Arne Slot accused of 'letting Liverpool down' with 'complete nonsense' decision

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For such a colossal night at Anfield, Slot made five changes from the Liverpool side that beat Fulham 2-0 over the weekend, switching system once again to accommodate a front two of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.There were some big calls, such as dropping Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah, which ultimately didn't work as another two-goal triumph went the way of the French champions.READ MORE: Liverpool star 'not pulling his weight' as Arne Slot forced to face awkward realityREAD MORE: Liverpool set for new transfer problem as Hugo Ekitike injury complicates summer plansGiven the mixing and matching that Slot has done with his lineup in recent weeks, he has come under scrutiny once again, particularly with the decision to start Isak, who doesn't look up to speed after recently returning from injury.French football expert Julien Laurens slammed the Liverpool manager when he spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live and said: "That line-up to start was complete nonsense."That second half should have been how Liverpool started this game tonight to get the crowd going. Tonight he cannot get it wrong.

He had to get it right from the beginning. Again, for me, he let the club down, the team down and the fans down.”Ultimately, it was a decision that didn't pay off for Liverpool, as Slot faces increasing questions over his future in the dugout at Anfield and whether he is the right choice in the long-term.One of the main concerns surrounded the use of Isak, who has only recently returned from a fracture in his leg that saw him out of action for a considerable amount of time.On the call itself, Slot explained: "I said before the game, if you go to extra-time and he plays in the second half and plays 45 minutes there is only two minutes in between before extra-time comes up for half an hour and I don't think that was realistic.READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk is right about Liverpool 'bare minimum' - what Arne Slot needs next is clearREAD MORE: Wayne Rooney raises huge Liverpool concern as Arne Slot's players 'lack ideas'"But to play him 45 and let's see at half-time how he feels to add five to ten minutes to that, that was a possibility for today.

But because we already had to make the first substitution [Hugo Ekitike] in the first half, I didn't want to make the second substitution five or 10 minutes after half-time – that's why I took him off at half-time."He was twice close to a goal and that's why you play a striker of his level – there was one header from a set-piece and there was one great run in behind [Willian] Pacho, which he was really close to scoring but eventually was offside."It is good to see and to have him back. I think he was ready and if I thought he wasn't ready then I wouldn't have played him.