Jamie Redknapp has criticised Arne Slot’s team selection after Liverpool’s 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, calling it a “big mistake” and warning the manager faces growing pressure after six losses in seven matches.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool project has reached its first real crossroads.
A bruising 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace at Anfield not only ended another route to silverware but also intensified scrutiny over the Dutchman’s team selections and game management during a wretched run of results.
Slot made ten changes from the side beaten 3-2 at Brentford at the weekend, turning to academy players and fringe figures in what was one of the youngest Liverpool line-ups fielded in recent memory. For former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp, it was a decision that backfired badly.
“He picked the wrong team. Make no mistake about it,” Redknapp said on Sky Sports after the final whistle. “He has not helped the young players there, because of the team and the players around them.
He made ten changes from the weekend against Brentford. You can’t tell me he’s picked that team today and those subs, thinking, ‘That’ll get me a result against a really good Crystal Palace side.’
Liverpool’s latest defeat means Slot’s side have now lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, the solitary victory coming against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. The alarming downturn has turned what began as a promising campaign into one full of questions about balance, depth and direction.
You might hope you can, but I did not think for one second they could beat them and he has made a mistake today. I haven’t said this very often about Arne Slot, because I think he’s been sensational, but today was a big mistake. You can’t tell me that side was ever going to be capable of beating a really strong Crystal Palace side.”
It was a night when Liverpool looked disjointed and short of conviction. Palace, organised and ruthless under Oliver Glasner, struck through a first-half brace from Ismaila Sarr before Yeremy Pino added a late third. Liverpool ended the evening with ten men after 18-year-old Amara Nallo was dismissed, compounding a chastening experience for a side already low on confidence.
For Redknapp, the warning signs had been apparent long before kick-off.
“He’s made ten changes it’s an enormous risk when you’re in a rut. You need a result, you need some momentum. The young lads will learn from it, but you have to give them the best possible chance to succeed, and that wasn’t it tonight.”
A collapse few could have foreseen after such a promising start to Slot’s reign. What once looked like seamless transition from the Jürgen Klopp era has instead become a search for identity and stability.
Slot defended his selection by pointing to fixture congestion and injury concerns, with crucial matches against Aston Villa in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League looming in the days ahead..
Slot’s argument held logic in principle the need to rotate, the wish to develop youth, the congested calendar yet in practice it only fuelled a growing debate about priorities and pragmatism. With the oldest outfield player on the bench aged just 21, Liverpool looked underpowered against a Palace team brimming with experience and confidence.
Redknapp sympathised with the physical demands on the squad but maintained that the manager had underestimated the challenge.
“He’s been unbelievable since he came to the club, but this is real pressure for everybody concerned,” Redknapp said. “This is football and this is the price on the ticket. They climbed a mountain last year, they did something absolutely sensational.
Now they have to go back to that character they showed last year when they won the title and stick together to get some results. When you ask what’s going wrong with Liverpool, there are so many things.”
Those “so many things” are becoming harder to ignore. Liverpool have not kept a clean sheet since September 14 and have conceded in every game since. Injuries to key figures, tactical adjustments under a new system, and a loss of rhythm have all played their part. The combination has left Slot searching for answers in real time.
For now, though, the scrutiny is growing. Redknapp, while complimentary of Slot’s broader impact since arriving at Anfield, warned that pressure is beginning to mount on both the manager and his players.
“He’s been unbelievable since he came to the club, but this is real pressure for everybody concerned,” Redknapp added. “This is football and this is the price on the ticket. They climbed a mountain last year, they did something absolutely sensational.
Now they have to go back to that character they showed last year when they won the title and stick together to get some results. When you ask what’s going wrong with Liverpool, there are so many things.”
Slot’s challenge now is to prove that this is merely a temporary stumble rather than a more serious unraveling. With the festive fixture list looming and form slipping, Liverpool’s manager must quickly find a formula that restores belief, solidity and results before the doubts grow louder.
