Liverpool had themselves a very good weekend in the Premier League, with Arne Slot emboldened ahead of Tuesday’s mammoth clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
After three defeats on the bounce, it had felt as though the Dutchman was slipping towards an inevitable sacking.
However, the tide of the Premier League top five race has changed fairly dramatically over the past two days, and if Slot can somehow turn things around against PSG, he should start to feel the pressure on him alleviating.
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Jeremie Frimpong takes throw-in for Liverpool in front of Arne Slot
Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images
The tide may have turned for Liverpool
Obviously, Liverpool‘s season has not changed after a fairly routine 2-0 win over Fulham, things have still not been good enough and the football on display has been appalling.
But with the Reds now sitting four points clear of Chelsea in sixth, and five ahead of both Brentford and Everton, there are some green shoots with just six games to go.
Next weekend’s derby with Everton had the potential to be a disastrous day for Slot, with the Blues previously poised to move ahead of Liverpool with a win. Though a defeat would still be another straw broken for the head coach, the Reds should focus on the fact that a win at the Hill Dickinson would move them eight clear and surely out of sight of their neighbours.
And Liverpool no longer have to look purely down the table, either. Aston Villa’s draw with Nottingham Forest means Unai Emery’s side sit only three points ahead, and with the Reds still to visit Villa Park, it is all to play for in that respect. Man United play Leeds on Monday, and could move further clear, but they are also within spitting distance of Liverpool as things stand.
Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
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PSG tie could be the game-changer for Slot
If things are looking up for Liverpool in the Premier League, then a dramatic turnaround in the Champions League on Tuesday would be the clincher to a complete shift in mood.
Should Liverpool get through to the semi-finals, something special will have occurred at Anfield.
If that is the case, then fans’ belief will return, and Slot will suddenly find himself in a position of strength once again.
This is a big ‘if’, of course, and the likelihood remains that Liverpool will be dumped out once again by the French giants. But the incentive is there for Slot to really use the positivity generated by the win over Fulham to propel his team into a game which could save his job.
It has been a dismal season for Slot and everyone connected to the club, but they have finally put themselves in a position to build from. Things are all set up for a crazy night at Anfield in which Slot can pull his reign from the fire. Stranger things have happened.
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