Liverpool’s players must shoulder responsibility for their dismal form, so says Jamie Carragher, who believes Mohamed Salah is now past his best.
The Reds’ woeful run continued on Wednesday as they went down 4-1 to PSV at Anfield in the Champions League.
Liverpool have lost nine of their past 12 matches in all competitions, which is their worst run since the 1953-54 season, in which they were relegated.
And though Carragher accepts Arne Slot is struggling, he thinks Liverpool’s players must step up, though the former defender fears 33-year-old Salah has lost his magic.
In his role as a pundit on CBS Sports, Carragher said: “Liverpool’s not a sacking club.
“Liverpool are different from almost every club in European football – the manager is the king, the manager gets time.
“I have always been in the camp that you stick with the manager. I’m angry with the players, if I’m totally honest.
“But it does get to a stage for any manager at a club where it’s untenable. It can’t go on any longer.
“I’m not quite there yet, but I know others are.
“The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jurgen Klopp was Alisson, [Virgil] van Dijk and Salah.
“Alisson’s injured a lot now, he doesn’t play so much. But you watch Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.
“I don’t like criticising them, and I think some of the criticism of them this season as players has been harsh. You always look for leaders in your team to step up when things are not going well.
“I’ve been critical of Salah off the pitch, I want him to come out and do an interview and speak to the Liverpool supporters about what the players are going to do, about what’s going on in the dressing room, giving the supporters hope that things are going to improve.
“But I don’t like criticising them on the pitch because they’re absolute legends for what they’ve done, and their legs have just gone.”
Salah registered a whopping 57 goal involvements last season, the most of any player in Europe’s top five leagues across all competitions.
So far this term, he has contributed just eight (five goals, three assists).
Salah’s 0.3 goals, 0.3 expected goals, 2.6 shots, 1.0 shots on target, 7.0 touches in the opposition box and 0.5 goal involvements per 90 this season are all low marks across his Liverpool career.
But Carragher says the likes of Salah and Van Dijk need support.
“I look at some of the others – step up,” he said.
“Can you only play well, when they play well? When they carry you? In terms of the players and the way they’re performing, it’s not acceptable for Liverpool.
“This is maybe a snapshot of the future of Liverpool when Mo Salah moves on, Van Dijk moves on and Alisson moves on.”