The minimum Arne Slot has to achieve otherwise he’s sacked: O’Hara
Arne Slot is facing growing external scrutiny over what would be considered an acceptable minimum outcome for this season, with Champions League qualification now being framed by some pundits as essential.
Jamie O’Hara has become the latest former player to publicly question Slot’s position should Liverpool fail to return to Europe’s elite competition next season.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, the former Tottenham midfielder was blunt in his assessment of what Slot must deliver.
“I think he is coming under pressure. If they are not in the Champions League, Arne Slot has to go,” O’Hara said.
Liverpool currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, with Chelsea one point ahead in fifth and Manchester United two points ahead in fourth.
Fifth place may yet be enough to secure Champions League football due to England’s UEFA coefficient, but the margins are tight and the pressure is building.
Why Champions League qualification has become the benchmark
The framing of Champions League qualification as a minimum requirement has sparked debate, particularly given that Slot delivered the Premier League title last season.
That achievement has understandably earned the 47-year-old Dutchman a degree of credit in the bank, even if this campaign has been far more uneven.
Liverpool’s league form tells a story of inconsistency rather than collapse.
There have been damaging spells, most notably a run of six defeats in seven matches earlier in the season, which dragged the Reds out of the title conversation entirely.
However, there has also been clear stabilisation.
We have lost just once in our last 16 games in all competitions, and recent wins against Qarabag and Newcastle showed a far more fluent attacking side.
Against Newcastle at Anfield, Liverpool scored four goals, overturned a deficit, and looked more like a team playing with clarity and confidence.
That performance has fed into the sense that the season is not yet defined.
O’Hara’s criticism and the wider debate around Slot
O’Hara’s comments went beyond results and into questions of style, particularly Slot’s previously stated belief that entertaining football matters deeply to him.
“Absolutely not, I don’t know what he is on about. It’s all about winning trophies,” O’Hara added.
“He is talking about his team playing good football and they are not. They are boring to watch and teams have figured them out.”
The criticism is not universally shared.
Slot himself has acknowledged that performances have not always matched expectations and has openly sympathised with supporters who have been frustrated by sterile spells.
Virgil van Dijk has also publicly defended his head coach, describing some of the criticism as disrespectful and urging focus on performances rather than outside noise.
Context matters.
Liverpool underwent significant squad change last summer, lost key players, and have dealt with long injury absences throughout the campaign.
The league table reflects a team in transition rather than freefall.
Sunday’s trip to Manchester City now feels like a genuine barometer.
A strong performance would further underline that Liverpool are trending in the right direction, even if the season has not been perfect.
Whether Champions League qualification should define Slot’s future remains open to debate.
What is clear is that, for some pundits, the line has already been drawn.
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