Liverpool head coach Arne Slot will assess this season when it comes to an end, knowing that things have not gone as planned after winning the Premier League last year
Paul Gorst Liverpool FC correspondent and Matt Addison Liverpool FC Reporter
06:00, 02 May 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Arne Slot says the best time to judge Liverpool's difficult season will be at the end of this month, following games with Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford.
At that point, the Reds are likely to finish somewhere between third and fifth in the Premier League standings. While that is not what the aim was back in August, qualifying for the Champions League was far from a given for much of a tricky campaign.
It is possible that Liverpool could confirm Champions League qualification with a win at Old Trafford on Sunday, if Brighton and Bournemouth both fail to win against Newcastle and Crystal Palace respectively. Either way, a maximum of five points will be enough.
READ MORE: 4 things spotted in Liverpool training before Man Utd after Alisson update and injury boostREAD MORE: Jurgen Klopp won't join Real Madrid - but there is one job that could see him return to coaching
"How do I rate the season? It depends on the outcome," Slot said. "I will judge myself in four games.
"Of course, I am judging myself constantly — was it the right decision to play five at the back in Paris [against PSG]? Was it the right decision to play him, play him, play him?
"That is what you are constantly where you are and these are the questions you are asking yourself. Was it the right decision to train 11 v 11 today or should we go small-sided games?
"It is an ongoing process, you have to make 30, 40, 50 choices every single day and you try to judge them. But, in the end, you can say: 'OK, how was this season?’
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a training session.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a training session.(Image: Nikki Dyer - Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
"I already have a certain opinion about that but the outcome of the next four games could make a massive difference in the way I judge myself over this season."
Come the summer, Liverpool will be able to reset and go again in the transfer market and on the training field. Some of last year's big-money signings now have a year under their belt to learn from, including the likes of Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez.
"We as a team still have something to prove and I am part of the team, so that means I have something to prove as well, which we know," Slot continued.
"That is the football world; every day we have something to prove. But it is up to others to judge if a quarter-final place in the Champions League has been good or bad.
"Losing to PSG twice in a row — they are the best team in Europe, in my opinion. Is it a reality to go through the league and the cups having the amount of players we have [out]?
Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kits
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
From $100
LFC.com
See the deal
Liverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.
Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.
"I have a certain opinion about that and the way I say it gives you an impression of how I feel about it, but I haven't said it.
Article continues below
"Do I have to prove myself as Virgil van Dijk does? Yes, he has proven himself as one of the best and Mo Salah. We all have to prove ourselves but we've already shown in the past what we're able to do.
"It doesn't mean that is enough to keep playing every three days or stay in your job. If a player won the Premier League the last five years, he needs to show up every week to stay in the team.
"That is how this industry works, so yeah, we — and I am part of 'we' — have to prove ourselves the week after and the week after. And then in pre-season again and it just goes on and on."