After Liverpool lost for the second time in the space of a few days courtesy of Galatasaray, Jamie Carragher has called for one of Arne Slot’s biggest stars to be dropped.

Slot "disappointed" again by Liverpool

After needing late goals in several of their opening games to salvage victory, something seemed off about the Premier League champions. They looked vulnerable and defeat seemed inevitable. The late goal simply wasn’t always going to arrive. And, as expected, Crystal Palace have since exposed that uncomfortable fact for Slot’s side.

The Eagles stole the late show from the Reds to hand them their first defeat at the weekend and Galatasaray have now followed suit to deal Slot back-to-back defeats for just the second time in his Liverpool career. For many, the decision to award Galatasaray a first-half penalty was contentious, but that shouldn’t have been that for Liverpool, who never truly reacted to going behind.

Having his say on his side’s defeat, Slot told reporters: “Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than Crystal Palace]. First half, we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.

“It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this, and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Reds, either. They travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and club legend Carragher has already called on one player to be dropped against the Blues.

Carragher calls for Liverpool to drop Wirtz

In a brutal assessment, Carragher called for Liverpool to drop Florian Wirtz “right now” following another disappointing display from the £200,000-a-week German. The former Bayer Leverkusen star is without a goal or assist since the Community Shield and is struggling to get up to speed at Anfield.

“The obvious problem that stands out is Florian Wirtz. He’s just not at the races at all.

“He’s a young boy going to a new league, he’s got plenty of time to grow as a Liverpool player, but right now, I think he needs to come out of the team for Liverpool to get back to where they were last season and then go from there to try and build some confidence and defensive stability.” (via CBS)

Whether it’s been out wide or in midfield, it’s hard to argue with Carragher’s verdict. Something is wrong with this Liverpool side and it’s only natural that the blame goes the way of the £116m midfielder who hasn’t contributed since Wembley.

Slot certainly has a big decision to make. A few, in fact. As the Chelsea game approaches, Liverpool must lay down a marker as Premier League champions.