Liverpool take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and the Reds boss has been told that his new look side have to click soon
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 9: Arne Slot manager / head coach of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Arne Slot has to seize the moment and get Liverpool back up the Premier League table, starting with Saturday's fixture against Nottingham Forest.
That is the opinion of former Reds midfielder Don Hutchison, who feels Liverpool boss Slot is now entering a period where he can show just what the plan was when the Reds shelled out around £450m on new players in the summer.
After winning their first five Premier League matches of the season, the Reds have lost five of the last six to tumble down the table and drop eight points below league leaders Arsenal.
But the reigning champions have a chance to get back on track thanks to a forthcoming set of fixtures that appear kinder than those that have gone before, and ex-Red Hutchinson thinks the time to strike is now.
"I think a defeat against Forest would make things a little bit tricky, to be fair, for Slot," Hutchison, who played for the Reds between 1991 and 1994, told sportscasting.com.
"You can't sugarcoat it. They've got a run of games now, Liverpool, where they play a good amount of teams in the bottom half. So this is the period where you can put a run of wins together, and if you do, you get Liverpool back into the top two or three.
"If they don't then he starts to become a man under pressure, because it's time now to have the plan and to show everyone the plan, about how you get all your big boys into the same team. We're all trying to guess on what system and what permutation and what individuals you go for.
"Slot is a very good manager and he's got to solve it. So to answer your question he would be under pressure, but I'm still pretty confident in him."
Slot will take on Forest without summer signing Florian Wirtz after he suffered a muscle injury on international duty, while right-back Conor Bradley will also be missing for at least the next three weeks.
There is better news on goalkeeper Alisson Becker though, who will return to the squad, while forward Alexander Isak is also likely to feature.
While Hutchison feels the Reds boss does need a win to get his side back on track, he dismissed suggestions that the Dutchman's job could come under threat in the near future, adding that former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp would be backing his successor to the hilt and not seeking a return to the Anfield dugout in place of Slot.
"I think Jurgen's got more about him," said Hutchison. "I even think if that was the conversation, I think Jurgen would say to Liverpool to be patient on Slot, to give the guy time.
"I think Jurgen's that type of guy where it's not all about him. Jurgen's very honest. He wants to do what's best for himself and Liverpool for sure.
"So he would probably say to the board, stay patient, stay with Arne Slot. There's no one out there at the minute from the list of managers that would be available who would make it worth firing Slot."