Arne Slot explains his stance after Jamie Carragher criticism

Carragher asked Slot about Liverpool’s tactical set-up after a night that combined three goals with a clean sheet.

Slot responded with a smile, but his retort was pointed.

“I find it hard to listen to you, Jamie, because you are the one who told me I have to make sure we didn’t concede that much,” he said.

The Liverpool head coach explained that once he addressed those defensive concerns, the criticism simply shifted.

“So I started to do that and people began to complain it became boring, so I’m not sure if I should listen to you,” Slot added.

The exchange reflected a wider frustration rather than a personal disagreement.

Earlier in the season, Carragher was among those highlighting how open Liverpool looked defensively, even during wins.

That assessment proved accurate as results dipped sharply through October and November, culminating in a run of heavy defeats across competitions.

Slot responded by tightening Liverpool structurally.

The consequence has been a side that is far harder to beat, but less explosive.

What Liverpool’s results show under Slot

The data supports that evolution.

Liverpool are currently unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions, according to Opta Analyst, the longest active run among Europe’s major leagues.

However, that streak includes a high number of draws, particularly in the Premier League.

Scoreless games against Leeds and Arsenal, alongside shared points with Fulham, Sunderland and Burnley, underline the trade-off between control and cutting edge.

By contrast, Marseille offered space and tempo.

Liverpool punished that openness, just as we did against Inter Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt earlier in the campaign.

That contrast explains Slot’s insistence that context matters.

It also explains why he appears increasingly irritated by surface-level criticism.

Carragher has since argued that Slot may have gone “too far” in correcting Liverpool’s defensive flaws, a view that reflects the difficulty of striking balance rather than a failure of intent.

That tension has not been limited to Carragher.

Steven Gerrard made a similar point when responding to Slot’s post-match comments after Marseille, urging the Liverpool head coach to accept that certain challenges – including low blocks and patience in possession – come with managing this club.

Gerrard’s message echoed Slot’s own frustration: that solving one problem rarely ends the scrutiny, it simply changes its focus.

Slot himself made that clear after the laughter in the CBS studio subsided, calmly outlining how injuries, opponent style and player availability shape his decisions.

Liverpool’s challenge now is the same one every elite side faces.

Maintaining defensive solidity without dulling attacking freedom.

Slot has stopped the defeats.

The next step is making the unbeaten run feel as convincing as it is resilient.