Liverpool suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday (19 September) – their fourth successive defeat in all competitions.
The Reds never looked likely to beat Ruben Amorim’s side after conceding after just 63 minutes. Though there were numerous questionable decisions from Michael Oliver, Arne Slot never looked like he had the right game plan to beat United.
As a result of the lacklustre performance, a lot of questions are being asked about Slot and how he has set his team up this season.
Having spent £466million in the summer, there is a lot more pressure on this team to succeed than there was before, with Wayne Rooney suggesting the Dutchman needs to drop Alexander Isak.
Wayne Rooney calls for Liverpool to drop Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak signed a six-year £280,000 per week contract and is expected to shine at Liverpool, but he has barely played 250 minutes this season yet is already being branded a failure in some quarters.
Rooney, while not suggesting he’s a flop, thinks Slot should keep him out the firing line while he works up to speed after his pre-season was interrupted amid the drama at St. James’ Park.
While Isak was forcing a move to Anfield, he wasn’t partaking in pre-season training and games, and is way behind in terms of match rhythm.
“I wouldn’t play Isak, he hasn’t looked ready since coming from Newcastle,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“He hasn’t trained, hasn’t had a pre-season. It’s so important. While Newcastle were training he was probably sat at home on the phone to his agent for six hours a day trying to get a move.
“It’s so difficult when you don’t have a pre-season. He might’ve done stuff by himself but he’s paying the price of it.
“On performances, he doesn’t deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike.”
Hugo Ekitike needs to start every game
It’s difficult to say how Isak will find his feet if he’s on the bench, but Liverpool need Hugo Ekitike from the start.
There are a lot bigger problems that Arne Slot has to solve immediately, but Ekitike is no doubt an essential member of the starting lineup already.
Even if he starts from the left wing, Liverpool need the Frenchman on the pitch. It would be interesting to see how Ekitike and Isak would function together.
Newcastle United were desperate to have the two of them, and now Liverpool can experiment with both of them on the pitch.
