Jamie Carragher warns Arne Slot as Liverpool boss addresses team problems
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The Premier League showdown at Stamford Bridge comes hot on the heels of the Reds' unexpected 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League.Despite high hopes that Arne Slot's team would respond in Europe after their last-gasp defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend, it was another disappointing display from the Reds, who lost Alisson Becker and Hugo Ekitike to injury during the game.Although Liverpool started the season with a seven-match winning streak, their performances have been far from impressive. Slot's men needed late goals to secure every victory, except for their 2-1 win over Everton.READ MORE: Florian Wirtz looked lost in Istanbul but he's improved one Liverpool star and will get betterThe lack of synergy within Slot's revamped team has been surprising, especially considering the marquee signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, who are still adjusting to life on Merseyside.
It's just end-to-end and I don't think top teams play like that, and I expressed that to the manager early on."He's obviously a fantastic manager, but right now Liverpool went from a top team, but also a workman-like team, and they sprinkled a bit of stardust on it in terms of the transfers they brought in. It will be really interesting how he goes about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players."The former defender particularly highlighted Wirtz, who remains without a goal or assist in either the Premier League or Champions League, insisting Slot must drop the 22-year-old to improve the balance of his side."Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, he is just not at the races at all," Carragher added.
"He's a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go."But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool get back to what they were last season, and then go from there to try to build some confidence and some stability. But as a result of that, with Hugo, Alex, Conor and Mac Allister not having the pre-season a player should have, that also results in the fact that I cannot play them every time."Hugo Ekitike injury stanceLiverpool saw both Alisson and Ekitike suffer injuries during the second half on Tuesday night.Whilst Alisson's knock appeared more concerning - he immediately signalled to the dugout after making a stop from Victor Osimhen - the Reds might catch a break regarding the French forward.The 23-year-old was withdrawn after stretching for a pass from Dominik Szoboszlai, with Slot revealing he felt "something when he reached for the ball".Though scans are required to determine the extent of the problem, The Athletic reported that Ekitike remained "confident" he had merely suffered cramp in his hamstring rather than anything more severe.The striker's possible absence against Chelsea could be a significant blow, especially considering the team's recent defeat to Crystal Palace, a game Ekitike was suspended for.