Could Slot be in trouble?
- Published
Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.
Paul asked: With Palace, Villa, Real Madrid and Man City coming up would, say, three more defeats put Arne Slot under real pressure? Liverpool don't sack managers easily, but surely if this run of form persists then even the most successful manager could be in trouble.
Phil answered: Slot is under the same pressure as every Liverpool manager – and that is the pressure to win games. Pressure for his job? Not a chance.
Slot won the title in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp, and while he needs wins as quickly as possible, Liverpool is not the sort of club to panic, even if the next sequence of results go badly.
I would agree, however, that they need to show signs of becoming more resilient and balanced, because I think they are a dysfunctional, soft touch at the moment. And, Hugo Ekitike apart, their big signings have not yet delivered.
Slot however still has plenty of credit in the bank and Liverpool is a calm club internally, not given to hasty, panicky decisions, certainly not when it involves a manager who won the Premier League last season.
Jack then asked: I'll follow up on the question about Slot being under pressure. Do you think that if nothing has changed by Christmas, he will be under heavy scrutiny and could be on the verge or even have been sacked? Considering his current squad, I'd say it's very likely.
Phil answered: Of course, Slot would be under heavy scrutiny if the current dreadful run continues until Christmas, as any manager of a club of Liverpool's stature would be. He would be under pressure – but not, in my opinion, for his job.
Liverpool's owners are measured. They saw Slot win the title in his first season and I am sure there will be an acceptance and understanding that there has also been a lot of change in the summer.
What he needs now is for established stars and new acquisitions to simply play better. He also needs to find his best team as I am not sure he actually knows.
I also think the presence of both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak gives him a conundrum, on how to best utilise those two players. So far Ekitike has delivered. Isak has not.