Jamie Carragher took aim at several Liverpool players after their 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain within the Champions League, including Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate.
Arne Slot’s side struggled to address PSG on the Parc des Princes as goals in each half from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sealed a deserved win for the Champions League holders.
Liverpool did not register a shot on course and had just 26 per cent possession, while Slot admitted after the sport that his side were more focused on ‘surviving’ PSG’s onslaught within the second half.
Slot opted to play with a back five against PSG but Carragher believes Virgil van Dijk was hampered by an ‘poor’ performance from Konate.
‘He [Slot] went about it with the back five all improper they usually were actually more open with a back five than they might be with a back 4,’ Carragher told CBS Sports.
‘Because they went man-to-man everywhere in the pitch and your three centre-backs needed to cover the width of the pitch and for Virgil van Dijk watching him tonight in a middle of a back three… normally whenever you get to a certain age you are feeling in the course of a back three is ideal, everyone’s in position, getting a little bit of protection. This was different.
‘Defenders were jumping into midfield, there was nobody to mark and Virgil van Dijk at 34 years of age was having to run in there and he was having to run across. He couldn’t do it.
‘People have criticised Van Dijk for his performances this season but I feel it’s been harsh. I feel he plays every game, the fella next to him has been awful all season and poor again tonight, Konate, makes a mistake every game, in order that’s hard to play alongside, so I still think he’s been certainly one of Liverpool’s higher players, Virgil van Dijk.
‘But tonight in that back three I actually have never seen him [Van Dijk] so uncomfortable in a Liverpool shirt in my life.
‘I feel he will probably be pleading with Arne Slot to never play that system ever again because he found it so tough.
‘But, what I have to also say, it’s not only the system of Liverpool and getting it improper tactically, PSG were absolutely out of this world. The most important compliment I may give them was it was like watching Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.’
Carragher was also critical of Liverpool’s three marquee signings – Ekitike, Wirtz and Isak – who cost a combined £320 million last summer and claims that the trio usually are not working hard enough out of possession.
‘Listen, what I’d say about Virgil van Dijk… he’s all the time been a real leader on the pitch and he’s a real leader, for me, off the pitch,’ Carragher said.
‘He gets questioned a bit of bit when Liverpool don’t do well by supporters, his leadership on the pitch, but that all the time happens when team’s aren’t winning, you’re all the time pointing fingers.
‘For me, he’s been a implausible captain and a implausible player for Liverpool and he all the time comes out and speaks and I respect that because not everyone does without delay.
‘I said firstly of the season, and nothing’s modified in that, what you’re seeing here at Liverpool, and there are numerous various things which can be improper, but you’re watching three all-time greats, the goalkeeper, Alisson, he’s all the time had injuries but he’s having more now, he’s not the identical goalkeeper, Virgil van Dijk as we all know shouldn’t be quite the identical, who’s at 34? Mo Salah is similar, who’s at 33 as an attacking player?
‘I’m never going to criticise those players, the legends, they’ve done a lot for the club they usually’ve carried players. That’s not criticising the opposite players because that’s Thierry [Henry] at Arsenal, you mostly have 4 or five great players who carry the remaining with them.
‘So what you’re watching here now could be Salah and Van Dijk, who were absolutely out of this world last season, carried Liverpool to the title, they’re not the identical players and the others usually are not quite ok to step up.
‘And then you definately’ve also got recent players coming into the team and I feel they’ve got away with quite a little bit of criticism actually, the brand new signings, because we’ve almost said they’re recent signings, they’re getting up to the mark.
‘Ekitike was really poor tonight, I said before the sport, and I include Wirtz and Isak on this, to be a top player for Liverpool as an attacking player, it is advisable to be smug on the ball but humble off the ball, they’re not humble off the ball, they don’t do enough off the ball and that’s why it’s easy to play against Liverpool without delay.
‘Three legendary players come to the tip of their careers, recent players are available in and never knowing what exactly they should do to play for Liverpool without delay.
‘I include Isak who got here on, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz who has got to do lots more, an awful lot more.
‘One of the simplest ways you possibly can describe Florian Wirtz without delay, he’s got £125 million, is that he’s neat and tidy.’
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