This time a year ago it would have seemed unthinkable, but there is a growing case for Liverpool to sack manager Arne Slot after a disastrous second season in charge.
The Dutch tactician enjoyed an excellent start at Liverpool last season, seemingly reviving a team that may have gone under Jurgen Klopp, who fired them to Premier League glory – just their second title since 1990.
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But how quickly opinions can change, as it now looks increasingly like Slot simply won a great team from Klopp and was lucky that Manchester City and Arsenal were worse than usual.
There’s more to it, of course, so what went wrong with Slot and how much is his fault?
Mohamed Salah’s loss of form
While Mohamed Salah’s slow decline at the age of 33 was perhaps expected, no one predicted that such a sharp dip in performance would come so soon. Slot are not the ones to offer the veteran Egyptian a new contract after such a fantastic season last season, so it seems hard to blame him here.
In fact, Slot dealt with this difficult situation admirably, trying to release Salah from the club without much drama, only to find that the LFC front-man was not enjoying playing football. Even after this public row, Slot managed to stop it turning into a repeat of Erik ten Hag vs Cristiano Ronaldo, with Salah now back in the first team (and still playing really badly, it must be said) and preparing for an emotional send-off this summer.
Liverpool were solid in attack last summer, so perhaps there was something to prepare for life behind Salah, but a slow start for Florian Wirtz and an injury campaign from Alexander Isak undoubtedly hampered the changes Slot would have liked to make.
Play style
Slot must be blamed somewhere, however, for the poor football that Liverpool have produced for most of this season.
Leaking at the back and predictably going forward, we’ve seen too many games this season where opponents have simply found it too easy to play the slot team, with Manchester City’s 4-0 win at the weekend a prime example. If there is a repeat of that kind of performance against Paris Saint-Germain this week, we will see a similar scoreline.
Worryingly, Slot doesn’t seem to have an answer for this. Click here for what sounds like one of many examples this season where the former Feyenoord boss was left stunned and unprepared for what Liverpool’s opposition would do in the game.
? Liverpool fans and neutrals – should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
– CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) April 7, 2026
Diogo Jota
Let’s be honest, nothing happens in today’s football with a tragedy like this, the Liverpool players and the coaching staff are still mourning their teammate and friend Diogo Jota.
This Portuguese striker died tragically along with his brother in a car accident last summer, and it is important to remember that even the highest level of professional football players are only human – the news was very shocking, and the grief takes a long time to pass. While I don’t wish to speak for anyone involved, it cannot be ruled out that this loss continues to affect the mood, confidence, and energy of everyone inside Anfield.
Needless to say, there was nothing any manager could do about this. The space, like everyone in the club, will be hurting, and there is no management template for how to raise the dressing room after such a disaster. While there may be legitimate criticisms to be made about tactics and recruiting, there is no dramatizing the trauma this team has gone through and may continue for a long time.
Where do Liverpool fans stand?
“I was behind Arne Slot for most of the campaign,” said Farrell Keeling of Empire of the Kop. “I have mentioned things that are really limiting, such as the tragic passing of Diogo Jota before the season, the loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the lack of speed on the wings, the failure to sign Marc Guehi… and the list goes on.
“While I appreciate that there will still be many who want to support this Dutch player (Liverpool is a manager’s club after all), I personally have come to the point where the arguments against Slot outweigh any reasons or mitigating factors that would keep him out after the 2025/26 season.
“That’s the worst place to be as a Liverpool fan, not least 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 fans.
“But the warning signs are there in black and white: the players are “giving up” (in the words of Virgil van Dijk) in the first half, and the manager seems completely at a loss to encourage any kind of consistent improvement.”
Liam Togher, also of Empire of the Kop, agrees, saying: “Firstly, Arne Slot has my eternal gratitude for winning the Premier League title last season, regardless of what happens from here.
“I’m not one to change the manager / head coach after a few bad results, and I didn’t turn against Slot when the Reds went through a difficult fall. However, without the signs of the lessons found in that decline, the final case for the Dutchman has been very difficult to make, especially if (as I think it will happen) the LFC League misses the Champions League.
This season has nothing to enjoy from Liverpool’s point of view, and although it is not only Slot (the players and management are also to blame), unfortunately he has to bear a large part of the responsibility for the illness of the last six months.
“Champions League qualification is necessary if he is to keep his job, and anyway he has a big job on his hands to win back his critics. If Liverpool fail in that job, I suspect there will be a change in the summer.”
While Slott is not the only Liverpool figure to be blamed for the club’s decline, Farrell also claims that the dreaded relegation of many of the players who performed well last season is ultimately the manager’s responsibility.
“Could things be much better with a pair of pacey wingers and a central midfielder who arrived in the summer? Yes, of course. Should the likes of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes bear some responsibility for not giving the manager enough of the right tools? Yes, of course,” adds Farrell.
“But the quality of the team’s exit from last season’s title success is not acceptable. To play hard when they lost 4-0 (flattering the visitors after the first 30 minutes) against Man City in the FA Cup is not acceptable. Leaving the Champions League place (even if England may be given an extra place) is not acceptable.
“And the money, as before, stops with the coach.”
