Liverpool

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock says "only time will tell" whether Arne Slot's decision to rest key players in the Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace was the right one.

Slot named three teenagers in his starting line-up and a further five among his substitutes as he made 10 changes from the team beaten 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday.

"If they beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid and start to turn a corner then yes it was the right choice," said Warnock on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "If they don't and things continue, then Liverpool fans will get a little bit disgruntled and start to ask questions about why so many changes.

"Slot said before the game they rotate in this competition, but when you need a victory, this felt like the ideal time to try to get it.

"I'm not sure this will affect them too much but it keeps the pressure on Slot. There will be so many more questions asked of him. He will hope the performance on Saturday justifies what he has done for this game.

"Confidence is huge in football and Liverpool players are second guessing everything that they do.

"Slot has got to turn things around very quickly but it is not all on the manager. The players have to do more.

"His job as manager is to inspire the players and give them a gameplan they can follow through."

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Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann says the Reds' Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace was "pretty much expected" after Arne Slot's starting XI was announced.

Slot named three teenagers in his starting line-up and a further five among his substitutes as he made 10 changes from the team that was beaten 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday.

"We know that Crystal Palace have a very good team under Oliver Glasner. I don't think Slot was too bothered about the defeat because I think he's got other things on his mind at the moment," Hamann told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"Their form in the league is not good. They have to make sure they don't fall too far behind by Christmas that they can't win the league this season and defend it.

"After we saw the team, we pretty much expected what was going to happen and I wouldn't be too bothered about the result.

"Slot's got three massive games ahead of him now with Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City. They probably can't afford to lose any of the three so he probably thought he'd give the main players a few days off.

"Results have to improve otherwise the air will become thinner for him. People talk about his position now, which nobody would have thought would happen at the start of the season after being brilliant last season.

"He knows he needs results now.

"They spent £400m over the summer. The players who were there last season will be thinking: 'We didn't spend that money last season and we were better.'

"That is always a danger because the new players who come in have to perform - and quickly.

"Apart from [Hugo] Ekitike, none have done OK so far and I think that's a big problem."

Listen to the full discussion from 08:22 GMT on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Although Liverpool's starting 11 against Crystal Palace on Wednesday included 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison, the line-up also included seven full internationals.

Slot opted for three central defenders, with Scotland's Andy Robertson on the left, England's Joe Gomez in the middle and Japan's Wataru Endo on the right.

Both full-backs have also represented their country too, with left-back Milos Kerkez a regular for Hungary, while Calvin Ramsay has played for Scotland.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt it was "disrespectful" to suggest Liverpool had fielded a weakened team and believed his side deserved all the credit.

"It was Arne Slot's decision and we never care what other teams are doing," said the Eagles boss. "I've seen Joe Gomez play for England, win the Champions League, seen Wataru Endo I don't know how many games for Japan.

"I've seen Alexis Mac Allister, he won the World Cup as a starter, Kerkez moved for £40m, [Federico] Chiesa plays for the [Italy] national team, Ngumoha has shown he can score goals in the Premier League.

"It was still a good team and everyone is a member of the Liverpool squad. I was never good enough to be in the Liverpool squad. Maybe it was not the strongest team, but still a very good Liverpool side."

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We asked for your thoughts after Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Here are some of your replies:

Jason: Time for Arne Slot to admit he doesn't know what to do. Some great energy from the youngsters in the first half, but mistakes from key players and a lack of purpose and strategy on the field are quickly making Liverpool a laughing stock. Guaranteed no cups this season and the odds are shortening on relegation.

Neil: What was that abysmal performance? An unthinkable starting XI with no first-team substitutes. I was watching Newcastle v Spurs on TV and their fans were laughing at us at half-time! I don't think Slot's unsackable but, knowing Liverpool, they will put all the big guns back in on Saturday against Aston Villa. Milos Kerkez is a rabbit in the headlights and not worth the money. I'm very worried.

Marilyn: This is all very sad. Where has our beautiful, fast-attacking team gone? So many back passes and no inventive ideas - just the same horrid football they played against Brentford, although a totally different line-up. What are you going to do, Arne?

