Jamie Carragher names one thing Arne Slot has to do as Liverpool boss after Jurgen Klopp era

Jamie Carragher has told Arne Slot that he must maintain the level of competitiveness that Jurgen Klopp built at Liverpool to be a success.

Slot, who joined from Feyenoord in the summer, is set to face his first competitive fixture of his Liverpool career this weekend as they begin their Premier League campaign against the new-boys Ipswich at Portman Road.

Far from an ideal first game, the 12:30pm kick-off - a Klopp favourite - will see them enter a cauldron of noise and it will prove to be a stiff test against a side that have earned back-to-back promotions across recent years and have been used to a certain level of success. Following Klopp is an unenviable task but Carragher believes that Slot is under ‘immediate pressure’ as a result and any early-season hiccups will only intensify that added burden from the German’s time at the club, starting with Kieran McKenna’s side.

Carragher has also revealed what he believes Slot needs to be in order to be a success while writing in his column in the Daily Telegraph. ‘From day one, he must ensure Liverpool compete on all fronts, maintaining the club’s status as title contenders.’ He began.

‘There are those who still say this makes replacing Klopp “the impossible job”. I believe the opposite. Now is a great time to become Liverpool’s manager because it is better to take over a superpower club when the foundations are in place to keep the engine running under stable and supportive owners. One of Klopp’s greatest legacies is restoring Liverpool’s status so that they entered every competition with a genuine belief they could win it. Slot’s job is to maintain that.’

‘What I am saying is the minimum expectation for Liverpool going into every opening Premier League game is to target the major honours, whether they are favourites or not.’ Also mentioned in the piece was how Liverpool also travelled to a newly-promoted side on the first day of a new season at 12:30pm in 2022, as they earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw with a spirited Fulham side on that occasion.

It certainly isn’t a favourable start with Brentford at Anfield and Manchester United at Old Trafford to round off the opening three games but the Dutchman will get time and he will be hoping to build upon the strong foundation we saw in pre-season against Ipswich this weekend.