Former Liverpool star says Arne Slot is missing two players after summer exit

Former Liverpool star Don Hutchison believes Arne Slot is missing both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz amid the Reds’ recent downturn in form.

Liverpool has lost its last three games in all competitions - the first time that has happened since Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp last year. As a result, the Reds have fallen a point behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, with Mikel Arteta’s side now being backed by many to win the title.

There is still a long way to go in the season, with only seven games having been played so far, but Liverpool will have to improve on its showings so far if it is to defend its title.

After a major overhaul in the summer, new signings Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong are still struggling to find their feet, with Hugo Ekitike by far the most impressive of the new arrivals so far.

But Hutchison believes the signings haven’t been the problem. Asked by online-casinos.com whether more problems have been caused by the club’s outgoings, he replied: “Definitely.

“Mo Salah's missing Trent. You know, he's missing his passes straight into his feet. The forward line, even though some of them hadn’t played with Trent, would benefit hugely from his superb 40, 50-yard diagonal balls over the top, sent forward with precision.

“Another player that I think they're missing massively is Luis Diaz. He scored a good goal against Eintracht Frankfurt. It was typical Diaz. He faced the full-back up, chopped it onto his left foot and stuck the ball in the stanchion.

“So I think the players that have been brought in are exceptional players but at the same time, they miss that continuity. They've lost some massive players.”

Hutchison’s comments come amid a growing consensus that Liverpool is missing both Alexander-Arnold and Diaz following their departures to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.

Former Reds strikers Daniel Sturridge and Djibril Cisse have both suggested that Diaz has been a major loss for Slot’s frontline, while Jamie Redknapp and Gary Lineker believe Alexander-Arnold’s absence is being felt most strongly - particularly by Mohamed Salah.

"In terms of creativity, as much as anything else, I think they're really missing Trent," Lineker said. "Before that, sometimes Trent would go forward and they would, perhaps, get exposed defensively.

"But what he gives you going the other way, it's impossible to replace. There is not another player I can think of in world football who plays that position [right-back] in the way that he plays it offensively.

"I also think that Mo [Salah] is missing him, that connection that they had. Yes, sometimes they would get exposed in behind, but they would have someone try and cover that position - last season it was mostly [Dominik] Szoboszlai, previous to that would be Jordan Henderson.

"You've got to say it was worth his weight in gold going forward, and I always used to say, 'Stop worrying about him [Alexander-Arnold] making the odd tiny mistake defensively, because what he gives you the other way is incredible."

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.