Arne Slot has hit back at Jamie Carragher’s accusation of Liverpool being a “team of individuals” after the club spent £450m to improve the Dutchman’s squad this season.
Carragher, the Daily Telegraph columnist, was a co-commentator for the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend when Slot’s team were jeered off at Anfield. Analysing the match on Sky Sports, his assessment was that his old club are not functioning as a team.
Slot pointed to his players striving to win in the final stages against Spurs despite conceding in the 90th minute.
“I have agreed with lots of things Jamie has said before this season, but this particular one, I disagree with him,” said Slot. “After so many disappointments this season, to concede late, we could have given up but didn’t. A team that has given up, a team of individuals, doesn’t show this resilience.
“It’s not like we are 11 individuals. If he meant that, then I completely disagree. If he means we are not perfectly playing together in possession and off the ball he is right but that has nothing to do with individual mentality, it is to do with better connections not being as strong yet as a team that has been playing together. I see a team that is fighting together.”
Carragher was scathing of Liverpool’s draw at the weekend, with question marks over Slot over the course of this season’s Premier League title defence. Liverpool are now battling to get into the top five of the Premier League and need to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray on Wednesday to stay in the Champions League.
“I think Liverpool’s hierarchy will be sat there thinking ‘We won the league last season, and when we recruited, we think we recruited better players than we had before’,” said Carragher. “You could argue that, talent-wise, but Liverpool are not a team – they are a team of individuals.”
Slot conceded he must have made mistakes over the season for fans to turn on him, adding: “People told me when I came here this club is different to other clubs – they will support a manager for such a long time. Being at a club that is always so supportive to their manager through good and bad times, then if they are not happy with me then apparently I’ve done a lot of things wrong and that is never a nice feeling to have.
“I did something wrong in the season we won the league and definitely made a few decisions that weren’t perfect in hindsight. But they have been for the same reason – for us trying to win the game.”
Ibrahima Konaté is fit for the Galatasaray game after returning from a hamstring injury.