Arne Slot has come under pressure at times this season, with Liverpool struggling to produce its best form, and the powers-that-be may have already made up their minds
10:27, 12 Mar 2026
The Liverpool hierarchy has a decision in mind amid Arne Slot's struggles this season
The Liverpool hierarchy has a decision in mind amid Arne Slot's struggles this season(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool is teetering on the edge of a calamitous season, 1-0 down in the Champions League against Galatasaray and facing an uphill battle to qualify for next season's tournament.
Arne Slot, whose face adorns the famous Kop banner after he lifted the title in his debut season, is under serious scrutiny. It's a scenario that scarcely looked possible last summer. Liverpool had been head and shoulders clear of the admittedly underwhelming opposition, and it appeared as though things would keep getting better as Slot really began to put his stamp on the team.
But the more Slot imposes his style, the less of an identity Liverpool seems to have. As the Jurgen Klopp muscle memory fades out of the squad, it looks increasingly pedestrian, shorn of the intensity by which it was once defined.
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Slot can point to some bad luck (and in fact, he has repeatedly done just that). The jewel in the crown of the summer spending splurge was Alexander Isak, and he has hardly been able to feature.
Liverpool signed a lot of talented players, but Isak was the "win now" addition. There was an acceptance that he would take some time to get up to speed after a summer spent on strike, but as an established and elite Premier League performer, he was meant to be the one to turn fine margins in the Reds' direction.
Yet his hugely frustrating leg fracture has left Liverpool with nobody to step up. For many years, that has been Mohamed Salah, but Slot is the unfortunate manager tasked with managing a transition that was always bound to come eventually.
The sheer extent of Salah's drop-off has certainly made things more challenging for Slot; to be clear, the Egyptian has been no worse than many others, but it's more pronounced given that he has been the undisputed star for so long. He practically carried Liverpool to the title last season.
Mohamed Salah has been nowhere near his past levels, posing a challenge to Slot in his second season
Mohamed Salah has been nowhere near his past levels, posing a challenge to Slot in his second season(Image: Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When you throw in the revolving door of defensive injuries, it has been undeniably tough. But at the same time, plenty of blame lies at the door of the head coach.
Where his "luck" comments are more jarring is when he talks about how many times the opposition has scored with its first shot, or how Liverpool dominated but couldn't find a route to goal. Ultimately, Slot's job is to prevent those things from happening.
Liverpool is conceding first too often because it is defensively too frail. It is failing to convert possession into goals because it has no clear attacking identity.
Externally, therefore, there have been doubts cast on Slot's long-term future at Liverpool. There is a widespread assumption that he will get until the end of the season, but that the summer will prompt a reassessment.
Yet according to The Athletic, the Liverpool hierarchy has effectively made up its mind already. FSG remains convinced that Slot is the man for the job long-term.
"Liverpool, from what we hear, are steadfastly behind Arne Slot," said David Ornstein on The Athletic FC podcast. "He’s under contract until 2027 and they want him to be their coach, the hierarchy are determined that he is the man to get things right."
Slot retains the backing of the Liverpool board
Slot retains the backing of the Liverpool board(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Of course, that opinion is not set in stone: Slot hasn't been declared manager for life. A continued decline would force even the patient Liverpool board into a rethink.
But for the time being, FSG is simply not on the same page as the average punter. Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes led the search for Slot, and remain convinced that the Dutchman can be the one to lead Liverpool into a new era.
They may still be right. Many of the problems are growing pains that any manager would have been forced to oversee, and last season is tangible proof that Slot can lead Liverpool to success.
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But much longer of this soulless, guileless, purgatorial football will test that faith to its limits. Something needs to change sooner rather than later: if it isn't the performances, it will have to be the manager.