Pressure Builds For Arne Slot At Liverpool FC
Despite a growing push for change, there are deeper issues behind Liverpool's struggles, and the focus on Arne Slot alone feels far too narrow for what has been an undeniably turbulent period.
A Sudden Shift In Sentiment
This is a risky one, but it has been surprising to see how many people are now almost begging for Arne Slot to be sacked at Liverpool without bringing the suits into the conversation, namely Hughes and Edwards. He is in trouble and rightly so, but it is mad to think he was being hailed only a few months back. He delivered just our second league title in 30 years and did it in style. Fast forward 12 Premier League games and it feels like he has lost everyone.
Slot is not free from blame, he should be doing better and the style of play this season has been difficult to enjoy. It is hard to work out what the style even is, but there is still some sympathy for him. At the core, he still comes across as a very good coach who is tactically sharp, level headed and street wise. Last season he had a bit of a Ferguson quality during games, and even Neville said we reminded him of his United team. Slot had his principles and ideas, but if we needed to drop and soak up pressure, we did it. If we needed to kill a game with possession, we did that too. If we were drawing, he would gamble and make changes. If we needed to tap into the Anfield energy, it happened.
The Trent Problem And Lost Rhythm
He has had a lot to deal with this summer. Losing TAA, as erratic as he has been defensively, is almost like losing a full preseason. He was a cheat code. Give him the ball and you beat the press, and he would find someone high up the pitch. Teams spend months and multiple windows preparing to beat a press through elite goalkeepers, ball playing centre backs, inverted full backs and unicorns like Rodri and even Zubimendi.
We had Trent as our cheat code. Ibou would give him the ball and if that did not work, VVD would fire a diagonal to Mo. Slot had already prepared us last season by using the double pivot more, but Macca has been right off it since that strange injury at the end of last season and as good as Gravenberch is, teams now know how to mark him. Now players stand on VVD and force progression onto Ibou.
An Overhaul With Gaps
Then there is the complete overhaul in one summer. An overhaul that equips us for only one side of the game, mainly breaking down a low block. We have high flying full backs, a number 10 and two top strikers. It has been so unbalanced that it barely suits low block games unless we are already chasing a goal or playing Burnley. How many players actually want to operate behind the ball apart from the centre backs.
In this overhaul, one of Slot's strengths was neglected. He thrives with wingers who want 1 v 1 duels and love to shoot, but instead we brought in two big number nines. We still have wingers whose game is built around taking shots, Mo and Gakpo, yet we spent around 200 million on two strikers who will expect to start every game. We also neglected any defensive minded players, not just an outright centre back but anyone with defensive instincts.
The Fine Margins Turning Against Him
There has also been bad luck. It feels like Slot used it all up in the opening five games with those late winners. It is not the type of bad luck where we batter teams and keep hitting the post or run into keepers having worldies. It has been the sort where every Ibou mistake seems to result in a goal. Palace's opener should not have been a corner. Macca's head injury before Manchester United's opener hurt us and Gakpo hit the post countless times. Chelsea score in the 95th minute. VVD's disallowed goal and the deflection against City. Nottingham Forest was dreadful but we still should have been one up before Ibou gave away a corner, and you just knew what was coming.
There have been so many examples of openers going against us and everyone knows how much the first goal changes the game. It sounds simple, but even if two of those games swing our way, we are above Man City who are only four points ahead with the best manager in the world and unlimited backing. They cannot call it a transition.
The Human Side Often Ignored
Slot has also had to deal with the tragic loss of Jota. As hurt as everyone was, it is far easier for supporters to move on and demand results. We have no idea what the players went through. It is not just the long serving lads, but the six new signings who walked into that environment. Starting a new job is awkward enough on its own. It must have been a strange preseason to put it mildly.
Then there is the press noise around Isak and the pressure on Hughes to bring in a star boy. A player branded as a generational talent by the beloved predecessor, Klopp, who plays the exact same role as your best performer and plays it in a completely different way.
Where The Blame Should Fall
Slot should be doing better. With the squad he has, there should at least be some identity. He needs to improve, but sympathy exists because being sacked feels harsh. The bigger issue is what comes next. Klopp or Gerrard should not even be options. As MK said, it becomes lose or lose. If they spark a run, fans call for them to stay. If results get worse, it damages their legacy.
What else is there. Iraola has something about him but using his style with this squad could turn ugly. Glasner does not convince. Alonso is in his dream job and dealing with a blip, and there is no guarantee he would do better than Slot anyway. Slot already beat him twice in Europe with Leverkusen and Madrid. He also lost Heitinga. These things on their own may feel like excuses, but together they add up.
After spending more than 400 million, it still feels like a window fix. Before blaming Slot, it is likely one of two things.
Hughes and Edwards got this badly wrong, and the squad is unbalanced
Or the overhaul is only halfway done
Liverpool sound spoilt at times, but two defensive players and two proper wingers, the type of Semenyo or Olise, would take this team back towards being elite.
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