Carragher gave an exclusive interview to The Athletic via a video call. When discussing Liverpool’s transfer business, he stated that he still fails to understand why the club signed Alexander Isak, adding that Declan Rice is the modern-day equivalent of Roy Keane and exactly the midfielder Liverpool needs.
Is the Premier League, with its enormous financial power, getting better, or is the competition across the rest of Europe in decline?
Carragher believes that in European football today, only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga has maintained its consistent standards. They remain one of the favourites to win the Champions League and are even among the elite teams in world football, on a par with Arsenal.
He added: “Watching Premier League teams shine in the Champions League, I think the key reason is the physical intensity of the Premier League, which other European sides struggle to cope with. We all know how crucial set pieces have become in the Premier League. But I’m not fooled by the European results of teams like Tottenham, Liverpool, and Newcastle — I watch them play every week, and I simply can’t class them as elite clubs.”
“There’s no doubt that the bottom-half teams in the Premier League are exceptionally strong, with rugged styles and aggressive pressing. The Premier League has truly become a ‘super league’ in every sense. The original idea for the European Super League emerged precisely because everyone realised that apart from four or five top continental giants, the Premier League was the real centre stage of world football. Yet in terms of on-pitch results, we can’t shout about this advantage too loudly. Premier League teams have only won three of the last seven Champions League titles.”
“But I watched Arsenal’s recent game against Inter Milan. They were missing three key players — Rice, Gabriel, and Odegaard — yet they comfortably beat the Serie A leaders with ease. The ease with which Premier League teams are navigating European competition right now even makes me uneasy. I truly hope traditional European powerhouses like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus can bounce back.”
In Carragher’s view, Arsenal and Liverpool are the two most dangerous Premier League sides in the upcoming Champions League knockout stages. Arsenal’s strength lies in their squad depth; Carragher admitted he “can’t help but be amazed every time I look at their squad”, while a solid defence is their winning formula in two-legged knockout ties.
So what makes Liverpool, stuck in a slump in the Premier League this season, still competitive in Europe?
“Liverpool seems to have a special bond with the Champions League. They have lifted the trophy six times. Besides, this team’s style of play is clearly better suited to European competitions than to the current Premier League. This season’s Premier League has been dominated by set pieces, long throw-ins, quick counter-attacks, and deep defending — scenarios that occur far less frequently in the Champions League. Opponents in Europe are more willing to push up and engage in open, attacking football. That’s one reason Liverpool have beaten Marseille and Inter Milan away, and Real Madrid at home.”
Liverpool currently sit sixth in the Premier League and are fighting to secure a direct spot in the Champions League knockout stages. On this, Carragher said: “Going from defending champions to missing out on the Champions League is unacceptable. The fans have to trust the manager to lead the team out of this mess. Manchester United have made a fatal mistake time and again: thinking ‘maybe it’s time for a change of manager’ but not being fully committed, delaying the decision, only to regret it come October, thinking ‘we should have pulled the trigger earlier’.”
“I don’t even want to talk about sacking the manager, because I have a lot of time for Slot. He led the team to the Premier League title with attractive football, but the criticism from Liverpool fans has been relentless. If he can guide the club back into the Champions League, show clear progress, and go far in either the FA Cup or the Champions League, then I would argue this is a collective issue: the players are not at their previous levels, the manager hasn’t been at his best this season, and those above him in the hierarchy must take most of the responsibility. But if the team finishes sixth, that’s a catastrophic collapse, and defending him will be pointless.”
Many Liverpool fans are disappointed with the team’s Premier League performances, lacking the necessary intensity in both pressing and counter-attack speed. What is the root of the problem?
“It could be down to the make-up of the squad,” Carragher analysed. “Selling Luis Díaz and signing Florian Wirtz are two moves involving players with completely different profiles. Díaz is a rapid wide forward; while he doesn’t have the same technical finesse as Wirtz, his departure has fundamentally altered the team’s attacking direction. No one denies that Darwin Núñez is less technically polished than Ekitike, but Núñez runs tirelessly, injecting energy and intensity into the side.”
“It also relates to the manager’s training methods. Do the players have the fitness levels to sustain this style of play? During Klopp’s tenure, injury problems were rampant. Under Slot, hamstring injuries that keep players out for two or three weeks have dropped significantly — something that was widely praised last season, with people saying ‘this is an improvement on Klopp’s approach’. But if you want the same pressing intensity as the Klopp era, injuries are inevitable.”
“There are also tactical issues. The modern Premier League is almost defined by man-marking and high-intensity pressing, yet Liverpool always hold a player back at the back when pressing forward. Sometimes this approach is justified, but it can’t be set in stone. Opposing teams now have exceptional technical quality. Leaving one player spare at the back may seem like losing just one pressing body, but in effect it’s two — opposing goalkeepers are also excellent with the ball at their feet and can easily play out from the back to beat the press. This makes it extremely hard for Liverpool to win the ball back high up the pitch, and opponents can break through our defence with ease.”
