Arne Slot has had a tough season, with Liverpool capitulating after a title win for the second time in six years, and Phil Thompson has predicted what happens next
10:34, 12 Mar 2026
Phil Thompson has weighed in on what comes next for Liverpool and Arne Slot
Phil Thompson has weighed in on what comes next for Liverpool and Arne Slot(Image: Getty Images)
Perhaps Liverpool is a little spoiled, but it feels very frustrating to be here once again. Much like the last time a Reds side lifted the Premier League title, hopes of genuinely building on the success lasted only a matter of months.
Just like Jurgen Klopp before him, Arne Slot has suffered many pieces of misfortune. Alexander Isak has been out since December, having been injured in the very act of showing exactly why Liverpool was so keen to sign him, while the defensive injury list has been extensive too (albeit still not a patch on 2020/21).
But the upshot is that Liverpool's wait for back-to-back titles will stretch on, hitting 42 years this summer. The 1983/84 success was actually the third top-flight crown in a row: a sequence which Phil Thompson will no doubt remember well, lifting the trophy in each of his last three seasons at Anfield.
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If Thompson doesn't hold Liverpool to the highest standards, then nobody will. He was part of a generation of serial winners, becoming a champion of England seven times over β and that's not even counting 1984, where he did not play enough to qualify for a winner's medal.
That's not to mention his three European Cups, two UEFA Cups, and four domestic cups. And so when he says he still believes that Liverpool is on the right track with Slot, perhaps it is worth paying some attention.
"We don't know what is going to happen between now and the end of the season," Thompson told the Official Liverpool FC Podcast. "We could win two trophies, you just don't know; I'm not in agreement that this guy should be under pressure.
"He has done well. I'm not saying it's been perfect this year, I'm not trying to wax lyrical that we have had some great performances and it's been good.
"No, it's been difficult, I was not expecting anything different from this, from what's happened. It's both things, the players that have left, the players that have come in. God bless him, what happened to Diogo [Jota], you can't quantify that enough; players, feelings, mates, young men."
This is a vital piece of context that has been discarded all too quickly by many. When news of the Diogo Jota tragedy first broke, fans were in agreement that the season was effectively an irrelevance, given the human impact felt so keenly by the squad and the staff.
Thompson also stressed another important piece of context: that Slot won the league last season. His more recent struggles need to be looked at through that lens.
Arne Slot won the Premier League with Liverpool less than a year ago
Arne Slot won the Premier League with Liverpool less than a year ago(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It would be unfair to attribute that triumph exclusively to some sort of residual Klopp effect, or even to the majestic form of Mohamed Salah (sadly absent this season). Slot played his part, striking a perfect blend of trusted methods and new ideas.
And Thompson is emphatically backing Slot to bring the good times back to Anfield once this more new-look team finds its feet. He's made a bold prediction:
"I'll predict something now; I don't care what happens, we will win the league next year," Thompson said. "Because I think once this is all settled down, this team will win the league.
βIt's a bold claim, maybe, but once all these players have settled and all the injuries are back... what Arne Slot has done, I think he's done very well. To get that amount of wins is quite astonishing.β
It won't be too long before Slot can call on Alexander Isak again
It won't be too long before Slot can call on Alexander Isak again(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The winning figure in question is 62 from his first 100 matches. That's a joint record with Kenny Dalglish.
And while Liverpool undeniably look a very long way from title winners at present, Slot does have a track record of success when things go his way. The return of Isak should hopefully be enough to at least salvage Champions League qualification from this campaign, with the ultimate ambition being that the team can somehow make something from the current European campaign too.
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However the season ends, Slot will then have the summer to regroup, provided the board keeps faith in him. That should draw a line under an ultimately transitional campaign, giving the coach a chance to fully harness the young talent in his squad.
But Thompson's vote of faith is also a warning: if Slot does stay put, those will be the expectations for next season. Perhaps he has enough credit in the bank for one bad year, especially given the circumstances, but the legendary former defender knows as well as anyone that Liverpool should never be spending two campaigns in the wilderness.