Liverpool are enduring an unfamiliar week by their lofty standards and the scrutiny on their performances continues from a former professional who played for their two direct rivals.
The Reds have suffered back-to-back defeats this season with a 2-1 Premier League loss at Crystal Palace on Saturday followed up by Galatasaray beating them 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Liverpool’s performance in Turkey has raised some eyebrows as has the team selection from manager Arne Slot for that match who chose to deploy midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and right back Jeremie Frimpong as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The tactics didn’t pay off for Slot though as Szoboszlai gave away the penalty from which Victor Osimhen scored from to give Gala the win.
And discussing that result Manchester United legend and former Everton striker Wayne Rooney has criticised the Dutchman for the way he set up his team.
‘I thought they [Liverpool] were really poor,’ he told the BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
‘I think the worry for me would be, they’re losing the game and it looked like even with still quite a bit of time left to go, he just put every attacking player on the pitch and said like ‘go and figure it out’.
‘And then, it could have got a lot worse for Liverpool during the game because with the amount of times they gave the ball away at the back and losing it and getting broke on and Alisson getting injured.’
Rooney went on to elaborate that he believes Slot’s success last season has allowed some of his dubious decisions to get overlooked – something that under-fire Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is not afforded.
‘I think when you win the league like Arne Slot did with Liverpool last season then sometimes some of the decisions you make get overlooked.
‘I think his decision to play a midfield player at right-back and a right-back and right-wing. For instance, if that was Amorim at Manchester United, he’d get absolutely slaughtered.’
Slot and Liverpool will look to silence their critics and end their two-game losing streak when they travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
