THE BIG DEBATE: Arne Slot is under mounting pressure at Liverpool after the 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest deepened their crisis and effectively brought to an end their Premier League title defence
Arne Slot
Arne Slot has lost six of his last seven league games(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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Just over seven months on from winning the Premier League title, Arne Slot finds himself in a very different situation at Liverpool. The Dutchman enjoyed a dream debut campaign as Reds boss but has now been dragged under by a spiralling of bad results.
Saturday's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest was Liverpool's sixth in their last seven league games and left them in 11th place, 11 points adrift of leaders Arsenal. All the hallmarks of their stunning 2024/25 season have dissipated, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate struggling in defence and the new-look front line ineffective.
Both Slot and Van Dijk were quick to take responsibility for their slump after the Forest defeat, but it was the manager's words that raised the most eyebrows. "If things go well or things go bad, it's my responsibility," he said bluntly.
Slot noted that he had "tried to adjust a few things, but it didn't work out". Should he be given more time to try and turn things around? Or would Liverpool be better served by taking the bold step of replacing the manager they chose to succeed Jurgen Klopp? Here Mirror Football writers have their say.
John Cross
This is a debate we should not even be having. Sack Arne Slot? You cannot be serious. This is Liverpool we are talking about. Not Chelsea for heaven’s sake. Slot was sensational last season. They were the best team in the Premier League by a mile. Yes, he inherited Jurgen Klopp’s team but the art of management is to initiate a seamless transition. He did it beautifully.
They were always going to need big signings. The team was ageing and in need of help. They were also going to be players who were going straight into the starting XI. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have just not bedded in… yet. Slot also changed the system, lost a big player in Trent Alexander-Arnold and made an error - or the club did - in not signing a new centre half. Ibrahima Konate looks terrible and teams are targeting him.
Then we need to talk about the emotion surrounding Diogo Jota. Never mind top level sport. Bereavement in any walk of life can hit you like a tonne of bricks. You can’t function or think straight. It doesn’t just have to be sport. It’s utterly devastating.
All these factors have come together and Liverpool’s season is falling apart. But Liverpool will surely stand by their man. They have values and must back him through thick and thin.
Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota tragically passed away earlier this year
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Andy Dunn
Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman, was at Anfield to see the dismal loss to Nottingham Forest but my guess is that the 75-year-old American was not there to check if Arne Slot is still up to the job. No, it is more likely Werner was there to talk about extending Slot’s contract. Seriously.
In the hour after Murillo had opened the scoring, Liverpool were shockingly poor and six defeats in their last seven Premier League matches is not ideal. But Slot has an enormous amount of credit in the bank and enjoyed wins against Aston Villa - fourth in the Premier League table - and La Liga leaders Real Madrid before the defeats to Manchester City and Forest.
Games against PSV Eindhoven, West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds should quieten the hysteria. Don’t forget, Liverpool have also won three of their four Champions League matches. Anyhow, the Premier League triumph of last season and a win percentage of 64 per cent over his first 75 matches as Liverpool manager means Slot should be safe for a good while yet.
Jeremy Cross
Arne Slot is heading into winter skating on thin ice. He still has credit in the bank, having led Liverpool to the title in his first season in charge. While sacking him now would create a problem Liverpool might not have a solution for. Which is, who has the calibre to replace him in one of the most demanding jobs in football?
But serious questions now have to be raised about if Slot is as good a manager as club bosses and supporters thought he was. Winning the title is one thing, but defending it is another altogether. Something is seriously wrong - and Slot has to fix it fast.
Inheriting a great side from Jurgen Klopp and cruising to the title while Manchester City are failing is all well and good. But when the chips are down and serious problems need addressing, that's when we find out how good a manager like Slot is.
Arne Slot could soon be under pressure after Liverpool's eighth defeat of the season
Arne Slot has admitted to making mistakes recently
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Scott Trotter
No, Arne Slot should not be sacked. Liverpool's form is dreadful, and it appears that an impressive summer of transfer business may have been too much all at once. However, last season, the Dutchman did the unthinkable. Only one other manager in the division has won the title, and the championship-winning term proved that Slot is a good coach. As much as football does not want to allow it, time and patience are required.The degree to which Liverpool's form lies at Slot's door is dependent on how influential he was in deciding the Reds' summer moves and the volume of them. The club's defence has been found wanting and the attack has not been able to compensate. Should Slot be finding a better balance? Possibly.A summer of transfers was not just for now, it was for Liverpool's future, however. And Slot's place in that should not be decided by 12 games.
Felix Keith
As Slot himself has conceded, he should shoulder plenty of the blame for Liverpool finding themselves in a rut. He has made some questionable tactical decisions recently - continuing to field the team's best creative force in midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai, at right-back, for example - but I don't think making a change would be the right move... yet.
It wasn't long ago that we were all hailing Slot for his genius and he deserves a chance to rectify his recent mistakes. There are signs that he could do just that, with Liverpool's form in the Champions League, where they have won three of four games - including against Real Madrid - encouraging.
Perhaps the strongest argument for sticking, rather than twisting, is that there isn't an obvious candidate to replace Slot with. In the age of short-term thinking with managers, Liverpool profited from backing Klopp during some bumpy early stages. The team remains packed with top quality players and things are more than salvageable.
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield on November 01, 2025 in Liverpool, England.
Dominik Szoboszlai has played at right-back recently
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Ben Husband
Slot still has credit in the bank, but it’s running seriously low. The Dutchman performed a minor miracle last season, taking over from Klopp and - using his players - getting them back to their best. But this is now his team. He spent more than £400m on players and the Reds have gone backwards.
He deserves the time to turn the ship back around, but not forever. Liverpool simply have to win their next three Premier League matches and quickly get back on track. That should start with recognising that Hugo Ekitike is their best striker and making Alexander Isak actually earn his starting berth.
Slot shouldn’t be sacked yet…but he needs results - and quickly.
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