Pressure Mounts on Arne Slot as Liverpool Crash to Ninth Defeat in Twelve Games
Arne Slot insists he still “feels safe”, but Liverpool’s 4–1 hammering by PSV at Anfield has sent alarm bells ringing around the club, with the Dutchman’s position suddenly looking shakier than anyone imagined six months ago. The Reds has now lost nine of their last 12 matches — their worst run since the 1950s — and sit a miserable 12th in the Premier League.
Slot arrived as the man who kept the Jurgen Klopp era rolling, winning the league title by ten points in May and overseeing a £450m summer rebuild, including the record £125m capture of Alexander Isak. But with December creeping in, Liverpool sit 13th in the Champions League’s league phase and nowhere near looking like contenders.
Saturday’s 3–0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest already stung, but Wednesday’s collapse against PSV was another level. Fans leaving Anfield was muttering about the manager for the first time, and supporters’ group The Anfield Wrap admitted many is questioning whether he’s still the man to stop the slide. “Liverpool keep finding new lows under Slot,” said Josh Sexton. “You have to ask if he can actually rescue a team from this slump.”
It hasn’t helped that Slot inherited a turbulent summer — Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz both departed, several new signings arrived, and Diogo Jota passed away months ago, a shock that visibly hit the squad. Even so, supporters are split. Some, like Sexton, want him given time after delivering a title in his first season. Others fear the campaign is drifting into something far worse. “If they sack him, I’d be gutted… but I’d understand,” he added.
Slot himself put on a brave face. “I am feeling safe,” he told reporters after the PSV defeat. “When you’re not doing well, questions are normal. But we work hard and it’s about time we turn it around.” He spoke of regular chats with the board and insisted he still feels their trust — though he admitted he hadn’t spoken to them after the match, joking that “we’ll see”.
Liverpool’s next three games — West Ham away, then Sunderland and Leeds — give him a chance to steady the ship. But as Jamie Carragher warned, even Liverpool’s tradition of patience has its limits. “Liverpool’s not a sacking club,” he said on CBS. “But every manager reaches a point where it becomes untenable. I’m not quite there yet, but others are.”
Supporters’ messages after the PSV defeat made grim reading. Some called Slot “out of his depth”, others claimed confidence “has evaporated” and accused the team of having “no fight, no soul”. A few fear Liverpool could even slide into a relegation scrap if this continues — words that would’ve seemed ridiculous in May.
For now, Slot remains in post, protected by last season’s title and a belief in his long-term plan. But another bad week, and that goodwill might vanish completely. The clock, for the first time, is ticking loudly at Anfield.