Arne Slot after Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain
Arne Slot saw his Liverpool team eliminated from Europe in midweek(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot may well find himself under increased pressure if Liverpool lose to Everton in this weekend's Merseyside derby. However, former Reds defender Dominic Matteo believes it would still be harsh to dismiss the title-winning boss given the wider context.
Slot delivered a Premier League title in his first season but has found things much tougher this term. Top spot is all but mathematically impossible with six games to go, while Tuesday's defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League ended any faint hopes of silverware.
Despite the difficult season, though, Matteo believes the higher-ups need to think very carefully about the manager's position. While he acknowledges the available candidates will be a factor - and former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso could be on the lookout for a new club after leaving Real Madrid mid-season - he recognised clear improvement in the midweek reverse and remains torn on Slot's future.
He continued: "I don't think [a sacking decision] will have been made yet. Who knows what goes on behind a football club? There's that many people involved at every club, whether it's Richard Hughes or whoever's making that decision.
"But obviously, you have to look at everything and analyse everything and see if there is a better option than Arne. Obviously he won the league last year so I think it would be pretty harsh if it were to get fired before next season starts."
Matteo believes whichever team wins their battles will come out on top on Sunday. That was Liverpool when the teams last met in the league but Jurgen Klopp lost his final Merseyside Derby and there's a real risk another reverse for Slot could spell the end.
Arne Slot and David Moyes ahead of the Merseyside Derby in September 2025
Matteo thinks Slot will be under more pressure than opposite number David Moyes(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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"Liverpool have always been favourite in Derby games of recent times [but] I think now it's much closer," the former Scotland international added. "I think it'll be a game that, for the fans, because of the season and the way it's gone, I think it'll be very, very important for Liverpool to get this result, especially for the manager and for certain players.
"If he is to get a result and get a good result, the people behind the scenes might be thinking, Oh, 'yeah, he is the right man to have another go... Or will they make a decision if the result goes badly and think 'Is it time for a change at the start of next season?'.
"That's how important this game probably is in many ways. David Moyes will be sitting there with - obviously there's pressure in a Derby game, but I think he won't be feeling the pressure as much as what Arne Slot will."
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