Filling Jurgen Klopp’s void at Liverpool was never going to be easy for Arne Slot. Most Liverpool fans would likely have given him the benefit of the doubt had this been his first season at Anfield, expecting a transitional period after one of the club’s most memorable spells in decades.
Instead, Slot won the league in his debut campaign, and with conviction. Liverpool lost just four times all season and beat Arsenal by 10 points. Maybe that set the bar impossibly high. But either way, results this season have not gone to plan.
Summer Signings Taking a While to Settle
After 31 games, the Reds have won just 14, drawn seven and lost 10. That is a damning return for the reigning champions, and one that makes a mockery of the £446m the club spent last summer, a Premier League record for a single transfer window.
The arrivals of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike were supposed to signal intent, and those with free bets were quick to back Liverpool to defend their title. Instead, they have been followed by one of the worst title defences in recent memory. The most frustrating thing, though, is the sheer inconsistency.
Liverpool’s Inconsistency Examined
Take the recent Champions League tie against Galatasaray as the perfect example. Liverpool lost 1-0 away in Turkey, then thrashed the same side 4-0 at Anfield in the second leg to book their place in the quarter-finals. It was the kind of commanding, high-intensity performance that drew inevitable comparisons to a Klopp side. Yes, that comparison still follows Slot everywhere he goes.
Then, just days later, Liverpool looked utterly incompetent in a dire 2-1 defeat to Brighton. Slot was quick to point out that Isak has been absent for much of the season and that Ekitike was lost early in that game, which is a fair mitigating factor. But Liverpool are struggling, and they are in serious danger of missing out on Champions League football entirely.
Even with the insurance of an extra qualification place this season, the race for European football is tighter than most campaigns in recent memory. Liverpool, currently fifth, are just three points clear of Brighton and Everton in seventh and eighth, with Chelsea a point behind in sixth. It is on a knife-edge, and there is no more room for slip-ups.
Still Hopes of Silverware?
One saving grace for Slot is that Liverpool remain in contention in both the FA Cup and the Champions League. But neither path is straightforward. League Cup winners Manchester City await in the FA Cup quarter-finals, while defending champions PSG, who dismantled Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate, stand in pole position between Liverpool and a European semi-final after a 2-0 win in the first leg. Stiff tests in both competitions, at a time when confidence is fragile.
Is Xabi Alonso a Distraction?
What further complicates Slot’s position is the presence of Xabi Alonso waiting in the wings. The former Liverpool Champions League-winning midfielder left Real Madrid after just six months in January, and any time Slot puts a foot wrong, calls grow louder for Alonso to step into the dugout. Reports have already surfaced linking him with the role, and his connection with the club makes him an obvious fit should the board decide a change is needed. If they fail to secure Champions League football, then the financial hit could force the club’s hand.
Is Slot Just Not as Likeable as Klopp?
There is a broader argument that Slot simply has not connected with Liverpool in the way Klopp did. The German built something that went well beyond tactics and results. He became the soul of the club, for fans and players alike. Slot, for all his obvious quality as a coach, has not managed to replicate that bond. One pundit recently claimed he does not have the spirit or the fibre that the Liverpool job demands in the long term. That is a harsh assessment, but it is one that is gaining traction.
The likelihood is that Slot sees out the season. The board have shown patience throughout this campaign, and there is a reasonable argument that inheriting a squad in transition, spending heavily in the summer, and navigating the instability that comes with a major rebuild has contributed to the inconsistency. But if Liverpool miss out on the Champions League and suffer defeat in both cup competitions, it is very hard to see him surviving the summer. Alonso is there, available, and beloved. That is a combination that could prove impossible to resist.
