Liverpool manager Arne Slot has had a terrible second season at Anfield (Image: Getty)
Whatever happens against Brentford today, Liverpool are highly likely to be in next season’s Champions League. And if they finish fifth, the Reds owe UEFA a huge thank you for introducing the European Performance Spot last season. They are not the worst champions of all time, but they deserve all the criticism they have faced. Their performances have been disastrously poor. They will be in the Champions League because of their rivals’ failures, more than anything else. And it is Arne Slot who must cop most of the blame.
The numbers make it painfully clear how bad Liverpool are. Slot’s side have lost 20 matches across all competitions this season. No other Liverpool team since they were promoted to the top tier in 1962 have suffered more. The Merseyside outfit have conceded over 50 goals (currently 52) in a 38-game Premier League campaign for the first time ever. They have leaked 77 across all competitions.
Despite having two giants in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool have conceded the most goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season – 20. Eleven of those came from corners. Their biggest issue? That between September and May, there has been zero evidence of improvement.
Liverpool are just as badly coached now as they were at the start of the season. They are less than the sum of their parts. They’re wide open defensively, can’t defend set-pieces, placid in possession, wasteful in attack and worst of all for the Kop: boring to watch.
This Liverpool squad has not lost its ability overnight. Watching them play, you’d think otherwise. That’s why it falls on the manager – and why the club must take action. The stats prove Slot has now been an average manager for longer than he’s been a very good one at Liverpool. The last time they were truly elite? February 2025.
His first 29 Premier League games produced a 2.40 points per game average (a 91-point season over 38 matches). In the last 46 Premier League games, since a Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle, that average drops to 1.59ppg (a 63-point season).
His last 32 Premier League games, since Liverpool opened 2026-27 with five straight league wins, that rate drops to 1.38ppg. That’s just 52 points across a 38-game season. That would drop them to eighth this season, and 13th last season.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool have lost 20 matches this season (Image: Getty)
Slot should be sacked tonight, even if Liverpool somehow beat Brentford 8-0. Which, spoiler, they absolutely will not. They’re likelier to draw or lose than they are to win.
Has the Dutchman been unlucky? Yes, extremely so. He had to deal with events last summer that no manager should have to deal with. It has clearly had an impact on this squad. On top of that the team have been dogged by injuries. The recruitment staff did not properly replace their pressing monsters Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez. They neglected to sign another centre-back.
Slot is not solely culpable. But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve criticism, and there’s not been enough positive to suggest things improve next year. That’s the biggest problem of them all. His players must take a lot of blame too, though. Some of them should follow him out of the door in the coming weeks and months.
Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson are already on their way out. Alisson Becker might follow them but Liverpool have the power to make him stay – and they should. Unless their plan is to re-sign Caoimhin Kelleher or take James Trafford away from Manchester City.
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Liverpool have had a very underwhelming season as champions (Image: Getty)
If Liverpool can replace him with another homegrown player, Jeremie Frimpong should probably be sold too. He’s not shown anything to suggest he’s at the level required. Nor is Alexis Mac Allister any more. The Argentine’s drop-off has been incredible, and he should head abroad to Spain, Germany or Italy where the pace of the league suits his weary legs better.
Ibrahima Konate‘s contract saga has dragged on a long time. If he’s demanding massive wages to stay at Anfield, let him go. Jeremy Jacquet can take his spot as Virgil van Dijk’s partner next season instead. Federico Chiesa‘s time at L4 is up too. He is another who is not near the standard despite his excellent attitude.
They might not be the only players to go. Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones could also depart. Like Alisson, Liverpool should ideally try to keep the pair. They already need to make enough signings as it is. It’s a chaotic summer ahead. And one Slot should not be overseeing if the Reds want to bridge the gap to champions Arsenal.