Was I Slot in or Slot out? The honest answer is probably somewhere in the middle.
This was the manager who delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title. I wanted him to turn it around. I wanted him to find the answers and give supporters a reason to believe there were still chapters left to be written.
But as the season wore on, it became increasingly difficult to ignore what was unfolding.
Liverpool looked short of confidence, short of intensity and a shadow of the side that had marched to the title just 12 months earlier.
The longer the campaign went on, the harder it became to recognise the team that had swept Liverpool’s to first place in the Premier League.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot reacts during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
In truth, it was probably the most disconnected I’ve felt from a Liverpool season in the 20 years I’ve been going the match.
Yet, every indication coming from inside the club suggested Slot would remain in charge. There was little talk of a change and all the noise pointed towards him leading Liverpool into another campaign.
Maybe that’s why I never found myself firmly in either camp.
I wasn’t calling for him to go, but I wasn’t convinced everything was fine either. I found myself caught somewhere between gratitude for what he had achieved and concern about where things appeared to be heading.
Andoni Iraola’s has said all the right things
Football moves quickly, though.
Slot leaves having delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title and for that he deserves enormous credit. Whatever happened towards the end, nobody can take that away from him.
Now, attention turns to the new fella in charge: Andoni Iraola.
If I’m being honest, when his name first emerged I wasn’t immediately sold. He has no Champions League experience and only a Cypriot Super Cup to his name.
Maybe that sounds harsh, but Liverpool isn’t just any football club.
Then I listened to his first interview and suddenly I felt a lot more optimistic.
One line stood out as simple but perfect:
“I can only say I want to become one of you; I want to earn the right to belong.”
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became about what Liverpool could look like under Iraola.
One thing that stands out when I look around the Premier League is how much the landscape has changed; the full-throttle football of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola has largely disappeared.
During that era, there were managers such as Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelo Bielsa, Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, who wanted to attack and take the game to opponents.
Now there are very few left.
In truth, Iraola and De Zerbi are probably the only two genuinely attack-minded managers in the division.
Andoni Iraola’s football could suit Liverpool
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola gestures on the touchline during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth. Picture date: Sunday May 3, 2026.
Modern football has become obsessed with control, structure and set pieces.
Arsenal are organised and difficult to break down; Enzo Maresca prioritises possession; Xabi Alonso’s football is intelligent and measured; Unai Emery has Aston Villa drilled to within an inch of their lives.
There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but it does leave Liverpool with the opportunity to become something different.
The Premier League’s great outlier? The team that turns up looking to attack, the team that goes toe-to-toe with opponents, the team that trusts itself to win games rather than simply control them.
Heavy metal football, full-backs flying forward, midfielders breaking lines, attackers constantly asking questions and pressing teams into submission.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, September 7, 2025: Liverpool supporters on the Spion Kop during the FA Women’s Super League match between Liverpool FC Women and Everton FC Women, the Women's Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Win, lose or draw, there is something special about a team that wants to take the game to the opposition.
Maybe it’s fitting too. Scousers have never been particularly interested in fitting in and neither should our football club.
While everyone else chases control and caution, Liverpool can become the side willing to take risks, the side willing to entertain.
The team willing to attack first and ask questions later. After listening to Iraola, I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.
There will be bumps along the way. There will be moments when we question things. There will be games when Liverpool get it wrong.
But there will also be days when Anfield is bouncing and Liverpool simply overwhelm teams.
Will we be lining the streets for another parade next June? I don’t know, but I’m confident we’re going to have a good time trying.
Good luck, Andoni lad.
‘Adelante is the cry amongst the Kopites!’