“If the team struggles to break down the opposition in possession, then, as Klopp famously said, high pressing is more effective than any number 10. We should be far more aggressive without the ball. Whether the team currently has the ability to do this, whether the players have the fitness, or whether the manager fears a lack of squad depth and a surge in injuries from intense pressing, I don’t know. All I know is that off-ball pressing intensity has always been Liverpool’s unique identity — because it’s what ignites the home crowd.”
“Every club has its own tactical identity, and every manager has their own philosophy. But I believe every fan walking into a stadium craves fast-paced football. No one enjoys slow, laboured play, even if the team wins. It’s the tense, thrilling matches that get hearts racing that become classics, leaving fans cheering as they leave the ground.”
“Liverpool under Klopp took high-octane football to its peak. His tactics weren’t the most successful in the world — Guardiola holds that title — but they were unquestionably the most entertaining.”
“Slot’s idol in management is undoubtedly Guardiola; he admires him immensely. Last season, Liverpool won the Premier League by striking the perfect balance between Klopp’s intensity and Guardiola’s tactical sophistication. Now, the team’s style has tilted entirely towards a Guardiola-esque approach, and it’s too much of a good thing.”
As he spoke, Carragher grew more passionate, drawing a parallel between Liverpool’s current situation and a past chapter at their Merseyside rivals Everton.
“In a way, it reminds me of Roberto Martínez’s time at Everton,” he said. “In his first season, he added a touch of Martínez’s flair to the rugged, solid Everton side built by David Moyes, and it worked brilliantly. But in his second season, he doubled down on his own tactics, and the team gradually lost that perfect balance between steel and style, eventually veering off course entirely. Liverpool now seem to be heading down the same path.”
He then turned to the club’s transfer business in last summer’s window.
“Liverpool’s recruitment team have received more praise than any other in the sport, and rightly so,” he said. “They’ve always had an excellent eye in the transfer market. But looking back at every key decision made last summer, they’ve all backfired — even if we’re speaking with the benefit of hindsight.”
Carragher was blunt that the club’s lucrative contract renewals for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, as well as the big-money moves for Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak, have been far from successful. “At the time, there was little reason not to hand them new deals, but in hindsight, the decision hasn’t worked out. As for the expensive new signings, Wirtz has started to show glimpses of his potential but is still well short of expectations — let’s hope he explodes into life in the second half of the season.”
“As for Isak, I still can’t understand the decision to sign him. Liverpool have always been experts at unearthing the ‘next Isak’; in their eyes, Ekitike was supposed to be that emerging talent. So I genuinely don’t see why they needed to sign the established star Isak. He’s had a terrible run with injuries this season, but he was always prone to fitness issues during his time at Newcastle. His talent is undeniable, but I still can’t figure out how you fit a £125m striker and a £69m striker into the same team, especially when you’ve also signed Wirtz as your number 10.”
“On top of that, failing to sign a suitable replacement after selling Luis Díaz is another major problem. The players who were key to last season’s title success have all regressed dramatically this term. All five of the summer’s pivotal decisions have failed, and that’s the root of Liverpool’s current struggles.”
Carragher believes central midfield was the position Liverpool most desperately needed to strengthen last summer.
“Curtis Jones and Mac Allister are fine players, but Liverpool’s midfield now has two or three players with mediocre physicality,” he added. “Every time I watch Rice, he impresses me. Honestly, he’s exceptional — exactly the player Liverpool need right now. In my eyes, he’s the modern-day Roy Keane.”
“He’s a different type of player to Gerrard, who was far more attack-minded. Roy Keane was the complete midfielder: high pressing, receiving possession from the back, capable of everything. Rice is also a master of set-piece play. To be honest, he still doesn’t get the praise he deserves; people always seem to find fault with him. His passing is impeccable, no one gets past him easily, and his delivery from set pieces is among the best in Europe.”
Carragher sighed: “Why on earth didn’t Liverpool go all out to sign him… That summer of July 2023, when Arsenal signed him from West Ham, was exactly when we moved on Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, two veteran midfielders. Even then, I thought signing Rice alone would replace both — he could play the defensive midfield role of Fabinho, just as he does at Arsenal, and carry out the high-pressing duties of Henderson. God, I would have loved to see him in a Liverpool shirt.”
“In my opinion, he’s been the Premier League Player of the Season this year, especially if Arsenal go on to win the title. He’ll finally get the acclaim he deserves, and I hope he shines for England at the World Cup this summer.”