Liverpool suffered another blow to its Champions League hopes for next season after defeat to Manchester City, and Paul Scholes thinks there's just one way for Arne Slot to save his job now
James Findlater Content Editor
10:30, 10 Feb 2026
Paul Scholes appearing on The Good, The Bad & The Football
Paul Scholes has given a damning verdict on Arne Slot's position at Liverpool(Image: The Good, The Bad & The Football)
Paul Scholes believes there’s only one way for Arne Slot to save his job at Liverpool - by winning the Champions League.
The Reds suffered yet another dent to their hopes of securing a place at Europe’s top table again next season after falling to a dramatic defeat to Manchester City at the weekend. An eighth Premier League loss leaves them with plenty of work to do if they’re to guarantee a place in the Champions League next season.
Fifth place looks as though it will be enough, but even that is looking like a tall order. With Manchester United and Chelsea both playing on Tuesday, Liverpool could find itself eight and seven points off its rivals before a ball is kicked at Sunderland on Wednesday.
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Amid what has been a disappointing title defense, questions have been raised about Slot’s future at the club.
The Dutchman has come under pressure due to his side’s poor form in the league, and Xabi Alonso’s availability after being fired by Real Madrid has done nothing to reduce the heat on him.
Although Liverpool looks to be backing Slot, having shown a united front through sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO Billy Hogan recently, former Manchester United star Scholes thinks the Champions League offers the Reds’ boss his only hope of keeping his job next season.
“If you lose three or four games on the trot, you’re under pressure,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 08: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on February 08, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Arne Slot has come under pressure for his job this season(Image: Getty Images)
“Of course you are at a club like Liverpool. The one thing he’s probably got to do now is win the Champions League.
“That might be the only thing that saves his job. I can’t see him doing it though. I can’t see him doing it.”
Liverpool has already qualified for the last-16 in this season’s Champions League, and will be on the seeded team in the knockout stages, which could aid its attempts to lift a seventh European title. That would also secure a place in next season’s competition, regardless of where it finishes in the Premier League.
Scholes’ comments come after Jamie Carragher talked up the Reds’ hopes of going all the way in the Champions League, having suggested it’s the only way for Liverpool to rescue a poor campaign.
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“I think the only way this becomes a special season is if Liverpool win the Champions League,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “I don’t think winning the FA Cup is enough for a team that won the title the season before and then spent £450 million on players.
“But Liverpool look a lot better in the Champions League than they do in the Premier League, because the team is not fully equipped to go and win the Premier League right now.
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“They can’t handle the physicality that comes with the Premier League, but in the Champions League it’s a different beast, and once you get into the knockout stage, you get Anfield roaring, on the front foot, Liverpool have a really good chance in the Champions League.”