Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on from the dugout prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Liverpool FC and Qarabag FK at Anfield on January 28, 2026 in Liverpool, England.placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on from the dugout prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Liverpool FC and Qarabag FK at Anfield on January 28, 2026 in Liverpool, England. | Getty Images
Liverpool manager Arne Slot helped ease the pressure on his own shoulders with a big win over Qarabag FK on Wednesday
Slot’s side have failed to win their last five games in the league, with last weekend’s 3-2 loss against Bournemouth cranking up the pressure on the Dutchman. Before that defeat, they had drawn their last four games and now sit outside the top four.
They have fallen behind Manchester United and Chelsea, who have both changed their managers this month.
Writing in The Athletic, Pearce insisted Liverpool ‘currently have no intention’ of following what their rivals have done when they sacked Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca. Both managers had fallen out with their respective boards but Slot retains a ‘strong bond’ with Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes.
There is no doubt that a failure to qualify for the top eight in the Champions League would have put more pressure on Slot and in turn the likes of Hughes to make a decision.
However, a comfortable 6-0 win over Qarabag FK on Wednesday - despite a number of injury problems - saw the Reds end the Champions League league phase in third spot and that has certainly bought Slot more time.
Now the task is to improve their domestic form. Consecutive home games with Newcastle and Man City will provide a huge test for Slot. It could also go a long way to determining if the Reds finish in the top four this season.
In reality, Liverpool may slip further adrift in the race for the top four within the next week or so but they might also put themselves in the driving seat again. The Liverpool board are keen for Slot to be given more time after he won the Premier League title last season.
However, failure to finish in the top four could seriously heighten the pressure on him.
Speaking before their win over Qarabag, Slot admitted improvement was needed to stop the recent criticism.
He said: "It's going to be really difficult to quieten the outside noise with the position we are in.
"Every loss or disappointing result will start the noise coming back again. That's what you can expect when we have moments with so many losses. It's impossible to shut out the noise if you are not competing for the league.
"For me, it's so simple. In between the boxes we are a very good team. Also, against Bournemouth, so many times we were in positions I want my players to be in. "But killing those moments. Bringing it from promising positions to creating chances. If we have the chances, then be clinical and finish it off. That is something we have to improve.
"In the other box, other teams arrive there three or four times a game. Too many times when they arrive there it leads to chances or goals. There is a complete imbalance in the amount of times we arrive in the box and the times other teams arrive there. But there isn't an imbalance in the number of goals that are being scored. That's a really bad cocktail.
"If we can improve in both boxes it can be a special season. If we can only improve in one box, then it's going to be probably an acceptable season. If we can't improve in either box, there's going to be a lot of noise."
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