Jamie Carragher tells Arne Slot the first change he wants to make at Liverpool

Liverpool managed to squander a 3-1 lead against Aston Villa, conceding twice in quick succession to draw 3-3. It was certainly an entertaining way for Jürgen Klopp to end his away duties at the club, but even if there was nothing at stake, he won’t be happy about the capitulation – and neither was Jamie Carragher.

Arne Slot’s successor will probably have to solve this problem. Liverpool might be a bit on the beach, but even when the Premier League title was on the line, Klopp struggled to exert any real control over games this season.

In a way, Klopp’s Liverpool have come full circle. There’s been plenty of “heavy metal football” throughout the campaign, the brand he brought to Anfield when he first arrived in 2015, but the part he’s leaving behind the manager is worlds away from the car winner who reached the title in 2020.

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This underscores the reality that Slot will take over a team near the beginning of a cycle. He will have to put his own stamp on things and Carragher has urged him to prioritize defence.

“I think this is Jürgen Klopp football,” Carragher said of the ensuing chaos in the Midlands. “You even go back to last week, Liverpool held on after I think it was three or four down against Tottenham. At 3-1 up (vs. Aston Villa) you never felt safe.

“He’s exciting for the neutral and he’s given us so many memories, not just as Liverpool, but if you’re a Premier League football fan, he plays right at the heart of it. But sometimes I wish Liverpool would shut up. , be a little tighter and maybe that’s something the new manager can take to definitely improve this Liverpool team right now

“But listen, it’s Jürgen Klopp’s football. The game is head to head, goals, great advertising again.”

Feyenoord have conceded just 26 league goals under Slot this season, the second-best record in the Eredivisie. The Dutch boss also boasted an excellent defense in his title-winning campaign, even though Cody Gakpo did him some serious damage.

Liverpool.com says: It’s hard to argue with the assessment that defense should be Slot’s first priority. Liverpool have also struggled in terms of finishing, but the real downfall this season has been their tendency to concede.

When Liverpool got their opening game against Aston Villa, it was a chance to show some game management. But that phrase doesn’t exist in the lexicon of Klopp’s current squad, and Carragher is right when he says Slot will have to restore it.