What Pep Guardiola saw from Arne Slot's Liverpool can't be denied as season hits unacceptable level
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Verdict from the Etihad as Liverpool are dumped out of the FA Cup with a 4-0 defeat to Manchester CityIf Arne Slot is to find salvation at Liverpool, it won't be the FA Cup that provides it.In fact, rather than provide Slot's paymasters with evidence that something special could still be retrieved from an increasingly grotesque campaign, this was a day that only emboldened the swelling numbers who believe a change in the dugout is required to fix this mess.A 4-0 dismantling by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City inflicts the heaviest defeat of his Liverpool tenure on Slot and the Reds are now sifting through the wreckage in search of positives ahead of another quarter-final on Wednesday night, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.Slot's players received a heavy beating from the newly-crowned Carabao Cup holders, leaving them with nothing to cling to as City secured another trip to Wembley in what may yet be Guardiola's final campaign.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! But the revered Catalan will surely recognise that this iteration of Liverpool - his greatest rival on these shores - is nowhere near the brilliant teams with whom he went toe to toe with to such breathtaking levels previously.What exactly is this Liverpool team's biggest strength?
A Cup exit at the Etihad is no disgrace, but the manner of how this came about is another debate entirely.For close to 40 minutes Slot will have been pleased with what he saw as his side kept City largely in check while occasionally threatening at the other end. But if that was frustrating for Slot, the inability to reach halftime only a goal down should have enraged him.The half was petering out when a Liverpool throw gave their hosts the ball before a sweeping move involving Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo was finished off by Haaland to put the tie beyond doubt.Slot's Liverpool have the durability of a soggy soft mint and rather than returning with renewed intensity and a determination to scratch and claw their way back into things, the game was essentially done and dusted just five minutes after the restart, when Semenyo clipped neatly over Giorgi Mamardashvili.And the comprehensive victory then became an embarrassment when Haaland nudged home off the underside of the bar for his hat-trick and City's fourth before the hour mark.It was an 18-minute collapse either side of half time that exposed this side's frailties in the coldest light of day and the sound of the City fans crowing about tearing Scousers apart will have sounded like a shrill shriek for the 7500 Reds in the away end.
The Egypt captain missed a penalty here, only compounding the misery, and the idea of him inspiring this team to domestic cup glory in his final weeks now lies in tatters.Liverpool's season isn't looking much healthier right now either. But the problems that have plagued this team since day one appear no closer to being solved.At some point, it must be asked: Is Slot really the right man to lead this Liverpool team beyond this summer?