Jamie Carragher warns Liverpool they must do one thing to avoid nightmare season | Football

Jamie Carragher reckons Liverpool could miss out on next season’s Champions League unless they make a move in the January transfer window.

It has been a chaotic season so far for the Reds, winning their first five Premier League matches before hitting a very sticky patch.

After that strong start Arne Slot’s side has lost five of their next six games and now sit eighth in the table, already eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

It has not been total disaster as during that run the Reds beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, but Carragher fears for their Premier League campaign.

The Liverpool legend believes the changes Slot meant over the summer, with new signings and a tweak to the style of play, have backfired.

Carragher can even see Liverpool failing to qualify for the Champions League unless they improve defensively by making a signing in January.

‘I think there are lots of little things. But if we’re being honest, looking at the games they’ve lost and the type of games they’ve lost, they can’t handle the physicality of the Premier League,’ he said on The Overlap podcast. 

‘Arne Slot wanted to move Liverpool to almost have more football, more goals and entertainment. When he played Man City last week, he was talking up Pep like he was his hero, and he probably is for a lot of coaches. 

‘That’s his football. He’s trying to push Liverpool one way and I think the Premier League has gone back in terms of physicality.

‘I don’t think this group of players is equipped to win the Premier League this year, even with the points and how far behind they are. Maybe in January [they need to sign players with], more physicality, more pace, more power. 

‘I think if Liverpool don’t sign a defender in January, they could miss out on the Champions League.’

Given Liverpool spent £446m in the summer transfer window, it is remarkable they appear to need to return to the market to rescue their season.

Defenders were among their summer signings as Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez arrived, but neither have found form yet in their new surroundings.

Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have also struggled to fire since arriving, while Hugo Ekitike has been the standout signing.

‘The last thing we should be focusing on is the title race’

After a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last time out, Slot suggested any talk of a Premier League title defence is not on his radar right now.

‘The last thing I should speak about is the title race. We have to focus on getting results,’ said the Dutchman.

‘Result after result after result before we can even think about that. The reality is that we are eighth. One team is quite far ahead, although City are now four points away.

‘I said last season, many times, the best way to judge the table is after 38 games. The next best way is to judge it after 19 games. The last thing we should be focusing on is the title race. We have to improve, that’s obvious.’

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