The mood surrounding the club couldn’t have been more different compared to a year earlier. From the sun-basked trophy celebrations of May 2025, to the doom and gloom of this year’s run-in, where Slot’s Liverpool just about dragged themselves into a Champions League spot.
It’s reported by The Athletic that doubts surrounding the Dutchman’s decision-making started when Slot opted to move Dominik Szoboszlai to right-back following the season-ending injury of Conor Bradley. Szoboszlai had started the season in fine form and was one of Liverpool’s most influential players, but the feeling was that moving him out of position, it limited the Hungarian’s impact.
Whereas, there was also a feeling that new signings who joined in the summer were treated with more leniency than those already at the club. It was felt as if they weren’t held to the same standards that others were and were able to underperform but maintain their spot in the starting line-up.
Liverpool spent big in the off-season, welcoming the likes of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong, among others, to the tune of just under £450million. Having been tipped to defend their title, the 20-time champions finished fifth in the league on 60 points - 24 points off last season’s victorious tally.
Meanwhile, the concerns within the dressing room also extended to tactical set-ups. The outlet claims that during the recent defeat to Aston Villa, players were left confused as to who they were meant to be defending at set-pieces - something the home side exploited.
It’s believed an inquest was held in the dressing room, with cracks starting to appear. Just one week earlier, Slot had been booed off by the Anfield faithful following a home draw against a Chelsea side that went on to finish 10th in the table.
It was clear the fans had turned against him, and when things start to go toxic, it’s difficult to wrestle back control. In the end, the writing was on the wall for the ex-Feyenoord coach, who was given his marching orders one weekend after the Premier League season ended.