Arne Slot’s demeanour and sense of self-belief changed in midweek, according to someone who knows the Liverpool head coach well.
Slot has cut a relaxed figure for the most part in the last few months, despite the increasingly alarming trajectory of his team. Wednesday’s catastrophic 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven was Liverpool’s ninth defeat in 12, and something needs to change if the Dutchman is going to weather this particular storm.
Worryingly, everything Slot has tried in recent weeks has backfired, be it mid-game changes or formation tweaks. Mikos Gouka, a close confidant, noticed a growing sense of resignation in midweek as Liverpool lost their third successive game by a three-goal margin.
“I don’t see fear him in, he doesn’t operate this way,” Gouka, the author of Arne Slot: A New Era, told the i Paper in a recent interview.
“But I do see something I’ve never seen before: when PSV got the third and fourth goals, I saw his eyes going down which I’d never seen before.
“You could see ‘We’re going to lose again’ was the thinking. I think he’s always convinced in his own qualities so it won’t be fear but there is maybe a sense of ‘What can I do next?'”
“It’s one of the things people who really know him like about him, Arne doesn’t change. He always replies and always has smooth words,” Gouka added.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot
Slot looked dejected during the defeat to PSV (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images)
It’s just three months since the Dutch journalist released his biography of Slot, which detailed his long journey to Anfield, and how he led Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th top-flight title.
The mood around the head coach has changed drastically since then. For the first time in his managerial career, Slot is facing a prolonged downturn in form.
“He always said he likes pressure and works best like this,” Gouka explained.
“But the difference in Holland is that you have some bad results but then one of the weaker teams in the division are your next opponents so you get relief.
Arne Slot is seeing positive signs in training but not during games.
Slot is desperate to take three points on Sunday (Image: 2025 Getty Images)
“In England you lose a game and the next match is against West Ham or Nottingham Forest, who are strong teams.”
Slot heads to West Ham United this weekend, knowing another defeat could be his last as Liverpool head coach.
The pressure is unquestionably mounting on the former Feyenoord boss, who admitted he has been in contact with sporting director Richard Hughes in recent days.