Liverpool have gone from Premier League winners to struggling to get into the top four in less than a year under Arne Slot.
A 4-1 win against Newcastle United at the weekend brought some much-needed positivity back to the club.
But the fact remains that Liverpool have struggled in the Premier League this season and go into Sunday’s clash with Manchester City in sixth place.
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Slot could be under pressure without Champions League football, and reports continue to link Xabi Alonso with his job.
Will Xabi Alonso be Liverpool manager by the start of the 2026/27 season?
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Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
Michael Owen backs Liverpool to keep Arne Slot
However, speaking to talkSPORT this week, Michael Owen has backed Slot to remain at the club.
He suggested it’s too early to dismiss the 47-year-old, who brought Liverpool their second-ever Premier League title last year.
Owen said: “I’m in the Slot in camp. I just, I think it’s very premature to be thinking about here’s a manager that’s had his first season in the Premier League and won the league. I mean, that’s incredible.
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“Not many managers do that. If you’d said to Liverpool fans once Jurgen Klopp left, if you said to Liverpool fans, right, for the next two years, you’re going to come fourth and you’re going to come first, everybody would have snapped your hand off.
“That’s fantastic. You know, because there’s always the risk of things falling apart. We’ve seen it with when Wenger left. We saw it when Fergie left.
“You know, Klopp was there for a long time. And to come in and continue that and to have instant success was pretty good.
“So I just think that, you know, I think it’s far too early with those things taken into consideration, new players, it’s an unbelievable squad. Yes maybe lacking a bit of balance and maybe another one or two players or whatever, but I think it’s far too early to be saying Arne Slot out. We won the league last year for starters.”
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Arne Slot on Liverpool future
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Arne Slot a victim of his own success
Owen’s comments on Jurgen Klopp are valid, and Slot, unfortunately, has suffered from his own success.
Had Liverpool finished second or third last season, there probably wouldn’t have been too many complaints from fans.
2024/25 could have been viewed as a transition campaign after nearly a decade under Klopp, while this season’s form may have been explained by the big changes to the squad.
Instead, 2025/26 began with basically everyone, after their success last term and £400m-plus summer spend, expecting Liverpool to walk the league.
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