Liverpool revamp inevitable as question emerges after three denied starts

Liverpool summer revamp inevitable as transfer question emerges after three players denied starts

Ian Doyle considers the main Liverpool talking points after the dire Carabao Cup final defeat against Newcastle United at Wembley

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Arne Slot hasn’t got much wrong during his first season as Liverpool head coach. But this dismal defeat was perhaps a case of the Dutchman holding too much faith in his regular starters.

Rarely can this Reds side have been so bullied in midfield, with the Newcastle terriers of Joelinton and Sandro Tonali snapping at the heels of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Usually, the Liverpool engine room would have passed their way around such issues, as happened in the second half at St James’s Park in December and for much of the comfortable home win over Newcastle 18 days ago.

This time, though, the Reds didn’t have the energy or physicality to cope. The efforts against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek undoubtedly had an impact, but the truth is Liverpool have looked leggy for weeks. In hindsight, greater rotation was required.

It was telling the late strike that offered fleeting hope of undeserved redemption came when Harvey Elliott’s clever pass released fellow substitute Federico Chiesa to finish clinically. Neither has started a Premier League game this season. Nor has Wataru Endo.

Clearly they haven’t earned the full trust of Slot. And if that doesn’t change over the remainder of the season, the fringes of Liverpool’s squad are going to need clipping.

Trent absence felt

The ongoing speculation over his future has detracted somewhat from the fact that, in recent weeks, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been among the best performers of a spluttering Liverpool team.

And this glimpse into potential life without the right-back will surely have been a concern to not only Slot but also the disbelieving supporters who witnessed the Reds flounder.

With little sign of Alexander-Arnold signing a new contract and Real Madrid laying out the red carpet, everything points to the clock counting down on his Anfield career.

Here at Wembley, with Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez already sidelined, the absence of Alexander-Arnold with an ankle complaint hugely impacted the Reds’ attacking efforts.

Not that it was any slight on his replacement Jarell Quansah, who after a difficult season merited his start on the big stage.

And while the 22-year-old was solid defensively – evidenced by one strong challenge on Tino Livramento early on – it was asking much for a centre-back playing out of position to offer anything like the same attacking threat as either Alexander-Arnold or Bradley. The finger for that failure should be pointed elsewhere.

For a team that has skilfully negotiated injury absences this season, having no Alexander-Arnold was keenly felt.

Forward changes inevitable

It seems strange to berate a side that has scored more than 100 goals in all competitions this season and stands 12 points clear at the Premier League summit. Liverpool, though, are increasingly lacking a cutting edge.

Consider the numbers. Diogo Jota, again so ineffective when starting here, has now gone 10 games without a goal. Darwin Nunez, who did little after replacing the Portuguese, has one in 13. And Luis Diaz didn’t look close to improving a record of a solitary strike in his last 18 outings.

The influence of Cody Gakpo, again clearly not fit during his late cameo, has become even obvious in his recent absence.

And while it would be wrong to state Mohamed Salah has been carrying the Liverpool forward line this season, his team-mates should be stepping up with the Egyptian having hit a rough patch.

Speaking before the game, Andy Robertson dismissed claims this might be the last dance for the current Liverpool squad. But this loss was further proof, should it have been needed, a reconfiguring of the attack now looks inevitable this summer.

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