Bradley back, there is someone who can start when called upon. Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch haven’t had the same two way ability in midfield, while Wirtz has struggled as well. Everything begins at the beginning of the engine room, and turning back the clock on Liverpool’s seems like the best option at this stage.

Find a consistent role for Frimpong 

One of the key purchases for Liverpool this summer, Frimpong has allowed too much to come by him, playing in a back four. With Leverkusen, he was used as a wing back, but since Liverpool have rarely utilized three center backs in defense, the Dutchman hasn’t been able to get up the pitch like he can. Starting Frimpong on the wing shows that Slot values what he can bring to the attack and is willing to move him around. Of course, this is a role that is generally occupied by Salah in matches, so it’s hard to tell how often Frimpong can actually deputize there, but the best way to find a solution is by acknowledging that there is an issue. Next, it’s up to Slot to determine where exactly Frimpong fits in.

Is Gravenberch a center back?

With the season over for young defender Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool’s defensive corps couldn’t be much thinner. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Konate are the only natural center backs in the squad. Wataru Endo has played there, as has Stefan Bajcetic, who is currently injured, leaving Slot without many choices on how to rotate. Positional flexibility has been a hallmark of this team, which is why it could be a good chance to take a look deeper down the roster to figure out a defensive solution. Konate has struggled, and at times when Liverpool utilizes a back three, Gravenberch has dropped deeper to take up defensive roles. It’s not something that he’s done in a back four, but it could be worth seeing if something is there since new bodies can’t be added to the squad before January.