Jamie Carragher has named the “game-changing footballer” who would help Arne Slot win the Premier League in his debut campaign as Liverpool manager.
Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool moved to appoint Slot from Feyenoord – a decision that was spearheaded by sporting director Richard Hughes following a meticulous and data-driven approach.
The task of replacing Jurgen Klopp, who helped transform the club from top to bottom, was never going to be easy.
But three months into Slot’s reign and the Dutchman has silenced his doubters. Ahead of Sunday’s much-anticipated clash against Chelsea, the Reds sit top of the Premier League with six wins from a possible seven.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s game, Jamie Carragher spoke about Slot and Enzo Maresca, who has also made an impressive start to his career at a new club.
“Liverpool versus Chelsea has the potential to ensure Pep Guardiola vs Mikel Arteta does not monopolise the next few years at the Premier League summit,” he told The Telegraph.
“There is much work to be done by Maresca and Slot to get that far, but I have a sneaking feeling that Sunday is the first of many duels between coaches who, in time, will be going head-to-head for the biggest prizes.”
Carragher also discussed the impact of Cole Palmer on Maresca’s Chelsea after his superb start to the campaign.
“Coming into this season I initially thought it too soon for Chelsea to finish in the top four because the team spirit and connection with the fans was not there,” he added.
“Palmer is the biggest reason my view has changed. Now they can do it, although given the scale of their investment that is where they should be,”
“If Palmer was at Liverpool, Arne Slot would be more likely to finish his debut season as a title winner. Palmer is that good, currently averaging more goal involvements per match than Stamford Bridge greats like Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.”
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Earlier this week, Maresca warned his Chelsea players that they cannot rely on Palmer to solve all of their problems.
He said: “If we think that Cole is going to solve all our problems, it’s a big mistake,” he said. “We put all the pressure on his shoulders and that is wrong.
“Also because we have Cole but we have many players that are doing well; Noni (Madueke), Pedro (Neto), Nicolas (Jackson), Christo (Christopher Nkunku), Enzo (Fernandez). It’s not just about Cole, it’s about all the squad.”