Rooney criticizes Arne Slot's lineup after Galatasaray defeat

Wayne Rooney has sharply criticized Liverpool manager Arne Slot and several senior players after a run of defeats that has stalled the champions' momentum this month. Rooney singled out Slot's selection choices in Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday, and also raised concerns about the team's defending and Mohamed Salah's defensive work after a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.

Rooney, speaking on his BBC podcast, said Liverpool "were really poor" in Turkey and questioned Slot's decision to field midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at right back while deploying Jeremie Frimpong in a more advanced role. Szoboszlai conceded the penalty from which Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen scored the match's only goal. Rooney added that if a manager such as Ruben Amorim had made similar positional switches at Manchester United, "he'd get absolutely slaughtered."

The criticism follows a sequence of results that includes a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, the Champions League defeat in Istanbul and the late Chelsea setback. The run ended Liverpool's seven-game winning start to the season, left them behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race...