Arne Slot is understood to retain the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy despite a horrific sequence of nine defeats in 12 matches.
That’s according to Lewis Steele, who provided an update on the Dutchman’s future on Thursday lunchtime as the aftershock of last night’s 4-1 Anfield demolition by PSV Eindhoven continues to be felt.
The 47-year-old’s job security has been called into question in recent days after the worst week of what’s already been a chastening season for the Reds, with journalist Ian Doyle opining that the Premier League-winning head coach is now ‘standing on the precipice‘ of being sacked.
Slot still has the backing of Liverpool chiefs
Fellow Liverpool reporter Steele wrote for Mail Sport earlier today that Slot still has the backing of the Anfield hierarchy but realises that he’s under increasing pressure to revive the team’s ailing fortunes.
Sources close to the Dutchman and to the club have insisted that his job is safe, with that stance unchanged after the PSV annihilation, and his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit to West Ham on Sunday has been brought forward to 3pm this afternoon from its usual Friday scheduling.
LFC players and staff are set to have tomorrow off and train on Saturday before then travelling to east London for the fixture against Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.
Steele shared a link to that article via X, along with the summary: ‘Arne Slot undoubtedly under pressure but retains the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy right now according to sources close to #LFC and the head coach. Slot will speak to the media at 3pm. Players/staff set to have a day off tomorrow.’
Slot’s press conference today will garner extra attention
The decision to bring forward the pre-West Ham press conference to Thursday afternoon feels significant, and rarely will there be such widespread interest in a media briefing from the Dutchman in light of the increased public scrutiny he’s now facing.
Liverpool fans might recall the time in January 2024 when a presser ahead of an otherwise nondescript FA Cup tie against Norwich was brought forward a day, with the Friday morning seeing Jurgen Klopp drop the bombshell announcement that he’d be leaving at the end of that season.
We’re not suggesting that the change to the schedule for the upcoming press conference will preface a definitive decision on Slot’s future tomorrow, although it’s nonetheless noteworthy that it has been rearranged from its usual timeslot.
It seems as though the 47-year-old’s job is safe for now, but if the crisis were to deepen over the next couple of weeks and FSG do pull the trigger, we can only hope that they’d have a top-quality replacement lined up to come in straight away.
Liverpool’s season could do without the disruption which comes with a change in the dugout, and any desire to dispense with the Dutchman should come with a realistically attainable successor in mind to step in, rather than simply declaring ‘Slot out’.
Everyone of a Reds persuasion will be hanging on the words to come from the head coach when he speaks to the media later today.
You can watch Slot’s full post-PSV press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes should go!!! They have failed. Period.
How quickly the masses deprived of league titles for so long get so used to expecting it every year…..
What are they like when their dinner isn’t waiting on the table when they get home…
That would be a very naive decision.
In this era of food delivery and on demand streaming.. people react accordingly.. patient is almost dead …
The worst form for 71 years, we’ve conceded 10 goals in three games, lost nine games in twelve, conceded seven goals in five days at Anfield. It’s the kind of form that teams get relegated with, only wolves are worse than us. You thought that after wins against villa and Madrid that maybe things are will change, but we’ve gone even worse. Slot has the backing of FSG? Does he really? You look back through history as a Liverpool fan and I can remember when certain managers got the sack. You knew that it was inevitable, once the club starts to go into decline the manager is a dead man walking. Souness, houllier, benitez, Hodgson, Rodgers, the manner in which you lose is the final nail in the coffin. No Liverpool team with the quality of players we have should be this bad. Without the ball we are getting ripped apart, it’s down the standard of coaching, and the manager has now lost the dressing room.
There’s no way back from that. We are losing against poor teams at home. FSG will soon make their move, don’t be surprised if they’ve already inquired about the next manager, it’s how football works. Before Rodgers was sacked this happened. Slot will be gone before Christmas, I said this week’s ago, the west ham game could be slots last game. Hopefully the next manager will have a proven track record, winning the Dutch league means nothing. Klopp won the league last season, klopps training methods, klopps players, slot has slowly but surely put his own stamp on Liverpool and we’ve gone ten steps backwards. Change is now needed, the sooner the better.
How quick LFC supporters are to condemn their manager. Premier League championship won. New players need to adapt; all will come. Good people need patience, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I still think LFC will finish in the top 4, and next season will be a big improvement. A true fan will wait for greatness to come. People expect things to happen overnight, wait, and you will reap the rewards. Red is in my heart and with my team