Jamie Redknapp has said he believes Arne Slot picked the "wrong team" to take on Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday as Liverpool's nightmare form continued with a 3-0 defeat at Anfield.
The former Liverpool midfielder, now a Sky Sports pundit, made the comments after Slot had fielded a heavily rotated team that included three teenagers as well as 22-year-old Calvin Ramsay and third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in the starting XI.
Slot also opted to omit established stars such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk from his squad with a host of academy players filling out the substitutes' bench.
Ismaïla Sarr's first-half brace and Yeremy Pino's late goal condemned Liverpool to their sixth defeat in seven matches and their third to Palace since Aug. 10.
"It was the wrong team. Make no mistake," Redknapp said post-match. "He picked a team today that made it really difficult for himself. You've not helped the young players because of the players that are around them. You've made 10 changes from Brentford.
"You can't tell me that he's picked that team today and those subs thinking: 'that will get me a result against a really good Crystal Palace.' You might hope you can. I didn't believe for one second they could beat them. He's made a mistake today.
"He's been unbelievable since he's come to the club. He's under some real pressure, but that's football. That's the price on the ticket. They climbed the mountain last season and were absolutely sensational. Now they've got to go back to that character they showed when they won the title and stick together."
- Slot's Carabao Cup gamble puts more pressure on Liverpool
- Liverpool's crisis is Slot's biggest test yet as manager
- Premier League table
Liverpool's losing run has left them seventh in the Premier League table, seven points behind leaders Liverpool with only nine games played.
Slot said Liverpool's dismal run of form is "not good enough," but does not believe the Palace defeat increases the pressure on his struggling team.
"It's always a blow to lose a game of football, especially if it leads to going out of a competition," Slot said. "But it's the same selection I did tonight as I did last season in rounds like this.
"There are many reasons maybe why we've lost six out of seven. None of them are good enough to accept losing so many. So I can come up with arguments or reasons, but none of them will be enough. Because at Liverpool, losing five or six, six or seven is always too much."
Liverpool host Aston Villa in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.