Ryan Babel believes Richard Hughes’ decision is reflecting poorly on Arne Slot at Liverpool
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Ryan Babel points out the one thing making Arne Slot look bad at Liverpool this seasonArne Slot’s first full season in charge of Liverpool hasn’t gone as smoothly as many had hoped, and a few of his decisions have drawn criticism.The handling of Federico Chiesa in particular has frustrated sections of the fanbase, with some unhappy about how the Italian forward has been used.During a difficult spell last month, when results weren’t going their way, there were even conversations among supporters about whether Slot was the right man for the job.Liverpool managed just three wins in 12 matches during that period – their worst run since 1953/54, when they were relegated from the old Division One.Things have steadied since then, with Liverpool now unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions. However, Ryan Babel believes there’s still one issue that continues to reflect poorly on Slot.Luis Diaz’s departure to Bayern Munich has turned out to be a mistakePhoto by Robin Jones/Getty ImagesThis season has been up and down for Salah, who publicly called out the club earlier this month.Wayne Rooney has joined those critics, saying that Salah needs to contribute more defensively.But on the FILTHY @ FIVE podcast, Ryan Babel pointed to the sale of Luis Diaz as a problem for Salah, noting that Diaz used to handle much of the pressing work.Babel added that this change has forced Salah to take on extra responsibility, which hasn’t reflected well on Slot.Babel said: “And sometimes if the right puzzles are not together.
Like I think one of the mistakes I believe is leaving Diaz, you know letting him go.”“Even with Nunez, he was maybe not the striker Liverpool needed but the work ethic he did and had took a lot of work off Mo Salah’s pressing as well.”“Now you have different types of players and Mo Salah has to do more and overall it can eventually make the manager look bad.”Richard Hughes’ role in Luis Diaz exitDiaz is now thriving at Bayern Munich, scoring 12 and assisting seven in 21 matches across all competitions.Was it a mistake to let him go? Perhaps, but the blame should not be put on Liverpool’s manager.Instead, it was club chief Richard Hughes who played a key role in the Colombian leaving Anfield over the summer.It was previously revealed that Slot wanted to keep Diaz, but Hughes overruled the coach and sanctioned the sale.
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