Liverpool are running out of things to play for as the season winds down, and Arne Slot’s future will be the main topic of conversation during the Premier League run-in.
With the loss to PSG, the Reds are now in the same boat as their closest rivals in the standings, directing all focus towards the final six games of the campaign.
Roy Keane has been critical of Liverpool this season, but he is still not ready to write off the Dutchman currently at the helm. That is, unless the wheels come all the way off in the next few vital weeks.
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Roy Keane questions Liverpool fans getting restless with Arne Slot
Keane’s punditry tends to have a rather negative skew, especially when it comes to Man United, but also with the other top clubs in the Premier League.
On Liverpool, he hasn’t been shy about calling out their shortcomings, but he’s still behind Slot.
As he explained on Stick To Football: “Yeah, you can’t be sacking a manager a year after winning the league. Fans, they’re restless. Of course, but aren’t most fans really.
“Yeah, of course, how they finish the season, If they finish badly. They’ve got they got United in a couple of weeks. So, they’re big games emotionally for the fans, isn’t it? But you’d think they’ll be top five, top six.”
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The upcoming fixture list poses a huge challenge for the Reds, who must face each of their closest competitors for the Premier League top five between now and the end of May.
United feels the biggest game, but Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton are massive ties as well.
Keane’s point about where they finish is slightly confusing, though. There’s a monumental difference between a top-five and a top-six finish — a distinction large enough to determine Slot’s future.
Liverpool have loads of recruitment work to do this summer, with the departures of Mo Salah and Andy Robertson, the devastating injury to Hugo Ekitike, and the lack of quality in depth in the midfield.
Missing out on the Champions League would be a hammer blow in that regard, and could/should be the difference between Slot keeping his job and being sent on his merry way.
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