It's surely now fair to say that Arne Slot's future at Liverpool is in doubt after the club fell to a shock defeat at Anfield against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
The Reds fell behind early to an Ivan Perisic penalty, but equalised through consensus player of the year so far in Dominick Szoboszlai. However, Liverpool failed to react after that and a strike from Guss Til and a second half brace from Couhaid Driouech condemned the hosts to a stunning 4-1 defeat.
The loss was their ninth in their last 12 games in all competitions, and has seen a number of fans call for a change in the dugout despite the fact they are just six months removed from lifting their 20th league title under the Dutchman.
But while an imminent change seems unlikely right now, Liverpool are set to take on a struggling West Ham this weekend, and another defeat could well make his position untenable heading into a busy festive period.
Arne Slot Must Axe £152m Liverpool Trio vs West Ham
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk puts his hand on his head.
Premier League - Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - November 22, 2025 Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk reacts REUTERS/Phil Noble
Slot won the league last season with Jurgen Klopp's squad, choosing to only add Federico Chiesa but barely using the Italian, and he managed to come away with the title.
But this summer, the Dutchman spent a record-breaking amount and broke the British transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, alongside the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Milos Kerkez.
The squad still seems to be light in areas, with the team dealing with injuries. However, Slot now must take the plunge and find a way to make changes, otherwise he is likely to continue suffering with poor results and that will no doubt cost him his job with the Reds.
The first man that needs to be dropped is star forward Mohamed Salah. Last season, the Egyptian had a sensational campaign but in 2025/26 he has looked a shadow of himself, registering just five goals and three assists in 18 appearances across all competitions. But even more worrying than the major drop-off in numbers, is the performance levels.
Salah has struggled to make an impact in the majority of games, failing to beat his defender regularly and not linking up with the new-look forward line. While his ability and history is unquestionable, any player who is severely underperforming needs to know their place in the side isn't safe, and that goes for Salah too.
The same can be said for captain Virgil Van Dijk, who has struggled majorly in this campaign. The Dutch defender conceded his third penalty of the season against PSV, inexcusably lifting his hand way above his head to handle the ball, which gave the team a mountain to climb.
He's looked way off the pace in recent weeks, and while Slot has got limited options at centre-back, Joe Gomez is actually fit and available for once, and he must be wondering what is needed to get some meaningful minutes under this manager.
Another player who has struggled massively is summer signing Milos Kerkez, who hasn't been getting the same protection he was getting at Bournemouth and has been exposed as a result. Instead of continuing to play him, Slot should take him out of the firing line and ease him in, something Jurgen Klopp used to do expertly with new signings during his tenure.
Ready-Made Replacements at Liverpool for Underperforming Trio
Liverpool's Federico Chiesa during their match against Crystal Palace.
Carabao Cup - Fourth Round - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 29, 2025 Liverpool's Federico Chiesa looks dejected REUTERS/Phil Noble
While the squad isn't the biggest, Slot does have options available to come into the team to replace the £152m trio should he make the decision to do so.
Andrew Robertson, Federico Chiesa and Joe Gomez are all experienced internationals who have a point to prove, and by giving them an opportunity Slot won't lose anything. If the three players are dropped from the team then they only have themselves to blame, considering their recent performances, and it should make them hungrier to get back to the level everyone knows they are capable of.
The first sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, so if Slot doesn't change something drastically soon, he won't see their form turn around and it becomes a matter of when, not if, he will lose his job.
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