Arne Slot is under pressure at Liverpool.placeholder image
Arne Slot is under pressure at Liverpool. | Getty Images
Arne Slot is coming under pressure at Liverpool - and this is why they should part ways with the head coach
Liverpool saw the scrutiny on Arne Slot ramp up once again as the Reds’ top four hopes were left dangling by a thread after a 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night.
The champions dropped to sixth in the Premier League table after results on Wednesday and while both Manchester United and Aston Villa lost to keep the gap at three points, Liverpool’s performances in recent weeks have been far from convincing and how they will fare over the remainder of the season is far from clear.
With a quartet of clashes against United, Chelsea, Villa and Brentford to see out the season, it all looks set to go down to the wire with five Champions League spots likely to be up for grabs. Whether the Reds qualify for the competition might have a lot to do with the outcome of Slot’s future at the club – but it can be argued that the Dutchman’s time at Anfield should soon come to an end regardless.
Liverpool should sack Arne Slot at the end of the season
The first and most glaring reason why Liverpool should sack Slot this summer is that their Premier League title defence has been nothing short of abysmal. After a record-smashing £450million summer spend, the Reds have not levelled up and have instead seen the performance levels drop of so many first-team stars who were near-flawless last year.
The impact of injuries must be stated and is an unfortunate circumstance with which Slot has had to contend – as was the tragic passing of Diogo Jota – but when the majority of his multi-million-pound players do not perform to their highest levels across an entire campaign, the buck stops with the manager.
Slot has been given grace and patience by the Liverpool board this term and that was the right thing to do, as to sack the Dutchman mere months after winning the league title would have been extremely harsh. The run of nine defeats in 12 matches in the autumn should not be forgotten, though, and the Reds look on course to suffer double figures in league defeats for the first time since 2015/16 – just one more loss away from doing so.
This summer is looking increasingly like the right time to move on from Slot and begin a new chapter at Anfield – and the Dutchman is clearly feeling the pressure. It is the sign of a manager soon to be given his marching orders when he appears slowly to be losing his mind in interviews.
Slot claimed before the defeat to Wolves that the quality of football in the Premier League is not what it used to be, appearing to be a bitter jibe towards leaders Arsenal and the countless sides who have overcome Liverpool with the low-block and long-ball tactics which Slot criticised so openly earlier in the season.
Slot said ahead of the loss at Molineux: "You have to accept it. I think it's mainly here in the Premier League. If I watch other leagues, I don't think there's so much emphasis on set-pieces. Now, most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch, but it's always interesting because it's so competitive."
Liverpool’s dream replacement for Slot is already available
The other key reason why Liverpool should part ways with Slot this summer is that the right man to replace him is already available.
Former Reds star Xabi Alonso has been touted for a return to Anfield as manager for some time, and was thought to be their dream successor to Jurgen Klopp for a time before Slot came in. Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January and is thought to be in the running for whichever top jobs in Europe become available in the coming months - though it would make more sense for Liverpool to wait for him until the summer, as the Spaniard is currently enjoying a break away from football and is unlikely to be keen on joining at this key stage in the season.
If Liverpool do not act soon to bring in Alonso, he might ultimately end up at Manchester City instead as the successor to Pep Guardiola – which would sting Reds fans massively if Slot were to lose his job further down the line. It would be a major gamble to part ways with their title-winning head coach at the end of the season but amidst poor results and fan discontentment with performances, this summer is as good a time as any to make a big call which could shape the future at Anfield.
Liverpool fan Richard concurred with this view that Slot should be sacked, telling talkSPORT Breakfast: "I just think that Liverpool are going to react to this situation too late and by the time they react, Xabi Alonso will be somewhere else, and we'll be left hanging in the wind with no one.”
Going one further to say Slot should be sacked right now, he added: "Because why talk about what the rest of the league's doing, when you've got problems to sort out in your own team, he should be focused on getting Liverpool playing football. And it's always: 'Oh, we were unlucky, we've done this, done that'.
"I'm sorry, he's just not got the fibre. He's not got the soul, the family spirit that you need with Liverpool. I know it's a big act to follow in Jurgen Klopp, I totally understand that, but he's just not grasped the spirit of Liverpool Football Club."
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