Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Arne Slot (Liverpool manager) walks close to the bench prior to kick off during soccer game FC Inter vs Liverpool FC, UCL
Arne Slot’s excuses for Liverpool this season aren’t washing with large parts of the Anfield fanbase, and it’s the same back in the Netherlands as well.
Journalist Henk Spaan is the latest to call out the Liverpool manager this week to Het Parool. He was left unimpressed by Slot in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
A four for Arne Slot
Henk Spaan covers Arne Slot today and gives him a four for his performance in the 2-0 defeat to PSG at Anfield. He feels the Liverpool manager has ‘lost his way’.
This is currently demonstrated by his tactics. He points out that last week Slot ‘left Van Dijk exposed’ with a back five. This week, he was forced to put Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back midway through the game.
But he questions whether that was forced or Slot simply choosing to ‘banish this pure footballer’ to the ‘Siberia of Anfield’.
He even questions the response after the game. Slot criticised the referee in his post-match comments. That’s a trick he’s used a few times already according to Spaan.
As far as he’s concerned, the truth is that Liverpool were ‘once again outclassed’ by a team that is better in every respect, but especially technically and tactically. PSG, he says, were ‘leagues ahead’ of Liverpool.
Growing criticism for Slot
Henk Spaan’s comments are part of a growing trend in the Netherlands when it comes to Arne Slot. While last year they were praising him highly, this year it’s constant questions.
Journalists and analysts have regularly criticised him in recent weeks. One such report explained how he had lost his way at Anfield this season.
The pressure is undeniably growing on the Dutch coach. Their title defence has been a disaster, despite a huge summer that was supposed to establish Liverpool for the next decade.
Now the criticism is spreading, even to the Netherlands, where he was a genius just a year ago.