Jamie Carragher shifts Liverpool pressure onto players after Arne Slot exit

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool’s players can no longer hide behind Arne Slot after the former manager became a convenient “scapegoat” for the club’s struggles.

Liverpool have won just once in the Premier League this season and frustration increased again following last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Fulham at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola has replaced Slot, but the managerial change has yet to produce the significant improvement Liverpool hoped for. Carragher believes that should force greater scrutiny onto the squad.

Writing in The Telegraph, Carragher argued that Slot did not deserve to be held solely responsible for Liverpool’s disappointing performances.

“He didn’t deserve to be held solely responsible,” Carragher wrote, adding that over time people will recognise how many different factors contributed to the decline.

According to the former Liverpool defender, Slot ultimately lost his job because the hierarchy and a significant section of supporters believed he was failing to maximise the quality available in his squad.

However, Carragher also pointed towards criticism Slot received from within the playing group.

That makes the response under Iraola particularly important.

Carragher believes Slot became a useful target for too many players when performances deteriorated.

“Slot proved to be a convenient scapegoat for too many players,” he wrote.

With a new manager now in charge, that explanation is disappearing.

“There is no escape for them at Anfield if they don’t run through every wall for Iraola.”

Liverpool’s problems have continued despite changing managers, leaving Iraola with the challenge of extracting more from a squad that was previously considered talented enough to perform at a significantly higher level.

The early results have not provided an immediate turnaround, and signs of supporter frustration were again evident against Fulham.

For Carragher, responsibility now increasingly rests with the players. Slot has gone, Iraola has arrived and Liverpool still have problems. If performances do not improve, blaming the manager alone becomes increasingly difficult.

Iraola needs to turn Liverpool’s performances around quickly as frustration around Anfield continues to grow.

For the players, Carragher believes the situation is equally clear. With Slot already removed, their performances under the new manager will determine how much responsibility falls on the squad rather than another head coach.