Liverpool manager must show now that he has what it takes to lead the club next term or face the sack at the end of the season
Pressure has continued to pile up on Arne Slot after Saturday’s disastrous defeat at the Etihad. What are the Dutchman’s chances of keeping his head when the Liverpool hierarchy swing their axes in June?
Reports suggest the manager’s position is increasingly under threat, and that performances rather than just results are accelerating concerns about his future.
Liverpool’s recent displays are not only worrying because of the losses but by the nature of the defeats. Their performance has fallen far below expectations, and they have shown a tendency to collapse when opponents apply the slightest pressure.
The team’s struggles were highlighted in their defeat to City, when they started well for the first half an hour but utterly collapsed after City’s first goal, brought on by a clumsy challenge by Virgil van Dijk on Nico O’Reilly. Then Liverpool were slaughtered within twenty minutes on either side of the break.
Slot has pushed back on suggestions his side lacked a fighting spirit but he admitted there were costly mistakes at key moments, particularly in dealing with crosses and maintaining concentration in the penalty area.
Van Dijk in particular has come under scrutiny, particularly after the City defeat, where he conceded his fourth penalty of the season and then remained too deep and kept Antoine Semenyo onside for the third goal. The defender responded with an apology to fans but there is also some concern that there has been too much talk and too little effort from the Liverpool squad.
Slot now faces an even bigger test than City as Liverpool prepare for their Champions League quarter-final match against Paris Saint-Germain, a side that would not hesitate to punish any of those defensive lapses if they were to resurface again. A positive result could ease the pressure and buy Slot more time. Another poor performance will only draw the headsman closer.
