Jamie Carragher has ripped into Liverpool’s start to the season, describing the Premier League champions as a “mess” and called for £116million signing Florian Wirtz to be dropped from the team.
The former Reds defender watched on Tuesday night as Liverpool were beaten at Galatasaray in the Champions League in another disjointed display.
It was a second defeat on the spin for Liverpool, who went down 2-1 at Crystal Palace on the weekend, and prompted Carragher to express deep concerns over the club and called for manager Arne Slot to fix them.
"I'm not watching a top team,” Carragher told CBS Sports. “Liverpool are not playing football, they are playing basketball. And I told Slot this on the first game of the season against Bournemouth.
"They obviously have a fantastic manager. Liverpool last season were a top team, but also a workman-like team, which they've sprinkled a bit of stardust on in terms of the transfers they have brought in.
"And they haven't gained anything going forward, but they've lost a lot defensively.
"I think for the manager now, he know needs to really earn his money. He did last season, by winning the Premier League, but there are few problems he has got to fix. It will be really interesting how he does about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players.
"Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, who is just not at the races at all. He's a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go.
"But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season, and try to build some confidence and some stability. Right now it looks like a mess."
Liverpool are next in action away at Chelsea, and will be without Alisson after the goalkeeper picked up an injury while making a save to deny matchwinner Victor Osimhen.
Carragher continued: "It's not the losses, it's not the defeats, it's the performances. And this has been coming from day one. Liverpool got battled by Newcastle in the second half of that game, and Newcastle had 10 men. That cannot happen.
"Crystal Palace created seven big chances, which is more than any team has conceded in a game this season and Liverpool are the champions. This is not a shock, it's been coming. And the manager needs to fix it."
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