Liverpool fans aired their displeasure at Arne Slot’s team during and after their latest disappointing performance on Saturday. Can the Dutchman turn things around?
The rare sound of boos rang out at Anfield on the final whistle on Saturday. Normally, that would seem like a rather extreme response to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but context is everything.
The Blues came into the game on the back of six straight Premier League defeats, looking vulnerable and there for the taking. Not for the first time this season, though, Liverpool failed to add to a visiting opponents’ woes.
Manchester United earned their first away win of the season at Anfield back in October after claiming just one point from their first three league trips, while Nottingham Forest also struggled early in the campaign, losing three and drawing two of their first five away games in the league, before claiming a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Liverpool in November.
Burnley had lost eight of their 10 away league games (W1 D1) when they visited Anfield in January and earned a 1-1 draw, but arguably the most egregious was in March when Tottenham were at their lowest ebb.
Heading for what felt like inevitable relegation and on the back of five straight league defeats, Spurs won what turned out to be Igor Tudor’s only Premier League point as interim boss, with a late Richarlison goal securing a 1-1 draw against a limp Liverpool.
Then there was Saturday against Chelsea, when murmurs of frustration from the stands had been audible even when Liverpool led 1-0. Dominik Szoboszlai and Van Dijk both hit the woodwork in the second half, but when the game was over, the home fans vented at the latest underwhelming performance and missed opportunity. It was a world away from the celebrations that followed their 5-1 win over Spurs in April 2025 that sealed the Premier League title.
There have also been heavy home defeats to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup – the first time Liverpool lost a domestic cup match at Anfield by three goals without scoring since February 1934 – and PSV in the UEFA Champions League. Following that chastening 4-1 loss to the Dutch side, Liverpool had lost nine of their previous 12 games across all competitions, their most defeats over a 12-game spell since November 1953 to January 1954 (also 9).
There have also been numerous poor showings on the road. Liverpool have won just one point from seven away games against teams in the top nine of the Premier League this season, and they face fifth-placed Aston Villa in their final away game on Friday.
They were also beaten in early March away to rock-bottom Wolves, who have not won since.
The discontent against Chelsea was the sort not really heard at Anfield since the latter days of Roy Hodgson’s short-lived reign in the 2010-11 season, and it brought the uncertainty of Slot’s future at the club further into the spotlight.
Reports suggest Liverpool’s decision-makers fully intend to stick with the Dutchman, but can such widespread dissatisfaction from the stands really be ignored? We’ve picked three reasons why Liverpool might be minded to stick with Slot, and three reasons why it might not be such a simple decision.
Why Back Slot?
He won the Premier League in his first season and is likely to seal Champions League qualification again.
Slot sensationally won the Premier League in his first season in English football, and with relative ease. There are those who argue he did so by essentially riding the crest of the wave left by his predecessor, but Jürgen Klopp himself had fallen short with the same squad a year prior.
On top of that, even in a league campaign that has thrown up so many issues and disappointments, Liverpool are still on course to qualify for the Champions League in 2025-26, and if they avoid defeat to Aston Villa on Friday, will likely finish in the top four.
It’s not what they wanted at the start of the campaign, but is it really a sackable offence?
Yes, they’ve lost 11 league games this season, the most since 2014-15 when they were beaten 12 times, but only four teams have lost fewer in a campaign that has been as competitive as we’ve seen for a good while.
They’ll also end the season trophyless, but two of the three teams who eliminated them from cup competitions will appear in a European final this season (Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain), while the other was Manchester City, who might yet win the Premier League.
His Feyenoord spell showed this isn’t what he wants.
Arguably more than the results, the concern from Liverpool fans has been the level of performances from their team this season. But as Slot himself insisted after the game on Saturday, he doesn’t want them to be standing off and playing in a passive manner.
Of course, it is the head coach’s job to get the players to carry out his instructions, but there is only so much you can do stood on the touchline.
There was also nothing from Slot’s past to suggest that this drop-off was going to occur. After he won his first title at Feyenoord in 2022-23, his team did fail to retain their Eredivisie crown, but that was mostly due to an astonishing overperformance from PSV in 2023-24.
