Too soon or too late? Liverpool’s Arne Slot headache

This time last year it would have seemed unthinkable, but there’s a genuine case growing for Liverpool to sack manager Arne Slot after a disastrous second season in charge.

The Dutch tactician enjoyed the best possible start at Liverpool last term, appearing to rejuvenate a team that had perhaps gone a little stale under the legendary Jurgen Klopp, firing them to Premier League glory – just their second title since 1990.

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But how quickly perceptions can change, as it now looks increasingly like Slot simply inherited a great team from Klopp and got a little lucky that both Manchester City and Arsenal were worse than usual.

There’s more to it than that, of course, so where has it gone wrong for Slot and how much is it his fault?

Mohamed Salah’s loss of form

While Mohamed Salah declining a little at the age of 33 is perhaps to be expected, no one predicted that such a sharp dip in performances would come so quickly. Slot wasn’t the one who handed the veteran Egyptian forward a new contract off the back of such a sensational season last term, so it seems harsh to blame him here.

In fact, Slot has arguably dealt with this difficult situation admirably, having tried to ease Salah out of the team without too much drama, only to find that the LFC front-man wasn’t happy to play ball. Even after this very public row, Slot managed to stop it turning into an Erik ten Hag vs Cristiano Ronaldo repeat, with Salah now back in the first-team fold (and still playing really poorly, it must be said) and preparing for an emotional send-off this summer.

Liverpool did strengthen in attack last summer, so perhaps there was some element of preparing for life after Salah, but a slow start for Florian Wirtz and an injury-hit campaign from Alexander Isak has undoubtedly derailed the changes Slot would have ideally liked to have been able to make.

Style of play

Somewhere Slot has to take the blame, however, is the absolutely dire football Liverpool have produced for so much of this season.

Leaky at the back and predictable going forward, we’ve seen far too many games this season where opponents simply found it too easy to play through Slot’s team, with Manchester City’s 4-0 win at the weekend a prime example. If there’s a repeat of that kind of performance against Paris Saint-Germain this week, we’re surely going to see a similar score-line.

Even more worryingly, Slot doesn’t seem to have any answer for this. Click here for what feels like one of many examples this season when the former Feyenoord boss has been left completely taken aback and unprepared for what Liverpool’s opponents were going to do in a game.

? Liverpool fans and neutrals – should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) April 7, 2026

Diogo Jota

Let’s be honest, there isn’t really a precedent in modern football for a tragedy like this, with Liverpool’s players and coaching staff all still mourning a teammate and friend in Diogo Jota.

The Portuguese forward was tragically killed along with his brother in a car crash last summer, and it’s important to remember that even the top level of professional footballers are only human – this news was a huge shock, and grief takes a long time to get over. Whilst not wishing to speak for anyone involved, it simply can’t be ruled out that this loss continues to affect mood, confidence, and sap everyone’s energy inside Anfield.

Needless to say, there’s really nothing any manager could have done about this. Slot, just like everyone else at the club, will have been hurting, and there’s no managerial template for how to lift a dressing room after such a tragedy. While there may be legitimate criticisms to be made about tactics and recruitment, there can be no playing down the trauma this group has gone through and may continue to go through for a while longer yet.

Where do Liverpool fans stand?

“I’ve been behind Arne Slot for the vast majority of the campaign,” says Farrell Keeling of Empire of the Kop. “I’ve cited genuine mitigating factors, like the tragedy of Diogo Jota’s passing ahead of the season, the loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the absence of pace on the wings, the failure to sign Marc Guehi… and the list goes on.

“While I appreciate there will still be many keen to back the Dutchman (Liverpool is, after all, a manager’s club), I’ve now personally reached a point where the arguments against Slot are overwhelming any reasons or mitigating factors that might see him last beyond the 2025/26 season.

“That’s an awful place to be in as a Liverpool fan, not least of all because Arne Slot gave me one of the happiest days of my life last term, as Liverpool finally lifted the Premier League title in front of the supporters.

“But the warning signs are there in black and white: players “giving up” (in Virgil van Dijk’s own words) at the first hurdle, and the manager seemingly at a total loss to inspire any kind of consistent improvement.”

Liam Togher, also of Empire of the Kop, agrees, saying: “First of all, Arne Slot has my eternal gratitude for winning the Premier League title last season, irrespective of whatever else happens from here.

“I’m not one for turning on a manager/head coach after a few bad results, and I didn’t turn against Slot when the Reds went through a dreadful run in the autumn. However, with no signs of lessons being learned from that slump, the case for keeping the Dutchman has become increasingly difficult to make, especially if (as I think will happen) LFC miss out on Champions League qualification.

This season has become devoid of any enjoyment from a Liverpool perspective, and while that isn’t all on Slot (players and hierarchy are also culpable), unfortunately he must carry a significant portion of responsibility for the malaise over the past six months.

“Champions League qualification is a must if he’s to keep his job, and even then he has a huge task on his hands to win back his detractors. If Liverpool fail in that mission, I suspect a change will be made in the summer.”

While Slot isn’t the only Liverpool figure to blame for the team’s slump, Farrell reiterates that the alarming drop-off from so many of the players who performed so well last season is ultimately the manager’s responsibility.

“Would things be drastically better with a pair of pacey wingers and a centre-back having arrived in the summer? Yes, of course. Should the likes of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes bear some collective responsibility for not handing the manager enough of the right tools? Yes, of course,” Farrell adds.

“But the scale of the drop-off from last season’s title success isn’t acceptable. A gutless performance in the 4-0 defeat (that flattered the visitors after the first 30 minutes) to Man City in the FA Cup isn’t acceptable. Potentially dropping out of the Champions League places (even with England likely to be gifted an additional spot) isn’t acceptable.

“And the buck, as ever, stops with the coach.”

The post Too soon or too late? Liverpool’s Arne Slot headache appeared first on CaughtOffside.