Liverpool manager Arne Slott has admitted that his team is not strong enough, and he is being told what was wrong with Florian Wirths.
Defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup left the reigning Premier League champions with six defeats in seven games, with Slott criticized after the match for allowing a draw with the play of a kid.
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Afterwards, the Dutchman lamented the lack of depth in his team compared to his rivals.
“I looked at (Manchester) City’s lineup, and I don’t think they had a single starter for the weekend, but when I looked at the lineup, it felt like they were playing with the starting 11,” Slott said.
“Now maybe you can understand a little bit of what everyone always says about how big our team is. When we played Chelsea I said they were eight players short but they could still bring Estevao in.”
“We only have four players missing at the moment, but we already had to start with four players under 19. After making two substitutions, we’re down to six.”
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes Slott’s comments reflect dissatisfaction with the club’s summer operations, despite the Reds manager’s claims to the contrary ahead of Saturday’s game against Aston Villa.
“Arne Slott has pretty much admitted that the team is not strong enough,” the former Liverpool full-back said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “It was very deflecting and making excuses.
“You’re complaining that you’re a team in the Champions League and there’s a game in two days. You know it’s going to happen. I felt like there were a lot of excuses. You know the depth of the team isn’t the best and the business wasn’t good enough in the summer.”
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Florian Wirtz was not satisfied with his £100m move from Bayer Leverkusen, but could return to the starting lineup against Aston Villa.
Joe Cole believes Liverpool’s poor form is not the fault of Wertz or any individual, but believes the Germany international may have benefited from his ease into the Reds’ squad as he struggles to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
“Certainly the signing of Florian Wertz has disrupted Liverpool’s midfield, but it’s not in the form of lining up at Florian Wertz’s feet,” Cole said.
“There is no doubt that he is a top player. To wear the number 10 for Germany, win the Bundesliga and do things like he did with Bayer Leverkusen does not come with quality. We know he has quality and he has shown it in flashes.”
“Don’t blame the four players coming in, the four players coming out or the manager, it’s just a conglomeration of everything.
“In hindsight, if Liverpool had restarted the season, we probably would have added one or two players to the squad. We will continue with the way we are and change gradually.”
“By January, we will start looking at adding Wirtz to the team on a regular basis and giving him time off the bench.
“He will have to prove whether he is the right player for Liverpool and for the Premier League. He can’t avoid that. There are certain players who go to clubs, good players, but they just don’t fit.”
