Liverpool information: Arne Slot sack situation and ‘behind scenes’ declare after pathetic draw
Liverpool manager Arne Slot is fighting to save Liverpool’s season and potentially his job after yet another pathetic performance and dreadful result
Arne Slot is under mounting pressure at Liverpool(Image: PA)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot is once again under pressure after he and his flops were booed off following a pathetic 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
The Dutchman lifted the Premier League title in his debut season after replacing the legendary Jurgen Klopp and guiding the German’s squad to glory. But his second campaign has been woeful so far, with his expensively-assembled side – who were revamped after spending more than £400m in the summer – now slumped in fifth, following yet another miserable outing against crisis club Spurs.
A 90th-minute equaliser from former Everton star Richarlison cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s early free-kick at Anfield. Slot, 47, now enters Wednesday’s crucial Champions League second leg at home to Galatasaray, 1-0 down from the first leg, knowing his team must win to save their season and potentially his job. Here’s all the latest news from Anfield.
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Slot responds to boos
The Liverpool boss has addressed jeers from home supporters at the final whistle on Sunday.
He said: “I think it’s understandable for fans to be frustrated because it happened already so many times that they’ve seen the home team not picking up the points that they’re expecting to, us conceding goals in the last minute.”
He said: “Now it’s up to us to bring that frustration to Wednesday and come up with a big performance. Because that we are all frustrated, that’s completely clear.
“And it’s now up to me and the players to take that frustration into Wednesday evening and show the fans the performance and the results they deserve, because they’ve been supportive throughout the whole season to us. Then if it happens so many times that they are frustrated in the end of a game or after the final whistle, that makes complete sense to me.”
Praise for Rio Ngumoha
Slot heaped praise on teen prodigy Rio Ngumoha following his impressive showing on his maiden Premier League start – despite controversially substituting the 17-year-old attacker.
Liverpool failed to find the net from open play, but Ngumoha posed a persistent danger. During his 64 minutes on the pitch, the former Chelsea youngster successfully completed all seven of his dribbles and registered seven touches inside Tottenham’s penalty area.
Ngumoha was handed a start ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike, but then withdrawn when Slot opted to make a triple change just following the hour mark, with Ekitke, Curtis Jones and Salah replacing Jeremie Frimpong, Ngumoha and Florian Wirtz.
Slot said: “Rio is doing that well it makes sense to play him. It is a mix of playing the ones that are fit and using the quality that these players can bring.”
Ex-Liverpool star left baffled by three Arne Slot decisions
Jermaine Pennant criticised Slot’s calls during the draw, in particular his use of the options on his bench. The former winger posted on X: “Someone please help me, help me understand.
“Help me understand why 1) [Hugo] Ekitike doesn’t start, 2 [he] takes Rio off leave, [Cody] Gakpo on, and 3) [He] takes [Jeremie] Frimpong off and then leaves Szoboszlai at RB…”
Replying to a fan, he added: “But if we [can see it], and I’m guessing most of the fans would agree, how can the man in charge not see this. There has to be s*** going on behind the scenes that we have no clue about, cos this is blasphemy.”
On the game, Slot said: “In the large parts of the game that we were the better team, I think that is a moment where you have to score the second. I think we had moments to do so quite a lot and in the part of the game where it was more equal – the last 15 to 20 minutes – on both sides, it was waiting for one of the two teams to score.
“They created the chances all in a similar way, the four or five moments they had: long ball, picking up the second ball and then try to be a threat in moments like that. We also picked up a lot of those second balls where we were able to counter attack them.
“But from all these counter-attacks – all these four versus three, three versus two – all these moments that I felt with the quality players we have that we should be able to either get a bigger chance or when we have it, to score it, we didn’t and then in the last minute we conceded the equaliser and then there’s not a lot of time left to make up for it.”
Slot sack latest
Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes Slot could face the sack should he fail to secure Champions League qualification.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson said: “If he [Slot] won the FA Cup, but didn’t finish in Champions League positions it wouldn’t make any difference at all. I think Liverpool have got to get in the Champions League with the [financial] fair play rule.
“The more you get into the Champions League, the better quality player you can bring in. I think they need to get a centre half and they’ll be right back up there again next year.
“They’ve just been off it this year, it’s been weird really, and it is hard when you’ve won the league like they have. They’ve been in a fight the last two or three years as well, new players come in.”
The ex-England midfielder added: “Again, they’re playing for Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s taken them time to handle it, and they’re top-quality players, but the club’s just a huge football club. He will have to get in the top four, I would have thought, otherwise he might be [the next] Tottenham manager.”
