“Waved the white flag” – Pundit slams Slot’s Liverpool selection after Palace defeat
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup campaign came to a shuddering halt on Wednesday night and Jamie O’Hara believes Arne Slot effectively gave up on the competition before a ball was even kicked.
O’Hara questions Slot’s team selection
Speaking on Sky Sports News, the former Tottenham midfielder didn’t hold back after watching us fall 3–0 at Anfield to Crystal Palace – our sixth defeat in seven games.
“I expected a lot more from last night,” O’Hara said. “You’re at home, Crystal Palace are a really good side, don’t get me wrong, but I think they needed to field a stronger side.”
With Arne Slot making 10 changes from the weekend defeat at Brentford, and naming a bench with no player over the age of 21, O’Hara suggested the Dutchman had little interest in the competition.
“He put the young kids out there really and truthfully just to be like, I don’t want to be in this competition,” he continued.
“The bench was a disgrace. He waved the white flag and said, ‘I don’t want to be in the competition.’”
The 47-year-old defended his decision, saying the team faced a tough run of fixtures including Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City, but that reasoning hasn’t convinced everyone.
Pressure grows amid poor Liverpool form
O’Hara went on to suggest that Slot’s decisions were influenced by the pressure of defending Liverpool’s Premier League title, saying: “That says to me that he knows he’s under huge pressure at the moment to get results in the Premier League and the Champions League. So he’s just binned the Carabao Cup.”
This isn’t the first time a pundit has questioned Slot’s approach, with Jamie Redknapp also thinking squad selection was poor – as well as John Aldridge who didn’t understand the reasoning from our head coach.
As things stand, Liverpool’s priority clearly lies in Europe and the league but with O’Hara calling the selection “harsh” on our young players and fans “edgy at the moment”, the Dutchman’s gamble may take time to be forgiven.
You can view O’Hara’s comments on Liverpool and Slot via @SkySportsNews on X:
"He threw the towel in, the bench was a disgrace"
Jamie O'Hara criticises Arne Slot's team selection for last night's EFL Cup defeat pic.twitter.com/uCHqmBNahA
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 30, 2025
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