Liverpool record-holder Ian Callaghan has given his say on the season and why Arne Slot has a harder job than Anfield predecessors
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot looks on during the UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid at Anfield on November 4 2025
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot looks on during the UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid at Anfield on November 4 2025
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If there's one thing an increasing number of modern football fans have no time for, it's patience. Witness the furore in some online quarters at Liverpool's recent poor run of form.
Six defeats in seven had prompted a section of the fanbase to start questioning whether Arne Slot was still the man for the Anfield hotseat, despite having responded to the onerous task of following in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp by winning the club's 20th championship in his debut season earlier this year.
That reaction is a reminder of the increased pressures in the modern game, even with Slot now managing the squad overhaul that may have been expected the previous summer.
Certainly, it's often overlooked that Bill Shankly, perhaps Liverpool's most celebrated manager, went seven years without winning a trophy between 1966 and 1973 as he sought to move from his first great Reds generation to the next.
"Exactly," says Ian Callaghan, Liverpool's record appearance holder with 857 outings and who was a part of both of those Shankly teams. "Arne Slot took over Jurgen's team, if you like, and he won the league.
"Being manager of Liverpool is a big job, it really is. I think Arne comes across really well, and I'm confident he will get things right.
"Premier League managers these days, it's a massive job. When Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley came in, they were working with squads that were mostly British players.
"For a long time now, though, squads are made up of players from all over the world, they have different lifestyles and everything else. It's a lot harder for managers now, without a doubt."
In some respects, the job of Slot replacing such a huge personality as Klopp was similar to that when the unassuming Paisley took over from Shankly in 1974, albeit with the obvious advantage of having previously played for Liverpool and been on the coaching staff throughout Shankly's reign.
Callaghan agrees. "Bob was Bill Shankly's assistant, but he was a different personality," he says, speaking on behalf of The Pools on which he remains a panel member. "It's like when Arne Slot is compared to Jurgen Klopp.
"Bob was quiet and in the background, but what he did for Liverpool Football Club was unbelievable. Jurgen was an unbelievable personality, and Arne Slot is different altogether.
"Liverpool made a lot of signings in the summer and it takes a while to settle in. People don't realise a lot of it is to do with things away from football.
"If you move your family to a different club and your kids are starting at different schools, let alone moving to a different country and having to learn a new culture, it's not always easy. There is pressure from football, of course, but there's outside pressure as well about where you are going to live and everything else. It can take some time for players.
"Moving clubs can be difficult. You're moving from one club that has done things one way, to another that has their own way. It takes a bit of getting used to."
Having steadied the ship somewhat with successive home wins over Aston Villa last weekend and, more impressively, against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, Liverpool face a further test of their improvement with a trip to title contenders Manchester City on Sunday.
"Liverpool got a good result against Real Madrid and it should have been a lot more than 1-0," says Callaghan. "It was always a matter of time before they found their form. They have too many good players. Dominik Szoboszlai has been one this season. He's very versatile and is a terrific striker of the ball.
"It's great that we had that result against Real going into the City game. City had a bit of a bad spell themselves but they've come back into good form. It's going to be a good game on Sunday.
"Can Liverpool still win the league? There's not much in it, really. It's still early in the season, and if the new signings can settle down now, they can still win it."
Ian Callaghan is a member of The Pools Panel. The Pools is the new brand identity of the iconic British brand ‘The Football Pools’ and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023.