Jamie Carragher has raised doubts about Liverpool’s credentials for Champions League qualification.
The Reds icon believes they have a ‘long road ahead’ after conceding a fourth stoppage-time goal of the season in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City. Dominik Szoboszlai’s wonder goal gave Liverpool a lead, but two goals in the dying embers from Pep Guardiola’s side was enough to down the champions and damage their Champions League hopes in the process.
Defeat leaves Liverpool five points behind Manchester United and four off Chelsea, too. The only potential saving grace for Arne Slot’s team is that England sit top in the coefficient rankings, which will open up a route to the elite European competition by finishing in fifth-place.
However, Carragher feels the lack of balance and control with Liverpool’s play will be detrimental.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the footballer-turned pundit e said: “I think Man City were by far the better team in the first half. I think Liverpool had a spell in the second half, I think, for probably 20-25 minutes where they looked like they had Man City on the rack.
“I don’t think Liverpool deserved to win. Maybe you could argue a draw would have been maybe a fair result.
“Big mistakes again that’s the fourth time now this season they’ve conceded a 90th minute winner. So it’s not a one-off, it happens all the time. I’d be interested to see what the manager says, but the manager’s taken a lot of criticism from Liverpool supporters this season, and some of it warranted.
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“If you notice, we’re in the third stage of Liverpool this season. So the start of the season, Liverpool games were all like that and it was end to end, they were being very lucky and you’re winning in the last minute. Then they had the thing where the manager thought; ‘This has to stop’.
“They were in a spell of losing nine games in 12, and then he went more defensive, more pragmatic. Then the Salah thing blows up. Then Liverpool start getting results, not winning a lot of games, but not losing too many.
“But it’s boring, you’re coming to Anfield and no-one’s getting excited so there’s criticism on the back of that. Now, we’ve come back sort of the last few weeks – let’s say since Mo Salah’s come back from the African Cup of Nations – Liverpool have played a front four and that was my worry today. ”
Liverpool came from behind to beat Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend, but were far from convincing in their first-half display against the title challengers on Sunday. Hugo Ekitike missed a gilt-edged chance in the second-half before Szoboszlai’s long-range free-kick. Late on, Gianluigi Donnarumma also made a superb save to deny Alexis Mac Allister.
However, Carragher raised concerns about the lack of control with Liverpool’s play.
He added: “Now that was a great game. If you’re at home as a neutral, you would have thought what a game that was, but you see the same against Newcastle you see, the same against Bournemouth away, great for the neutral, lost two out of three.
“So the manager’s going to have a decision to make again and I’m not just talking about Mo Salah, but I’m talking about a front four.
“I thought, today, the way to go probably would have been putting, I’m not just saying this after the event, I said this before the game, but maybe put them [Florian] Wirtz to the left, maybe playing Curtis Jones.
“I think if Liverpool continue the way they are with a front four – and games end to end- I don’t see how they can make the Champions League positions, at all. But no matter what he does, the make-up of this squad, the balance of the team and the squad is not right. It never looks stable, they never look in control.
“Even if the game’s exciting, you never feel in control, even when the game is slow and pragmatic, then it never feels like you’re fully in control. There’s a long road ahead for Liverpool to make the Champions League positions.”
