Liverpool coach Arne Slot has met with backlash after suggesting that a lack of squad depth was behind their EFL Cup exit.
The Reds lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night at Anfield, with Ismaila Sarr starring with a brace. The hosts finished the game with 10 men, as 18-year-old defender Amara Nallo saw a red card in the 79th minute.
It was Liverpool’s fifth straight defeat in domestic competitions. They have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, with an aggregate score of 14-10.
Owing to Liverpool’s shocking run of fixtures, Slot has climbed to second place in the Premier League sack race odds market. Only Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira, with odds of 4/6, is ahead of the Dutchman.
Arne Slot Suggests Liverpool are Weaker than Man City and Chelsea After EFL Cup Exit
Liverpool manager Arne Slot fielded a much-changed starting XI for their EFL Cup Round 4 clash with Crystal Palace. Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez, and Andy Robertson were the only ones with decent first-team experience.
Palace, meanwhile, had a stronger starting XI, featuring Yeremy Pino, Ismaila Sarr, Eddie Nketiah, Daniel Munoz, and Marc Guehi. The visitors carried a lot more attacking threat, registering nine efforts on target, while Liverpool only had one.
Things went from bad to worse when Amara Nallo saw a red card for a last-man foul on Justin Devenny. Pino made the most of Palace’s advantage by scoring the third goal in the 88th minute.
In the post-match interview, Slot compared Liverpool’s squad to Manchester City and Chelsea, saying his team lacked depth.
He said:
“I saw Manchester City’s starting eleven, and they didn’t have one starter from the weekend, but it felt like their best team.
“That is a bit of an insight. Chelsea can bring Estevao in… then after I made two substitutions tonight, we had six teenagers.”
Fans Criticise Slot’s Squad Depth Reasoning After EFL Cup Elimination
Liverpool spent £449m in the summer transfer window, including performance-linked add-ons, emerging as the highest-spending team in the world. So, most fans on social media did not like Arne Slot’s reasoning for their EFL Cup exit and disastrous run of form.
@taku0x wrote:
“Is this really coming from the manager of the team who spent 9 figures this summer? 🤣🤣🤣🤣”
@TheConnorCain added:
“He spent £446 million in the summer, more than any Premier League club has ever spent in a single window”
@babajagar_wick piled on, writing:
“I feel for Slot he could only spent £500m 👀 in the transfer window 😂😂😂 £250m spent on 2 strikers”
@graceondrive called out Slot for not taking responsibility for the poor form and only seeking excuses.
“It is also arrogant to not take full responsibility for the current situation of the Liverpool team. He keeps providing excuse after excuse, from the style of play of the opponents, to playing more away games in a row, and now he had teenagers on the bench??? Not once, has he taken full responsibility and this is a problem because for him to find solutions, he must first acknowledge the issues and take responsibility for them as the Manager of the team.”
Hmmm… There is a veiled arrogance beneath these words from Arne Slot. He slothfully thought that winning the Premier League would be a breeze as it was last season, and didn't consider fully all the variables required to sustain a title challenge, especially the most important…
— TechBoss (@graceondrive) October 30, 2025
@PaddyKeoghAF claimed Slot did not spend wisely, which compromised the squad.
“Maybe if you didn’t spend £250m on strikers you’d have a more balanced squad…. Just a thought.”
Liverpool, who are seventh in the Premier League table, return to action with a clash against Aston Villa on Saturday night.
