Slot must drop Liverpool flop who had fewer touches than Woodman v Man Utd

Liverpool only have themselves to blame, so poor in the first half against Manchester United.

Arne Slot‘s side rallied after the break, climbing back from two goals down, but the damage was done earlier, and Kobbie Mainoo secured all three points with a crisp finish, surging forward and meeting the ball.

The game was lost in that moment, technically, but in actuality, Liverpool once again struggled in key moments, getting the little things wrong and ultimately suffering a 19th defeat in all competitions this season.

How Liverpool were defeated at Old Trafford

Once again, Liverpool were the architects of their own downfall, crumbling against early Man United pressure and leaking two early goals.

Liverpool rallied, for sure, but they only created 0.9 xG across the contest, far from creative enough in spite of their dominance on the ball. United controlled the narrative from the get-go, and while Slot’s side hoped to pull a twist with their second-half comeback, there was a sense of unease afterwards, with fans having seen the same script many times this year.

There have been so many disappointing moments throughout the campaign, and while United have made significant improvements under Michael Carrick’s wing, this was still unacceptable, increasing the pressure on Slot after FSG have gave their backing.

Injuries also put Liverpool on the back foot. In fairness to Slot, his half-time substitutions paid off – for a while. They faded late on, and the absences of Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike were certainly felt.

How do Liverpool improve? For one thing, they need Salah back, because their right side simply isn’t working at the moment.

Liverpool must drop Slot signing

Liverpool were always going to take a knock down their right side this season, with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid last summer.

Jeremy Frimpong was signed for £29.5m to replace him, but it’s safe to say that the Dutchman has left a lot to be desired this year.

He struggled at Old Trafford, and though Liverpool had so many injuries, forcing Slot into playing Frimpong in an advanced role typically given to Salah, it can’t be something that continues into the new season.

Frimpong was unable to effect the game, his pace negated by Luke Shaw’s hardy defending.

His dynamism and versatility have proved a massive plus throughout the season, but Liverpool cannot continue to play with Frimpong on the right, even with Salah injured.

The problem, of course, is that Slot is not a huge fan of Federico Chiesa, and this is an issue that needs solving sharpish this summer.

Frimpong is a popular part of the dressing room, but he hasn’t yet shown that he’s worthy of a starting berth, taking fewer touches than Freddie Woodman between the sticks and lacking any kind of impact in attack.

Indeed, Frimpong didn’t create a single chance and failed to complete both of his dribbles. Moreover, he lost eight of ten duels, contributing toward Liverpool’s lack of success in the build-up.

Frustrating is the pacy Netherlands international’s ability to get into good positions only to offer nothing of any value. Is it a fundamental problem, or is Frimpong simply hitting the wrong beats at the moment?

It would be unfair to say that Frimpong needs to be sold next summer, but there’s no question that he needs to make progress next year, else Liverpool will be forced into making yet another signing on the right side of their defence.