After Arne Slot brought up 100 matches as Liverpool, our writers have their say on the title-winning boss whose second season at Anfield is proving more challenging than the first
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MARCH 10: Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, arrives at the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on March 10, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Burak Kara - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Arne Slot arrives at Galatasaray ahead of his 100th match in charge of Liverpool (Image: Burak Kara - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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Arne Slot's 100th game in charge of Liverpool did not get the ending neither he, his players or supporters would have wanted.
The Reds went down to a 1-0 defeat at Galatasaray in the Champions League round of first first leg in Istanbul on Tuesday. It meant Slot missed the chance to go clear of Kenny Dalglish as the Liverpool manager to pick up the most wins in his first century of matches at the helm.
The Dutchman, who led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his debut campaign in charge, still boasts a superb record of 62 wins, 16 draws and 22 defeat.
But there is no doubt his first 50 games in the Anfield hotseat compares much more favourably that his last 50 and, while his side are very much in the hunt to secure Champions League qualification, and remain in two competitions, question continue to remain over his long-term future, such is the scrutiny that comes with managing one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
And, against that backdrop, our Reds writers have their say...
Ian Doyle
Recency bias is everything in the modern age. And the cliché you’re only as good as your last game would suggest Arne Slot has been a failure as Liverpool head coach.
Except, of course, that isn’t true, as a Premier League title won in such dominant fashion a year ago shows.
Indeed, had his team won in Istanbul on Tuesday, the Dutchman would have surpassed Kenny Dalglish for the most amount of wins in the first 100 games as Reds boss,
It was always going to be a difficult job replacing Jurgen Klopp, regardless of the squad Slot inherited. Those whose glass is half-empty, and younger fans not accustomed to life without the German, feared a slide towards oblivion.
So for Slot to win the title and reach a cup final in his debut campaign was beyond the expectations of even Fenway Sports Group.
If anything, the Dutchman has been a victim of that instant, magnificent success which was then followed by a high-profile summer transfer splurge.
Almost anything that could go wrong this season has done, although Slot hasn’t helped himself with some questionable tactical and team selection calls and some unwise if well-meant public utterances.
For the supporters and pundits whose minds have been long made up, not even a piece of silverware or two at the end of the campaign will alter their view a change is needed in the dugout.
That would, in some respects, make Liverpool, famed for their patience at boardroom level, just the same as every other club.
But times have changed and football is sadly more a business than sport these days. Champions League qualification is by no means a given and it will hurt the Reds financially if they miss out.
And, of course, it’s always easier for a failing team to sack the manager rather than a host of underperforming players.
The fact is, though, Slot is one of only two Liverpool bosses to win the championship in the last 36 years. For that reason alone, should he leave tomorrow his time at Anfield would surely be deemed very worthwhile.
Mark Jones
When Arne Slot was appointed as Liverpool manager a video surfaced of a rather unusual kick-off routine he took when he was a player in the Dutch league, with the ball played back to him before the future Reds boss rather unceremoniously flicked it up and booted it high into the air.
That, coupled with the failings of his countryman Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and a picture of him striking a pose at his unveiling were all things that could have ended up as sticks to beat Slot with had things not gone well for him when he stepped into Jurgen Klopp's shoes. The modern football environment can be a harsh one, and the knives were being sharpened before he'd even set foot inside Anfield.
Then he went and disappointed a lot of people by winning the Premier League.
That victory, and the nature of it, make Slot a successful Liverpool manager whatever happens now, but as the knives are sharpened once more there are legitimate questions over whether or not he is the man to take the club forward.
There have been multiple factors at play at Liverpool over the past year, and Slot's job has become a lot harder in his second campaign at the club than it was in his first.
In many ways Liverpool are having the season that many expected them to have in the Dutchman's first campaign in charge, one of transition, patchy results and even patchier performances.
Slot needs to come through this season with something tangible though, even if that is the modern 'prize' of Champions League qualification.
Secure that and then focus on what is still possible. Fail and he might be headed for some difficult conversations with the club hierarchy.
But if it does come to that he would deserve to leave Anfield with his head held high, and having made a major contribution to modern Liverpool history.
Richard Garnett
If you win a Premier League title in your first season at a club that's only won one in the previous 34 years, then I think it's fair to say that you have arguably overachieved in your maiden campaign.
However, unfortunately for Arne Slot, having achieved such a feat, that is now the expectation by which he is measured. Perhaps Jurgen Klopp would have had two English league titles to his name had he hung around for another season? We'll never know, but what we do know is that Slot didn't have to make any personnel changes to clinch the club's 20th top-flight title at a canter.
Strengthening a squad from a position of strength is often cited as a smart move. But that is not really what Liverpool did in the summer. Instead, they replaced players with more expensive ones and although there have been signs of genuine promise with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike in particular, you could not say at this moment in time that the squad has improved. In fact, the opposite is true.
Slot's record of winning 62 of his first 100 Liverpool matches stands up against any other previous manager at Anfield. But his last 50 matches include 16 defeats and eight draws - more than double the amount of losses from the first 50.
If that wasn't cause for concern, then the below-par performance levels seen throughout this season surely should be. Risk-averse football has become the norm and supporters don't like it.
There is no doubt that the Dutchman has credit in the bank, following his remarkable first season, but the financial nature of modern top-flight football means that a campaign finishing outside of Champions League qualification places has huge ramifications.
Liverpool could win the FA Cup and reach the Champions League final and still part company with their manager in the summer if the club fails to qualify for Europe's elite football competition.
The latter can still be achieved if Slot can inspire his players to bust a gut and get the job done. But the fact that I have a lingering doubt that this is possible tells you that even after winning the Premier League his future at Anfield is far from certain.