Matthew: For all the criticism that Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have got for their performances compared with their price tags, it is Kerkez who I think hasn't been good enough. He was bought to be our new left-back but isn't showing enough experience at all.

Liz: Form is temporary, class is permanent. Liverpool have the class players, so we will be back!

Jan: Why do so much damage to our younger players? It is unfair when they are starting out. We are clearly not going to perform in the league, so a strengthened team with seniors on the bench was the way to go. Instead, the 'LFC is failing' narrative will gather momentum. This was an important game to show strength and depth, not give victory away the minute the teamsheet was published.

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was not impressed with Arne Slot's post-match interview on Wednesday in which he cited the struggles of fixture congestion for him rotating his squad so heavily against Crystal Palace.

"Our squad is probably not as big as people think it is," said Slot. "Against Brentford it was two days after we played Eintracht Frankfurt away and I saw a team that is struggling to play three games in seven days.

"It's a new challenge to play in the Premier League and Champions League, three games in seven days," he added.

"Arne Slot has almost admitted there that the squad is not strong enough," said Warnock on BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was very much deflecting and making excuses.

"You're a team in the Champions League, yet you're moaning that you're playing a game two days later. You know that is going to happen. I felt there were a lot of excuses in there. You know your squad depth isn't the best, then your business hasn't been good enough in the summer.

"It is as simple as that. I know players get injuries along the way, but build a squad capable of dealing with it.

"He sounded down and like he didn't have the answers people were looking for."

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after his side's 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup:

"You have every option where you can choose from, but the reality is also that there is not a lot of reasons why we have lost five out of six.

"None of them are enough to make up for the fact we have lost so many. It is clear in the last few weeks we have always had to play two days after we played the last game after a difficult game in Europe.

"If you look at the week coming up, that is going to be a big week for us, everyone and the club. We need as many players available as we can. You can see today with the line-up I had to make. I only rested the players that have played mainly in the last week. This is the line-up you get. That shows you we already have a few injuries. With a big week coming up for me, it felt the best choice.

"Combined with that, this club has always chosen in the League Cup to give playing time to young academy players as well. Our squad is probably not as big as people think it is. There has not been a change in the way we look at this."

Did you know?

This was the first time Liverpool have lost a domestic cup match at Anfield by three goals without scoring since February 1934, which was a 3-0 defeat to Bolton in the FA Cup.

• Hear Slot's post-match media conference on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at Anfield

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Arne Slot, who led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season at Anfield, will use their fixtures in the next week and a half as justification for his team selection against Crystal Palace.

The 10-time League Cup winners' starting line-up included three teenagers - hugely exciting 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison.

However, Palace boss Oliver Glasner, whose side had already played 15 games in all competitions before this match, will have felt they had a glorious chance to progress when he saw the teamsheets.

The Eagles named a strong-looking team, including captain Marc Guehi, whose potential £35m move to Liverpool collapsed on transfer deadline day in September after Palace failed to sign a replacement.

With Guehi out of contract in the summer, the Reds could well try again to sign him - and this match again highlighted Liverpool's need to strengthen in defence.

Slot picked three central defenders - Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo - while Milos Kerkez and Calvin Ramsay were at left and right-back respectively.

But the Liverpool boss, watching on from the edge of his technical area while getting soaked in heavy rain, will have been left disappointed with the goals his side conceded.

One bright spot for the Dutchman was the performance of Ngumoha, who became the club's youngest Premier League scorer earlier this season with a late winner against Newcastle.

Ngumoha, operating on the left wing but allowed the freedom to move inside and run at the defence, repeatedly showed his skill and dribbling ability with the home crowd increasing the noise levels every time he touched the ball.

But none of the other fringe players were able to take their opportunity as Liverpool limped out of the competition.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Crystal Palace's display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Arne Slot has rotated his Liverpool squad, with 10 changes from the side that began the 3-2 loss at Brentford at the weekend.

Milos Kerkez is the only one to stay in the team, which includes 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison.

Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman makes his first competitive start for the Reds following his summer move from Preston.

Captain Marc Guehi starts in defence for Crystal Palace, who have not changed their side as much as their opponents.

