Arne Slot is being compared to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp - but for all the wrong reasons amid the Reds' worst run of form for decades
Jurgen Klopp during the LFC Foundation Ball.
Jurgen Klopp's past comments offer a little window into how Arne Slot might be feeling
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Arne Slot finds himself in a remarkably comparable situation to the one Jurgen Klopp faced before the German left Liverpool. Midway through the 2023/24 season - and after nearly nine years at the helm - Klopp shocked supporters by announcing he would be quitting Anfield.
Citing fatigue and the unrelenting demand for excellence, the 2019 Champions League-winning boss confirmed he would leave the club once the campaign concluded. In the weeks leading up to his exit, Klopp offered a glimpse into the motivations behind his decision - motivations that could end up pushing Slot towards the exit too.
He worried that remaining in the hotseat would worsen the decline that had ended with Liverpool finishing fifth in the Premier League and trophyless in 2022/23. In short, he removed himself for the long-term good of the club.
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"The football hasn't been great the last few weeks and as a result, you start hearing people say that I look really tired. I'm just old," Klopp told Sky Sports in May 2024. "I'm about being in it 100 per cent until the last day. That was always the plan.
"I was sure that if I didn't make that decision now, next year it could have been tricky. The thought of picking yourself up for another pre-season, make big decisions.
"For that, you really need to be full of energy - 80 per cent is not enough. That's the truth. It's too much. It's a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if you really care then it's 24/7.
"I did it for a pretty long time and I knew I couldn't continue to do it at the standard necessary for a club like Liverpool."
Arne Slot
Arne Slot's Liverpool future is hanging in the balance
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Although Slot cannot reasonably claim to be dealing with the same level of burnout that Klopp described - having held the Liverpool role for only 18 months - he will surely recognise his predecessor's commitment to high standards - standards that are clearly not being met right now.
The Reds have endured their worst spell of form for decades, losing nine of their previous 12 games in all competitions. What started as a sturdy defence of their Premier League crown has crumbled into a full-on crisis on all fronts.
Wednesday's 4-1 loss to PSV in the Champions League marked their third consecutive defeat by a margin of three goals, after back-to-back 3-0 losses against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
Consequently, Liverpool have dropped out of the automatic Champions League qualification places and slid into the bottom half of the Premier League - a place they have not occupied at this stage of a season since 2012/13.
Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister during Liverpool's Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven
Liverpool have imploded this season, losing nine of their last 12 games in all competitions(Image: (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images))
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Intense pressure is now weighing heavily on Slot and while he is believed to still enjoy the support of Liverpool's hierarchy, that support could vanish swiftly if results and performances fail to improve.
The upcoming schedule does provide some respite: next is a clash with a struggling West Ham team, followed by meetings with newly promoted Sunderland and Leeds.
However, a simpler run of matches raises expectations - and if Slot doesn't meet them, he could follow in Klopp's footsteps, either by choice or by the swing of the axe.