Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest: Match Review
Liverpool have lost six of their previous seven Premier League matches and sit 12th in the table.
Didi Hamann insists that Liverpool fans are still behind Arne Slot - but the head coach needs to deliver a top-four finish to retain his job.
After taking over in the Anfield hot seat from Jurgen Klopp in June 2024, Slot quickly made his mark and comfortably guided the Reds to the Premier League title in his maiden campaign.
But Liverpool’s defence of the English championship has already ended before December. Last Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest was a sixth defeat in seven league matches, leaving the Reds in 12th spot and 11 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
As a result, Slot has come under pressure to turn things around. Liverpool face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League before travelling to West Ham United on Sunday. And Hamann reckons it is imperative that the Reds triumph in both games.
What’s been said
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Anfield midfielder said: “I expect Liverpool to win but Slot said in his press conference, the harder it gets, the closer the club gets together.
“The team haven't shown it so far and it's not a given that things will get better any time soon. There are a lot of players who underperform at the moment. Last season, they were sensational and a unit and we don't see this.
“I don't think anyone wants to see him leave because of what he did last season. The run of form is very bad at the moment and what you want to see is progress. The next two games will be telling. They have got to win both games.
“We don't need to talk about the title now and I think they have a challenge to finish in the top four. If we don't see progress in the Premier League, his time will come to an end as it will with everyone else.”
‘I have to prove myself’
Speaking at his pre-PSV press conference, Slot admitted that it is ‘almost ridiculous’ how many games Liverpool have lost recently. “To be honest, I didn’t expect myself to be in this situation with the way we go about it tactically and the quality of players we have,” Slot said. “You would never have expected us to have lost so much. For sure, I take the responsibility and feel guilty for it.
“[It is] ridiculous, almost. Something I didn’t expect to be in, not at any club I worked at let alone if you are manager of Liverpool. That is unbelievable. If you can find an excuse, you will never find enough excuses to make you perform like this. It is unexpected for the club, for me, for everyone.
“Every day you have to prove yourself if you are working at a club this level. You cannot say, ‘We won the league,’ or, ‘We did this or this and now it’s OK.’ I don’t know if I have to prove myself to the fans as well as I have to prove myself to myself and the players, and to everyone involved in the football club.”
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