Exclusive: Liverpool dressing room left baffled by two Arne Slot selections during horror run
Liverpool players have been left miffed by two of Arne Slot’s selection in particularly during the horror run that plunged his future into doubt, sources have told Football Insider.
The Reds had been on a run of five defeats in six Premier League games prior to their victory away at West Ham at the weekend, to heap the pressure on the manager.
However, Slot remains the odds-on favourite to be Liverpool manager come January 1, and his position has been strengthened once again by the victory on Sunday afternoon.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman’s position remains a big talking point among the club’s fans, and he is now facing questions from within his squad after recent events at Anfield.
Liverpool squad miffed by Milos Kerkez and one other selection
Milos Kerkez has had a difficult time for Liverpool after his move from Bournemouth in the summer, but he has continually been given the nod by Slot despite his stuttering displays.
The Hungarian has started 11 games in the league already this term, including five of the six defeats that the Reds have endured in the Premier League so far.
Sources say there has been some surprise from within the dressing room that he is continually being selected ahead of the proven and still very able Andrew Robertson.
There is similar frustration among the players, it is said, regarding Slot’s decision to use midfielders on the right side of the defence, with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai both acting as regular features at right-back this season.
This especially applies to Szoboszlai, who has already started four league games in an unnatural right-back role, while either he or Jones, who started at right-back in the defeats to Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, have slotted into the backline a further four times during league games.
Arne Slot to get the benefit of the doubt as January spending planned
Liverpool are keen to give Slot the benefit of the doubt and keep him in the job for now, given the credit that he has built up, and they are prepared to make funds available for him again in January.
The defence has been an issue in recent weeks, with the Reds shipping 10 goals across three games prior to their clean sheet away at West Ham.
The right-back issue has been exacerbated by the recent injury to Conor Bradley, but it certainly feels wise for Slot and Co. to address that in the market in January before the frustration within the group spreads.
Both Szoboszlai and Jones are valuable attacking assets, and while their versatility has dug their team out of a hole on many occasions already this season, it has often left them with another issue elsewhere on the pitch.