Is it time for Arne to Slot Out?

Sports are just like life; fortune can change in an instant and you are left to wonder how things have taken a turn for the worse. The same has been the case with Arne Slot at Liverpool. He joined Liverpool ahead of the 2024/25 succeeding the legendary Jürgen Klopp as the head-coach. Contrary to popular belief that this was a transitional season for the club, Liverpool didn’t make wholesale changes to the squad and went on to win the league in his very first season while also reaching the Carabao Cup final.

Cut to the 2025/26 season and Liverpool have been one of the worst defending champions in Premier League history, having gone out of the title-race contention as early as November. They have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup and are now only left in the UEFA Champions League with their UCL qualification chances hanging by a thread. 

It’s a complete contrast from last season where they won the title with four games remaining. Consequently, the majority of the blame will fall on the head-coach. The recent developments have just raised the pressure on the Dutchman and serious questions are being asked about his position at Liverpool now. 

Whether he needs to leave or stay is a very complex question to answer and for that we need to look at several factors followed by the conclusion – 

Mitigating Factors

There have been issues on and off the pitch that have definitely affected the Liverpool performances, something Slot didn’t have any control over. In July, Liverpool lost one of their forwards Diogo Jota to an unfortunate car accident where he and his brother Andre Silva lost their lives – a tragedy that has been arduous to endure for the Liverpool squad and their fans.  The implications of how it affected the Liverpool players cannot be quantified as handling grief and loss isn’t easy, not even for professional athletes. 

Another concern has been the exodus of several players who provided balance to the team. The departures of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Trent Alexander Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher has been significantly felt at Anfield this season. Apart from that, Liverpool signed new players who have taken time to settle in and some of the key players have been out with long-term injuries most notably Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo. Even new right-back signing Jeremie Frimpong hasn’t been able to have a positive impact as he has suffered from recurring injury concerns. 

Though injuries are part of sport, the bigger problem was that the Liverpool management sold too many squad players in the summer without bringing in replacements and left the manager having to make the tough decision to  play players out of position when the first-choice player was injured. 

Dismal performances and ineffective tactics 

While he has been unlucky with few players suffering unfortunate long-term or recurring injuries, Slot is definitely to be blamed for poor tactics and ineffective substitutions in most of the games Liverpool has played this season. 

Of course, Liverpool is going through a transition phase but the playing eleven isn’t as bad as they have been made to look so far. Liverpool won the first five league games of the season but even then, their performances were hardly convincing as they relied on last-gasp winners to win games.  

After the initial winning run, Liverpool endured a catastrophic downfall – their worst run of form since 1953, losing nine games out of 11 in all competitions. 

Let alone their failures in the cup competitions, their league form was so inconsistent that they were out of the title-race by November. The performances improved for a period of time where they had an unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions (Nov 2025 – Dec 2025), moving back into the top four. During that period though, Liverpool drew games against the newly promoted teams – the first defending champions to do so. Hence, if we look at the actual results, the unbeaten run was somewhat farcical as it wasn’t a sign of Liverpool’s form turning around, it was just a minor reprieve. 

Slot  failed to produce improved performances after the start of the year; world class players have looked sub-par and ordinary under him and the same pattern continues. There is still no identity to the team, no clear-cut ideas and tactics and the players seem like going through the motions. 

Abysmal game management, conceding soft goals and not able to hold leads, not able to find a way against low block teams, far too easy to bypass through the midfield, lack of intensity, passive play and the list of issues is endless. 

The players also need to take some of the blame as well and improve their standards massively but there has been a clear lack of leadership and ideas from the manager right from training to the actual matchday performance. A team that used to be praised for their intensity and press until last season became the most lethargic team in the league which is indicative of inadequate fitness levels as a result of a poor training regime and insufficient recovery. 

