Liverpool are in the midst of a storm and face what could potentially be an era-defining decision with pressure mounting on head coach Arne Slot
A dejected Arne Slot manager of Liverpool during the Premier League match against Manchester City
Liverpool boss Arne Slot is under intense scrutiny amid his side's torrid run of form
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A matter of months into the new season and we’re having conversations that few of us would’ve expected to have when a ball was first kicked in August.
It has been a turbulent and emotional start to the campaign Liverpool due to a myriad of reasons. Be it returning to the football season against the backdrop of a tragic loss over the summer, a complete overhaul of the squad with high-profile departures and eye-watering incomings, a run of victories secured in the most chaotic and dramatic of circumstances, and now, as of late, a torrid run of form so bleak you’d have to rewind back to the post-war era to find a sequence just as wretched.
After celebrating a historic Premier League title in May, Arne Slot’s side now find themselves on a slippery slope to despair. Wednesday night’s humbling at the hands of PSV Eindhoven was just the latest sucker punch in what has felt like a never-ending battle.
Wins against Aston Villa and Real Madrid at the start of November proved a false dawn, as Liverpool almost immediately reverted back to type with a bruising defeat at Manchester City before the international break. Since returning last weekend, the Reds have now lost a third consecutive game by three goals. It’s grim.
Unsurprisingly, there has been growing discontent among the fanbase, both online and among match-goers. Many feel the writing is already on the wall - and it’s hard to blame them.
That said, the mood music inside the club is seemingly different from the narrative outside. While pundits, the media and supporters may be questioning Slot’s position at length, the public stance from the hierarchy is that they are backing their man.
According to the Daily Mail, who have spoken to sources within the club and close to Slot himself, there are currently no plans to part ways with their title-winning manager and his position is safe.
Some fans will be disappointed to hear that, others relieved, others indifferent. It is a tricky situation when you adore the man who brought us number 20 and delivered one of the greatest days of our lives in the summer, yet this team have become almost unbearable to watch. With every passing game, and more often than not every defeat, the situation grows more infuriating.
On paper, Liverpool possess one of the most talented squads in the Premier League. The arrivals over the summer were largely players supporters wanted. Slot wanted more weapons, and more weapons he was given - only the whole team has been misfiring for practically the entire campaign.
Tactics, team selection and in-game changes have all been talking points. The fact the side often look devoid of ideas is the clearest illustration of the malaise currently plaguing them.
But as supporters, we lead with emotion. We’re entitled to. That’s football.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: A dejected Alexander Isak of Liverpool and Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool walk off at full time during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on November 26, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
A dejected Alexander Isak and Ibrahima Konate walk off at full-time following Liverpool's 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League
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It’s clear the club’s hierarchy view the situation through a longer lens, and only time will tell whether that’s the right approach. Hindsight, after all, is a wonderful thing.
In truth, I’m inclined to agree with them for now. I’ve seen the names and suggestions doing the rounds on social media and some make me squirm as much as they make me laugh. Every option - be it Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, and even, for some reason, Jose Mourinho - feels like a significant risk.
Thankfully, it isn’t our job to choose the next manager if and when the time comes. You can always caveat talk of a poor managerial market by noting that few of us knew much about Slot or his credentials prior to his appointment. Most were busy dreaming of a perfect reunion with Xabi Alonso.
There are few managers you can truly place in an elite bracket, and Slot arguably earned his flowers when he guided Liverpool to the title at the first attempt. There are plenty of decent managers out there, but the pool capable of achieving what he has is slim - very slim - and most are already working at top European clubs.
Jamie Carragher touched on it during CBS Sports’ coverage of the PSV defeat. Liverpool have always been a “manager’s club,” where the manager is king. Sacking a title-winning coach is not, and has never been, the Liverpool way, so it is difficult to see them reversing that now.
There is also the looming danger of slipping into a perpetual cycle of sacking and appointing managers. While that approach may work for some clubs, Manchester United are a cautionary tale of how vicious that cycle can become.
Consider the scenario. Liverpool sack Slot. They appoint someone else. There is a short-term bounce, the honeymoon ends, and suddenly the club are back to square one with a manager likely far less proven than Slot. That is the risk if they roll the managerial dice too soon.
But the question that will no doubt leave the hierarchy tearing their hair out is how long they can afford to leave it. There comes a point, if results don’t improve, where the Reds risk writing off an entire season and drifting further away from where they need to be by season’s end, or even by Christmas if the slide continues.
It is an unenviable position for Richard Hughes, Michael Edwards and Fenway Sports Group. An almost impossible decision, with consequences stretching far beyond this campaign.
This feels like a massive week. West Ham away at the weekend and Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night. What was, on paper, a favourable run of games is already threatening to unravel into catastrophe.
Patience is understandably wearing thin, and a decision needs to be made that won’t set Liverpool back years, whichever way it goes. All we can do is hope it’s the right one.