Michael Owen has put emphasis on Champions League success being what will stop Arne Slot from being in ‘trouble’ at Liverpool after what has been a disappointing season so far.
Slot’s future remains up in the air heading into the summer, and Xabi Alonso has been linked with the Anfield job.
Liverpool fans aren’t happy with their manager for a variety of reasons, and Owen thinks ‘it’s going to be the Champions League or FA Cup that gets him out of trouble this season’.
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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Dominik Szoboszlai and Andrew Robertson during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Arne Slot needs Champions League to get out of trouble
Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers faced off in the fifth round of the FA Cup on March 6.
Owen covered the game live as a pundit for TNT Sports and discussed the pressure Slot is facing this season.
The former Reds striker suggested top-four qualification should be a given, and success in the Champions League or FA Cup is what the 47-year-old will now be judged on.
He said: “Of course, they’re not going to win the league. Is success qualifying for the Champions League?
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“I suppose it is now in the league, but he should never be judged on that really; that should be a given at the start of a season.
“So, it’s going to be the Champions League or FA Cup that gets him out of trouble this season, he’s on the backfoot alright.”
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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
Luckily for Slot, Liverpool have been much better in Europe than they have been in domestic matches this season.
The Reds are back in Champions League action this coming Tuesday and are expected to beat Galatasaray and book a place in the quarter-finals.
If they do see off the Turkish side, they will face one of PSG or Chelsea in the next stage of the competition.
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