Walter Benitez is in goal in place of Dean Henderson, while Eddie Nketiah starts up front, with Jean-Philippe Mateta among the substitutes.

There are five Carabao Cup games on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

Kick-off times 19:45 GMT unless stated

• Arsenal v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Liverpool v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Swansea v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Wolves v Chelsea

• Newcastle v Tottenham (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's Radio 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Brighton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Crystal Palace", for instance.

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Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Paul asked: With Palace, Villa, Real Madrid and Man City coming up would, say, three more defeats put Arne Slot under real pressure? Liverpool don't sack managers easily, but surely if this run of form persists then even the most successful manager could be in trouble.

Phil answered: Slot is under the same pressure as every Liverpool manager – and that is the pressure to win games. Pressure for his job? Not a chance.

Slot won the title in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp, and while he needs wins as quickly as possible, Liverpool is not the sort of club to panic, even if the next sequence of results go badly.

I would agree, however, that they need to show signs of becoming more resilient and balanced, because I think they are a dysfunctional, soft touch at the moment. And, Hugo Ekitike apart, their big signings have not yet delivered.

Slot however still has plenty of credit in the bank and Liverpool is a calm club internally, not given to hasty, panicky decisions, certainly not when it involves a manager who won the Premier League last season.

Jack then asked: I'll follow up on the question about Slot being under pressure. Do you think that if nothing has changed by Christmas, he will be under heavy scrutiny and could be on the verge or even have been sacked? Considering his current squad, I'd say it's very likely.

Phil answered: Of course, Slot would be under heavy scrutiny if the current dreadful run continues until Christmas, as any manager of a club of Liverpool's stature would be. He would be under pressure – but not, in my opinion, for his job.

Liverpool's owners are measured. They saw Slot win the title in his first season and I am sure there will be an acceptance and understanding that there has also been a lot of change in the summer.

What he needs now is for established stars and new acquisitions to simply play better. He also needs to find his best team as I am not sure he actually knows.

I also think the presence of both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak gives him a conundrum, on how to best utilise those two players. So far Ekitike has delivered. Isak has not.

Follow along with the rest of today's Phil McNulty Q&A here

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Sir Kenny Dalglish, speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside's Phil Munns about the strength of the Liverpool community in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster:

"When Hillsborough happened every department; upstairs, the players, the coaching staff, the rest of the fans - it was fantastic, the way they all got together. And then when we got to meet the families, it was our turn to be supporters. They supported us many times when we really needed them. They were there.

"Both Marina [Dalglish] and myself were brought up in Glasgow, parents with similar values, rights and wrongs, respect for people. You help people if they're having a bad time or if something awry happens, you try your best to help them. And that's all we tried to do in the football club.

"The club's a club that the community should feel very proud of, and we've proved that when we came out to do it, and we tried our best to be as helpful as we possibly could. But there's nothing we could have done that could have replaced the loss."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot says they "should be hurt" by recent results as they look to turn their poor run of form around against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup later on Wednesday.

The Reds succumbed to their fourth successive Premier League defeat when they lost 3-2 to Brentford on Saturday.

After five wins in a row had left them clear at the top of the table, they are now seventh and seven points behind leaders Arsenal.

"It goes without saying that our recent form has not reached the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves. This is, of course, a major disappointment, especially given the positive start we made to the season," Slot wrote in his matchday programme notes.

"Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right. There is no other option.

"Part of this process involves being hurt. We should be hurt by results like Saturday's when we lost to Brentford, and we should use the feelings this creates to further fuel our motivation.

"Not that anyone could accuse the players of a lack of effort - if anything, the opposite is true - but how we use this effort and desire is what will make the difference."

Crystal Palace are familiar recent foes for Liverpool, with the Eagles having beaten them in the Community Shield and the Premier League this season already.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk shared Slot's sentiment and added: "My message ahead of this game is a simple one: we stick together, no matter what.

"We know this is a difficult moment. We know results and performances are not what we want them to be, and that will lead to pressure, scrutiny and criticism from the outside.