Many of Feyenoord’s numbers actually improved – their expected goals total when they won the title was 66.3, which raced up to a phenomenal 95.2 the following season – but Peter Bosz’s PSV were ruthless and won 91 points from just 34 games.
This is really the first season of his career that Slot has experienced a downward trend, so while there is an argument he hasn’t handled it all that well, you can perhaps give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s still learning as a coach. He should, in theory, be much stronger for it.
Are the new signings partly to blame?
That sounds harsher than it’s meant to, but it’s no secret that Liverpool’s hefty outlay in the transfer market last summer has not produced the expected results.
Losing established and settled stars like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz, and in especially tragic circumstances, Diogo Jota, was going to make things hard enough, but it was made tougher by the struggles of the new arrivals.
Milos Kerkez made a slow start but grew into one of Liverpool’s most dependable players, while Mohamed Salah’s output dropping off a cliff hasn’t helped, but then as Slot was largely praised for getting the best out of the Egyptian when he registered 57 goal involvements in all competitions last season, he must also partly share the blame for the fact Salah only has 21 in what will be his final season at Anfield.
Liverpool are too easy to play against.
The very least fans demand of their team is to make things difficult for their opponents.
It was reported as a damning statistic that Saturday was the first time in the Premier League this season that Chelsea outran their opposition, but the difference was minimal (103.6km to 102.9km) and there are a lot of factors and context that go into distance covered numbers.
What Slot will be more worried about is that his team have conceded 48 goals in the league this season. If they allow at least three more in their last two games, it will be the most Liverpool have conceded in a 38-game Premier League season.
The fans are also used to seeing relentless pressing, which was synonymous with Klopp’s peak football, albeit it was reined in during the German’s latter years at the club. This season, Liverpool are only winning possession in the final third 4.1 times per game in the league, their lowest since 2014-15.
They have been quite efficient when winning the ball high in fairness; their 10 goals scored from high turnovers is more than the seven managed in Klopp’s final season, though they recorded 20 high turnovers in the opposition’s penalty area in 2023-24. This season, they have done so just four times.
That could partly be due to teams being more willing to launch the ball long from the back, though, which somewhat leads into our final point.
Slot’s football just might not suit what the Premier League has become.
We’ve already covered how football has changed markedly in just the last 12 months since Liverpool won the Premier League. In short, the English top flight was a quite different place back then. It seemed as though several teams decided over the summer of 2025 to change their approach to be more set-piece focused, more open to long balls, and happier to take time out of games where possible.
Slot has spoken numerous times this season about how many teams now set up in a way to spoil their play – as is their right, of course – but there has been little sign of him finding a solution.
It is also fair to say that his team have struggled against all types of opponents, not just those who play in a direct manner and defend with a low block.
Set-pieces have been a big problem for them. Liverpool have conceded 18 goals from set-piece situations (excluding penalties) in the Premier League this season – their most ever in a single campaign in the competition (previously 16 in 1992-93).
They have been able to score 16 of their own, in fairness, but they’ll probably hope trends change again next season.
If not and 2026-27 is more of the same, Slot will have to adjust a lot better than he has this season to get Liverpool to where they expect to be, and get the fans onside again.
As mentioned, it seems as though the club are minded to back Slot. It would be somewhat refreshing in an age of managers/head coaches often being given so little time, though it would also be a huge call given the obvious scepticism from large parts of the fanbase.
Does Slot deserve more respect for the things he achieved last season and the way he carried himself in adversity? Absolutely.
Does he deserve to be Liverpool head coach next season? That’s a very different question.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
The Arguments for and Against Liverpool Sticking with Arne Slot Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about the arguments for and against liverpool sticking with arne slot was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Arguments for and Against Liverpool Sticking with Arne Slot )
Also on site :
- Crocs’ 'Supportive' $30 Platform Sandals at Walmart Feel Like 'Walking on Air'
- 1966 Pop Hit That Topped the Charts for Seven Weeks Was First Written With a Country Music Legend in Mind
- Behind Big Oil’s first-quarter beat: The quiet rise of trading desks