JAMIE CARRAGHER has slammed criticism of Liverpool manager Arne Slot as “way out of line” and insisted he “deserves more respect”.
Slot won the Premier League in his first season with the Reds last year.
However, despite a gargantuan level of investment including record-breaking deals for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both well north of £100million, the Dutchman’s side have struggled far more this campaign.
The Anfield outfit are fourth in the English top flight and sit 14 points off of league leaders in their disappointing title defence.
Indeed, across the two-month period of September 27 through to November 27 Slot appeared to be on the brink of the sack as Liverpool won just three out of 12 games and saw the pressure piled on by a public fallout with Mohamed Salah.
Form improved into a four-game winning streak in December but has lapsed once again into a four-game drawing streak in the league, with their last victory coming against Wolves on December 27.
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The departure of Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso last week has only served to heighten the scrutiny on Slot’s neck.
But ex-Liverpool defender Carragher has thrown his weight behind the 47-year-old, saying much of the criticism of him was “over the top”.
Appearing on CBS Sports’ popular Champions League panel show, Carragher said: “I think that some of the criticism the manager has had, and he gets from some Liverpool supporters, is way out of line and way over the top.
“This is a guy who six months ago won the league title. He did an interview today and they used the headline of Liverpool winning the league twice in 30 years and I was one of the guys who won it. He hasn’t said that. Put it in context.
“I get a bit frustrated on his part. He is very calm and measured. He was like that last year and is like it right now. I think he deserves a lot more respect from Liverpool supporters for what he’s done in his first season.
“It’s not great at the moment, we know that, but he should be given the opportunity and time in the second half of the season to get Liverpool back on track.”
Following Liverpool’s 4-1 loss to PSV Carragher said in an off-air phone call that Slot “should be sacked” for continuing to pick defender Ibrahima Konate.
The 47-year-old added he understood the frustration levelled at Slot, adding he took too long to improve things.
He added: “When the manager was on a run of nine defeats in 12, that’s not acceptable. He had to stop that.
“He has, but the way he has gone on about that has gone on too long. You can accept that for four or five games – but it’s not the Liverpool he wants or the Liverpool we want to watch.
“This has sort of carried on now for a couple of months it feels like – it has to change second half of the season.”
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