Former Liverpool star delivers reality check as Arne Slot sets unwanted record
Liverpool's losing run continued as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace with Arne Slot's much changed side comfortably beaten at Anfield
Liverpool's loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup will "heap more pressure on Arne Slot" claims Stephen Warnock with the Reds now losing six of their last seven games.
The dire run of form has seen the Merseysiders go from the top of the Premier League to seventh whilst their hopes of claiming the first trophy of the season have now been dashed by the Eagles - who beat them for the second time in the space of five weeks.
Slot earned huge plaudits for the way in which he steered Liverpool to the title in his first season, but he and the team have struggled to build on that thus far whilst a summer spend that exceeded £400million has also seen expectations ramp up.
The Dutchman named a much changed outfit when the Eagles headed to Anfield, but fielding a young side without a number of his big hitters on the bench ultimately backfired and allowed the concerning run of results to continue.
Warnock said on the BBC: "I think it heaps more pressure on Arne Slot. There are going to be so many more questions asked of Slot. Confidence is huge in football - when you see the way Liverpool players are playing at the moment, they are second guessing everything they do at the moment. They're questioning every decision they make on the football pitch and almost playing negatively."
READ MORE: Arne Slot accused of setting up Liverpool youngsters for failure in Carabao Cup exitREAD MORE: Arne Slot gives honest take on Liverpool job security after 'not good enough' admissionPrior to Wednesday you had to go all the way back to 1953 to find the last time Liverpool lost five straight games in domestic competitions. The only time they halted their losing habit of late was in the Champions League, when they beat Frankfurt.
The former Liverpool man has claimed that there is lack of quality beyond their starting XI, particularly in certain positions. Despite having huge depth in attack there have been question marks raised over midfielder and their defensive line.
He said: "When we looked at the Liverpool squad at the start of the season, we felt that their starting 11 was better than anybody else. But what did they have on the bench? We have seen an element of that tonight, and perhaps it isn't as strong at the moment as we thought it was."
Liverpool took on Palace minus Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike. Instead they played the likes of Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Calvin Ramsay and Freddie Woodman in goal.
Despite the mass changes ultimately leading to a comprehensive defeat Slot claims it is normal for Liverpool to use the Carabao Cup as a stage for their academy players and stood by his selection calls.
"This club has always used this competition for academy players as well," said the Dutchman. "It felt to me the right decision and I've not changed my opinion of that because we lost."
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