"We accept that. When you play for a club like Liverpool, it comes with certain standards and expectations.

"You have to show the right reaction. You have to look at yourself, show strength and character, work hard and find a way to bounce back. That is exactly what we will be looking to do this evening."

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Former Liverpool forward Natasha Dowie says she wants to see "more fight and nastiness" from the Reds as they look to move on from a run of five defeats in their past six games.

Arne Slot's side host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

"As a fan, you always try to look positive," Dowie told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"It has to be better, you can't shy away from that, but I think also when you really break it down there are so many factors you have to take into consideration.

"What I want is a little bit more of a fight and a nastiness. This Liverpool team are technically so gifted but teams are bullying them at the moment on the physical side of things.

"When it comes to one v one battles they have to do better, they have to earn the right to play. It's not just winning the Premier League, teams then want to beat you even more.

"I look at Arsenal at the moment - they will do anything to win. They're happy to scrape 1-0s.

"Liverpool need to take a bit more pride in the clean sheet side of things. No clean sheet in nine is not good enough.

"It doesn't get any easier. Crystal Palace are a physical team, have beaten Liverpool twice recently, so getting a result will not be straightforward.

"[Jean-Philippe] Mateta is such a handful, he's got everything.

"It will be interesting to see the teams both managers pick. Oliver Glasner has tended to go strong in the cup but Slot played a very young team against Southampton.

"Can he afford to do that again?"

Listen to the full discussion from 08:20 GMT on BBC Sounds

Former English Football League striker and Liverpool fan Adebayo Akinfenwa says "there have been a lot of changes" at Anfield since the club won the Premier League and getting the right team dynamic is the biggest challenge they face.

"Every Liverpool player and every Liverpool fan knows that when Alexander Isak hits form, or whenever it clicks, he's a problem," said Akinfenwa on the BBC's Sacked In The Morning podcast.

"What is up for debate is the blending of a lot of characters and styles into a new team.

"Isak would have thought he was coming into a more stable team and he was just going to add his little bit to it, whereas there are just a lot of changes and the core of the team now has changed.

"He has been used to being the main man at Newcastle, where there was also probably a lot more space for him to run into too.

"He's got to adapt his game and then everybody else has got to adapt to them.

"What is unfortunate for him and everybody involved with Liverpool is he is trying to find his feet at the same time as Hugo Ekitike.

"Mohamed Salah is still trying to be like: 'OK, I'm the main man, I got 50-plus goals doing it a certain way, which everybody understood.'

"He probably thinks: 'If it's not broken, why would I fix it?' Whereas the problem is now that they have new players, it is broken."

Listen to the Sacked In The Morning podcast on BBC Sounds

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Former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov says Florian Wirtz will be "unbelievable" at Liverpool but may need to "have patience".

Berbatov made the move from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham in 2006 but has admitted to "having doubts" after arriving in England and was contemplating whether he should return to Germany.

The former Bulgaria international went on to win the EFL Cup with Spurs before joining Manchester United two years later, where he became a two-time Premier League champion.

Wirtz made the same move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League in the summer, but has initially struggled to make an impact and is yet to score for his new club.

"I love him," Berbatov told Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Meets podcast., external "He's a fantastic player. He will be unbelievable, trust me.

"In my case, I was having doubts. The same process was happening when I arrived at Spurs as it was when I joined Leverkusen.

"In the beginning it didn't work out quite well and I had to have patience.

"At Spurs - a new environment, new people, new language, new everything - things were taking slowly to happen to me and I was thinking: 'Maybe I need to go back.' That negative thinking was there.

"Then, at the same time when I was thinking like this, my other me was telling me: 'You saw what happened in Leverkusen - just be patient, you deserve to be here, you wanted a change and to be here. Now be stubborn and work smart and hard.'

"I was motivating myself at the same time I was sabotaging myself. You want to go to your safe place but you need to have that motivation and ambition in you to overcome the fear."

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Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Oliver asked : A lot of Liverpool's woes have been placed on the defensive side, but do you think Liverpool losing Luis Diaz and having no direct replacement for the left wing is being understated?

