‘I really fear for them…’ – Carragher dreading nightmare scenario which could cost Slot his job
Jamie Carragher has voiced his fears about the prospect of Liverpool missing out on Champions League football for next season, and what it could mean for Arne Slot’s job.
Having failed to win any of thier last five top-flight matches, the Reds dropped to sixth in the table over the weekend and now face a battle just to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition, having begun the campaign as Premier League champions and many pundits’ favourites to retain the title.
The head coach has come under increasing pressure due to his team’s frightening regression since last summer, and with Xabi Alonso reportedly happy to jump at any opportunity to return to Anfield should it arise, speculation over the Dutchman’s position in the dugout may intensify further.
Carragher fearful of Liverpool missing out on Champions League
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football, Carragher suggested that if Liverpool fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League, Slot’s job could become untenable.
The pundit said: “Once you start seeing what Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the last couple of weeks, you start seeing that Liverpool could actually finish outside the Champions League positions. I really fear for them.
“Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, that’s when I think we’ve got a completely different proposition when we’re talking about the manager’s job. That, for me, is completely different.
“If we’re talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, that is a collective responsibility, and Liverpool don’t win the league every year.
“Not making the Champions League from [being] champions, spending £450m and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is normally the biggest determining factor over where you finish in the league, I think you’ve got serious questions to ask.
“If you don’t qualify for the Champions League, having won the league the season before and spent as much as Liverpool, I don’t think you’ve got a leg to stand on.”
Champions League qualification is non-negotiable for Slot and Liverpool
As poor as the Reds have been for much of the campaign, they’re still only two points outside the top four, and fifth place in the Premier League might even be sufficient to squeeze into the Champions League for 2026/27.
There’s also the possibility of Liverpool qualifying for the competition next season by winning the current edition, but that’s a high-wire act that Slot would want to be left banking on if his job were to be on the line.
Even if LFC go on a strong run from here and comfortably finish inside the top four, or maybe even salvaging third place like they did in an equally insipid title defence in 2020/21, this domestic campaign would still go down as a disappointment, given how high expectations had been at the outset.
The Merseysiders need to be in the Champions League – simple as that. They coped with one season on the outside looking in two years ago, but the danger is that missing out once could trigger a spiral which sees the club fail to qualify for several campaigns in succession.
The ensuing ripple effect of a loss of revenue limits the financial scope to make game-changing additions to the squad, and elite players would likely be less inclined to sign for a club without Champions League football to offer.
Slot needs to get Liverpool into the tournament in 2026/27 by any means necessary. Should he fall short in that mission, Carragher’s words about him not having ‘a leg to stand on’ may turn out to be prophetic.
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