Liverpool and their head coach Arne Slot will look to bounce back from Tuesday's dismal Premier League defeat at Wolves when they face the same side in the FA Cup on Friday
An individual, presumably a coach, is standing on a field, focused and contemplative, with his hand resting on his chin. In the background, a crowd of spectators is gathered, observing the scene intently.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts after his side's 2-1 Premier League loss at Wolves on Tuesday(Image: AP)
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Arne Slot will be worried for his job if Liverpool fail to finish in the top five and fail to win anything this season. That's the opinion of an Arsenal legend.
Slot enjoyed an incredible debut campaign in charge at Anfield after replacing Jurgen Klopp. He led the Reds to the Premier League title and after a summer spending spree that saw the club shell out more than £400m on signings, while brining in more than £200m in sales, there was a hope they could defend their crown.
Instead Liverpool face a fierce fight to finish in the Champions League qualification places. Their 2-1 loss at basement boys Wolves on Tuesday night means they currently sit sixth, behind fifth-placed Chelsea on goal difference and three points behind Manchester United and Aston Villa in third and fourth respectively.
The Reds return to Molineux to face Wolves for the second time in three days tonight (Friday, 8pm kick-off) when the teams go head to head in the FA Cup fifth round.
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The FA Cup is one of two competitions Slot's side still have a chance of winning. On Tuesday they face Galatasaray in Istanbul in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 clash.
While Liverpool lost 1-0 to the Turkish giants in the league phase of European football's premier club competition earlier in the season, they will be favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, where they would face Chelsea or holders Paris Saint-Germain. And, looking further ahead, one of Manchester City, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich are likely to await in the semi-finals.
That's why Alan Smith, a double title winner with Arsenal who is now a co-commentator and pundit for Sky Sports, does not believe the Reds will win the Champions League for a seventh time.
And he believes Slot may need to guide the club to a ninth FA Cup crown, if they don't finish in the top five, to stave off the threat of the sack.
"I don’t think they’re going to win the Champions League," the two-time Golden Boot winner wrote in his latest column for BestBettingSites.co.uk.
"(They were) So poor on Tuesday against Wolves. I thought they’d maybe turned a corner. But a lot to solve there. It (the FA Cup) is their best chance at silverware, so we’ll see how they get on. Can they achieve a bit of revenge after being so poor?
"Slot will be under pressure. There’s no question. If they don’t finish in the Champions League spot, given the money that they’ve spent, you can talk about injuries and all that all you like, he’ll be under big pressure.
"I mean, historically, Liverpool haven’t been a sacking club. They’ve been loyal to the manager. Has that changed now with time, given how football is?
"I think he’d be worried for his job if they finish out of the top five and don’t win anything."
Speaking last month, Slot admitted it would be "unacceptable" if the Reds were not to qualify for next season's Champions League.
"Yes, if we don't have Champions League football, it is definitely not been an acceptable season," he said.
"The season I arrived here, we could only sign Federico Chiesa and that was after a Europa League season. So it does have an enormous impact on the way this club is run. So I'm completely aware of that."
Captain Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, said after the loss to Wolves on Tuesday. He said: "The stakes are very high. Listen, if you play for Liverpool, it's always been like that. It's down to us, together with our fans, to get the results we need to get into the Champions League.
"We're also still playing in the Champions League and the FA Cup this season and trying to make it successful. Now the decisive period starts. We have to just go for it. We have to take this on the chin. No matter how hard it is to take.