Thomas Frank reflected on the judgement Premier League managers receive.
Arne Slot steered **Liverpool**to the crown in his first year at the club, but a run of six losses from seven Premier League fixtures has piled the pressure on the Dutchman. Meanwhile, Frank is without Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, or James Maddison due to injury, and even if tactical decisions from the Dane can be questioned, there is context that is worth bringing to the debate.
The discourse about both men highlights how the pressure cooker of elite football is relentless.
*“Look at Liverpool now. A manager in Arne Slot I admire massively, stepping into the first season in the Premier League, he won it, incredible in every way, and now they are struggling a bit.*
“They have a bad spell. I'm convinced he'll find a way out of that, but I don't think anyone predicted that before the start of the season. That's just sometimes football. That's the thing we sometimes struggle to understand.
“Arne is clearly an unbelievable coach. What he did at Feyenoord, how he stepped into Liverpool, incredible. He will 1,000 per cent find a way out of that. I don't know him personally, but he will stay calm, he and his coaching staff will find a solution, and then he'll go again.
“In football, some managers, some clubs, are privileged not to have too many setbacks, maybe it's just one game. Others have a big spell. There will be setbacks, and how you handle them and come back from them is the key. Sometimes one game is like, oh, it's a disaster and then you're suddenly here.
“It's probably a little bit in between. I maybe not the best coach in the world after we beat City away, probably not the worst coach in the world after we lost a game. That's just the way it is. It's how we build something over time.
*“We get judged if we walk into a club like this. A fantastic club, Tottenham Hotspur. There will be expectations every day, for every performance. That's part of the game. So, no problem with that. Of course, I would love to have Dominic and Kulusevski ready to play for us, but they are not available right now. So, other players need to step up and I need to find solutions. That, I will do.”*