Liverpool boss Arne Slot is confusing some of his senior players with his tactics and anything but a win against Leeds will see an ’emergency meeting’ called over his future, according to reports.
Another poor display, by Liverpool‘s standards, saw Slot’s side go behind to Sunderland on Wednesday night with the Black Cats taking the lead through a deflected strike from Chemsdine Talbi.
Liverpool did get an equaliser nine minutes from time when a great bit of work from Florian Wirtz saw his shot deflect into the net for a Nordi Mukiele own goal.
The Reds have now only won four matches in their last 14 in all competitions with Liverpool now eighth in the Premier League and getting further away from leaders Arsenal.
It seems unlikely that the Liverpool hierarchy will now be expecting Slot to galvanise this set of players for a title challenge – but Champions League qualification will be a must for the club’s finances.
And a reliable account of X made up of ‘five elite reporters’ and 686k followers insists that the Leeds match is ‘crucial’ for Slot’s continuation as another ’emergency meeting’ will be called if Liverpool lose on Saturday.
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The account wrote: ‘Exclusive. Emergency meeting. Senior players confused. We were at Anfield tonight, and we got some insider info from a trusted @LFC source.
‘It turns out that Arne Slot was informed in an emergency meeting last week that his job is on the line due to the team’s poor performances.
‘If Liverpool doesn’t secure a win against Leeds United, another emergency meeting is set for Sunday/Monday morning. What’s really concerning is that some senior players are feeling confused about the manager’s tactics, which seem to change daily.
‘This lack of clarity is affecting the team’s morale and performance on the pitch. Fans are anxious, and it’s clear that the pressure is mounting. The next few days are crucial for Slot and the club.’
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When asked if he was pleased or frustrated with Liverpool’s performance against Sunderland, Slot told a post-match press conference: “A bit of both. So, I knew before the game, when you play Sunderland, from the 14 games they have played now they have only conceded four times more than one goal, and in these four games they’ve only conceded two.
“So, it’s a hard team to score against, it’s a hard team to create your chances against, because they either go really aggressive in a high press or they have 11 players – 10 outfield players and a goalkeeper – who defend their box with their lives.
“That’s why it’s so difficult to create. So, in that aspect, I was hoping for more – although I knew how difficult it is to create against them.
“Again, we’ve hardly conceded. The first big chance of them – I don’t count the shot that hit the bar because that was not a chance – but the first serious chance was from a set-piece [and a header] that hit the post.
“And then their goal is, in my opinion, not even a chance. If that is a chance, we’ve probably had 20 chances tonight. But, unfortunately, a deflection led to going 1-0 down. Then, recently in our games we’ve found it really hard to get the equaliser, although we had our chances every time.
“Today, we had a little bit of luck with scoring the 1-1 because that was also a deflection. For me, different, because that’s a shot from eight, nine, 10 yards, so that’s at least a serious chance. Where a shot from 20 yards isn’t a serious chance – an opportunity but not a serious chance. So, a bit of both.”