In contrast to last season where he looked more assured, calm and confident on the sidelines, this season Slot has looked utterly clueless, anxious, frustrated and out of ideas. His uninspiring substitutions have had a negative impact more often. His only solution to try and win games has been to remove the defensive options, load the team with more attackers in the last ten minutes, play chaotic football with the hope of winning or earning a draw  but even that has backfired on various occasions. 

The change in the Premier League going tactically more defensive with long-balls and scoring through set-pieces hasn’t helped him either as he doesn’t set up his team like that. However, a good manager learns to adapt to different tactics rather than sticking to the same old style while expecting different results and then complaining about the opposition when it doesn’t work. 

Lack of trust on the squad players 

Another issue has been his lack of trust on squad players and continuing with out-of-form players even when they have failed miserably. Slot’s stubbornness to not use squad players like Rio Ngumoha, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo despite the likes of Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister going through poor form has also been frustrating and baffling. 

Cody Gakpo had a decent season last year and contributed in a big way to Liverpool’s title charge. However, he has been dismal this season. Same could be said for midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch who have looked fatigued, leggy and miserably out-of-form as compared to the brilliance of last season. Contrastingly, Chiesa, Jones and Ngumoha have produced match-changing moments whenever they got the chance but still didn’t earn the coach’s trust to play more minutes. They  have been left frustrated on the sidelines while some players keep finding more regular minutes even after failing time and time again. 

A good coach is always the one who knows how to utilise his squad over an entire season, knowing which combination to play against which opponent and also keeping the young players motivated – all of which Slot has been unable to do this season.  

The loyal Liverpool fanbase losing faith

Liverpool’s iconic stadium Anfield has been famous for its atmosphere and the fiercely loyal legion of fans who back the team and the coach no matter what the result. 

Over the past few months though, Anfield has felt cagey and quiet during matches due to the abysmal performances and several games have even resulted in boos directed towards the coach and the team after the game – a highly rare occurrence at Anfield. 

In their most recent defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad, a majority of the Liverpool fans were even seen walking out after the hour-mark, not even waiting for the team to try and turn it around as they seemed to have lost faith. Some were even singing songs about a former player who is being rumoured to be the next head-coach. 

An unprecedented disconnect has been witnessed between the fans and the coach – one that seems irreparable. Although the Liverpool management has shown their backing for the Dutchman, his relationship with the fans has already been broken and it could be a matter of time that a decision would have to be taken by the higher-ups. 

Conclusion 

Taking all the above factors under consideration, Liverpool FC seems to be in a mess almost a year after celebrating their 20th league title. After the massive spending spree in the summer, they were touted as the favourites to defend their title and win other silverware as well but the reality has been unexpected and contrasting. 

It’s come to a point where a change is necessary now. Liverpool’s legendary coach Bill Shankly once said “At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques”. Well, there seems to be a huge discord between the Liverpool supporters, the players and the coach and when that happens, it leads to a toxic work environment which could hardly be a foundation for future success.

At this moment, we can only speculate if Slot will be let go at the end of the season or if the change could be sudden or if he is entrusted with the job for another season. However, we do believe that it’s time to look ahead as this partnership seems to have run its course and Slot doesn’t seem like the man who can take this team any further. Liverpool still has a chance to qualify for the Champions League next season and failing to do so could have financial consequences related to the summer transfer window for the club. 

With the season about to end, an interim option isn’t viable anymore, the new managerial appointment should be made instantly with a view towards the current situation and the upcoming season – one who can sort out the current issues and help the club achieve UCL qualification and also be involved in the summer recruitment with several key players departing. 

Slot did win the Premier League title with Liverpool in his first season and even though it was a commendable effort, pressures of winning at top clubs are unrelenting and cruel. Past season’s success cannot cover up for present inabilities and failures. Even with the mitigating factors affecting Liverpool, Slot has looked incapable of addressing the issues on and off the pitch and improving players or performances. The same issues have continued to persist and with players and fans looking equally disinterested, it feels like the Liverpool management is just postponing the inevitable. 

We can’t quite believe that we’d say this in a span of less than 12 months but it’s time for Arne to Slot Out.