The media have continued their criticism of Liverpool and Arne Slot into Saturday, with high-profile journalists adding pressure on the head coach.
The Reds were so poor at Villa Park on Friday, losing 4-2 and conceding three times in the space of 32 second-half minutes.
Those in the media made their feelings known about Liverpool’s performance after the game on Saturday, but they haven’t stopped there.
Here’s more reaction to another woeful night for Slot’s side.
The respected Paul Joyce of the Times has serious doubts about Slot being the right man for the job, even showing a hint of sarcasm:
“They were an utter shambles out of possession once more, but, hey, according to head coach Arne Slot they are a few tweaks over the summer away from being the football team their fans will fall back in love with.
“That would be quite the redemption story, especially with so many having vacated the away section to start the journey up the M6 long before the final whistle.
“The Dutchman’s annus horribilis continues, his stock having taken another battering, and Liverpool’s own hopes of sitting at Europe’s top table next term will drag on into the final week.”
James Pearce of The Athletic wonders if Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will have a change of heart:
“Slot’s Liverpool are a sorry shell of the team they were.
“Can Edwards/Hughes really ignore the clamour for change? It’s growing louder by the week.
“So much is wrong and Slot’s reassurances that he will fix it this summer seem fanciful.”
Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail described Liverpool as “broken” under Slot:
“As for Arne Slot, who cut a forlorn figure on the touchline and looked like a broken man, well, he needs a miracle akin to the one Liverpool conjured up in Istanbul all those years ago if he is to come back from his current position as a man the fanbase have decided is not the one.
“Like Liverpool at half-time in that fabled final of 2005, where the Reds were 3-0 down but came back to win, Slot looks down and out.”
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Friday, May 15, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot applauds the travelling supporters after the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Liverpool FC at Villa Park. Aston Villa won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The *Liverpool Echo*‘s Paul Gorst says only a flying start to next season will do for Slot, if he stays:
“The issue for the Reds, by choosing to stick with Slot – which has never truly been in question beyond growing numbers of supporters apparently feeling it is needed – is that they will need to be flawless from pretty much the first whistle of next season to quell dissent.
“That need for perfection leaves so little room for error. Surely those conditions can’t lead to long-term prosperity?”
Meanwhile, Ian Doyle of the Echo was scathing of Liverpool’s response to going 2-1 down at Villa:
“There was absolutely no excuse for the subsequent reaction from the collective Reds team who, for the umpteenth time this season, folded in desperate fashion in the wake of a piece of ill fortune.
“There are myriad reasons. But the fight and heart has been drained out of this Liverpool squad after a campaign of endless setbacks, many of which have been entirely self-inflicted.
“Certainly, the strong mentality, character and unshakeable belief that became the calling card of the Reds for much of the past decade is no more.”
Liverpool away to the other 8 sides currently in the top 9 this season in the Premier League:
L
L
L
D
L
L
L
L
One point from a possible 24.
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) May 15, 2026
ESPN‘s Beth Lindop expressed doubts over Liverpool getting the job done at home to Brentford next Sunday:
“Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have been unwavering in their determination to stand by the Dutchman, who thinks many of Liverpool’s problems can be rectified in the transfer market.
“FSG’s belief, however, is not shared by the vast majority of Reds supporters and, on the evidence of this latest showing, it is hard to blame them.
“As the Liverpool players trudged off the pitch Friday night, the Champions League anthem blared around Villa Park as the hosts celebrated clinching qualification for next season’s competition.
“At present, it is hard to have much faith that Liverpool are capable of doing the same.”