It’s do-or-die time for Arne Slot at Liverpool. The Dutchman is on the worst streak of his managerial career with the Reds having lost six of their last seven leagues. Such a run has plunged the reigning league champions to 12th place – 11 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Among the criticism that has been thrown the way of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Slot has endured his fair share with many suggesting his position as manager is in deep peril.
It’s a reality that was once unthinkable just a few months ago when the Reds captured their second league title in five years but can now come to fruition should their bad form continue to roll on. Ahead of a busy winter period which could define Slot’s future at Anfield, Mirror Football possesses all the details on the latest news coming out of Anfield.
Liverpool’s Premier League title win might well have been a lifetime ago given the Reds’ stark contrast in fortunes. At the beginning of the season, conversations reportedly took place in regards to extending Slot’s contract but such discussions are said to have been put on ice.
A run of defeats like Slot has endured would be a cause for concern for any club but at Liverpool, it’s a pattern that can’t be tolerated. According to former Reds star Dietmar Hamann, Slot must win his next two games or risk becoming the first Liverpool manager to be sacked in over 10 years.
The ex-German international discussed Slot’s position on talkSPORT Breakfast and said: “I don’t think anybody wants to see him leave because of what he’s done last season. Obviously, the run of form is very bad at the moment. I think what you want to see as a club is progress. The next two games will be telling.
“Alan [Brazil] just said they’ve got to win both games, I agree because we don’t need to talk about the title now. Arsenal look very strong, Chelsea look the only contender really at the moment. I think they’ve (Liverpool) got a fight on their hands to finish in the top four. If you don’t see progress in the Premier League, I think his time will come to an end, as it will be with everybody else.”
A main failure of Slot so far this season has been his inability to embed his new signings into the Liverpool team that won the Premier League. Despite the massive outlay spent this summer, predominantly on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, the two big-money signings have yet to properly gel in the Dutchman’s system.
The pair have started just one Premier League game together, the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and have combined for just one assist and no goals in their 16 league games across all competitions.
Former England and Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce said it’ll take “months” for Slot to bed in his new signings amid the club’s dire form. Speaking on the Footy Accumulators ‘No Tippy Tappy Football’ podcast, he said: “Is this a case of too much transition in one season?
“You’ve got the opposite last year when everyone thought they’ll have no chance of winning the league because they’ve only signed one player, and Arne Slot coming in with a team that’s familiar with itself, that knows themselves, and he inherited that magnificently well.
“Now it’s a transition, and he clearly has asked for that transition to happen, and the amount of money that’s available to Liverpool on the basis of what they’ve built up over the years, particularly last year, with only signing one player, meant there was a big pot there, and they went into the market by signing quality players.
“The integration of a new player is difficult, but the integration of many players is very, very difficult. It will take months. This is not an overnight situation, to know how your players partner up.
“Players who are there at the moment are looking at the new players, and footballers are very good at not blaming themselves. Now it’s down to Arne Slot to deal with the toughest time he’s going to have.’
