'Hasn't been great': Jamie Carragher says he needs to be 'totally honest' about something at Liverpool now
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Liverpool sit top of the table after six games of the new Premier League season.
The Reds have perhaps defied expectations a little having had to deal with the exit of iconic manager Jurgen Klopp over the summer.
But despite having some enormous shoes to fill, Arne Slot has come in and hit the ground running at Anfield.
The Dutchman has led Liverpool to seven victories in the eight games they have played across all competitions so far. That is an excellent start.
Slot has already improved a number of the Liverpool squad while also serving up a slightly different style of football to what fans had become used to under Klopp.
However, while all seems to be going swimmingly on the pitch, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has pointed to something that could be improved off it.
Jamie Carragher says Anfield atmosphere ‘hasn’t been great’
Throughout Liverpool history, one of the things that has remained constant is that Anfield has always been their home.
After Everton moved out of the ground in 1892 and Liverpool were formed, that has never changed.
Obviously, the stadium itself has seen enormous renovation in the 132 years since then. After the Anfield Road stand was redeveloped in 2023, the capacity now stands at 61,276.
Over time, Anfield has earned its reputation as one of the loudest and most intimidating atmospheres in European football.
However, that status has started to be called into question in recent times. And speaking on The Overlap, Carragher admitted that he had noticed a reduction in quality in the atmosphere this season.
READ MORE: Richard Keys says he’s noticed something weird about the Anfield atmosphere this season
“It’s been a real topic this season, the atmosphere,” says the Liverpool legend when told by a Nottingham Forest supporter that Anfield’s aura is a ‘myth’.
“You think, you’ve got a new manager, is it the thing of like Klopp’s gone, maybe the football’s slightly different because we’re all sort of thinking that the atmosphere hasn’t been great at Anfield this season.
“And if I’m being totally honest, the thing of the Anfield atmospheres was always built on European games,” adds Carragher.
“I think normal Saturday 3 o’clock games, like most fans you sit there and wait for something to lift you rather than you lift the team. But I agree.”
How do Liverpool get more out of Anfield?
Although the quality of the atmosphere at Anfield has perhaps lessened over time, Carragher is right to make his point about European nights.
Yes, things could be louder during weekend Premier League fixtures. But it is in Europe where the ground really comes alive.
Slot will get his first taste of that on Wednesday as Liverpool host Bologna in the Champions League.
The challenge for Reds supporters is to take that feeling and recreate it for every single game of the season. In truth, that shouldn’t really be that difficult.
However, with the rise of corporate boxes and hospitality in top-level football stadiums, it is no surprise to hear that rival fans – and even former players – have noticed a difference. Something needs to be done, but quite what the answer is is more difficult to pinpoint.