Phil answered: Liverpool are struggling as new signings try to settle in and head coach Arne Slot attempts to find a balance in his team, but you are right. They are missing the urgency, direct approach and the goals of Diaz.

He had a superb season when they won the title, but in Liverpool's defence, it was Diaz who seemed determined to leave for Bayern Munich rather than being pushed out the door.

Read more of Phil's Q&A here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Liverpool suddenly look far less confident. The tiny moments of uncertainty can mean the difference between winning or losing by the odd goal.

Eight of their nine league games this season have been won by a single goal either way, the margin between easy success and abject failure is that slim.

The Premier League has produced a few teams that looked imperious over the years, but it only takes a couple of stumbles. It is not the vultures but the hyenas that are ready to pounce. Any sign of weakness is devoured mercilessly and that fear factor they relied on is history.

That is exactly what you saw at Brentford - and every other team in the league will have spotted this too.

It happened to Manchester City and it has taken Pep Guardiola a long time to get some of that X-factor back - though it still isn't there yet as Aston Villa proved once again.

Liverpool must get out of this slump or that advantage they had, particularly at Anfield, will be gone. This is why - for the first time - Arne Slot actually sounds a little worried now.

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Liverpool are among the clubs considering a move for Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez, with Newcastle and Aston Villa also in the race to sign the 21-year-old Ecuador centre-back. (Ekrem Konur), external

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Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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It is getting very worrying.

Liverpool had lost four of their previous five games before the Brentford defeat, but in most of them, were unlucky.

The referee was horrible against Galatasaray and the Reds conceded last-minute goals to Chelsea and Crystal Palace. We would have beaten Manchester United if we had just taken our chances, too.

But the loss to Brentford was not unlucky. It was an abysmal performance and even the penalty decisions that are certainly debatable should not shadow the fact Liverpool deserved absolutely nothing.

Arne Slot is making bad decision after bad decision. His attempts to get Florian Wirtz into the side have ruined the stable midfield three he had last season. He is asking Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley to do jobs in defence they are not capable of.

There is no build-up at the back as Kerkez, Bradley, Ibou Konate and stand-in keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili can't pass. Curtis Jones has been easily Liverpool's best player in the past two games - someone who simply gets on the ball and moves it on.

He is now injured. Slot should consider getting Joe Gomez into the defence, maybe at right-back. At least he can pass a ball into the midfield. Wirtz should play on the left, too, allowing the team a stable midfield with bodies in it.

Perhaps Slot's biggest crime though is what he has done to Mohamed Salah. The tactics keep Salah out of the opposition box. He does not shoot anymore. Given he does not press or run in behind, does that not seem really silly?

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Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has stated that the Reds' season is at a "crisis" stage after four straight Premier League defeats, while ex-England captain Wayne Rooney feels the side are lacking leadership.

What is their poor run down to?

On Saturday, Brentford ran more than 7km further than Liverpool as a team - clocking 121.41km to the Reds' 114.08km.

And while some may be questioning the application of the players, in general, the stats appear to show that the club's players have actually not downed tools.

When comparing this season so far to last season's title-winning campaign on a per-game basis, the team are involved in more duels (98 to 91) and have a better success rate in them (51.8% to 49.2%).

Also on a per-game basis, this season's side edge ahead in the amount of sprints (158-156), while also covering that bit more distance each match with 109.2km compared to 107.7km.

In terms of their passing accuracy, they are a little down at 84.9% compared to 86.3%, but, ultimately, it is all very comparable.

As is the way with football, there is no simple, single reason to explain Liverpool's drop-off from imperious champions to a side struggling to keep the ball out of their net or pick up points in the league.

There is an old adage that says "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and it feels the Reds' current situation could be representative of this.

While evolution in football is necessary, making too many changes in one go - in this case, nearly £450m of new talent and the exits of some big names - is always going to require a bedding-in period and the riding of some choppy waves.

After sticking with the tried and tested during his first season at Anfield, Arne Slot is now trying to stamp his own mark on this side. But while the Premier League crown will have bought him a good grace period, if things do not turn around soon, the Dutch manager could find it harder to keep the questions around his decisions at bay.