Arne Slot warned over his Liverpool future as struggles continue | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Late Season Test Under Arne Slot

Liverpool’s current campaign has become one of reflection as much as frustration. Writing on Substack, David Lynch captured the mood around Anfield with a sharp reminder that even the most successful eras contain difficult seasons. The point is simple but important, downturns happen, but how a team finishes matters.

As Lynch wrote, “It has often, and entirely fairly, been pointed out during this disappointing Liverpool campaign that even the great Jurgen Klopp was not immune to a poor season.”

Perspective helps. Klopp’s side endured their own collapse in 2020-21, finishing the campaign 17 points behind Manchester City with no silverware to soften the blow. The 2022-23 season offered little more joy, its “high point was victory in the Community Shield in August”, followed by another trophyless year and failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Arne Slot’s situation carries echoes of those struggles, although Liverpool are still alive in multiple competitions. Lynch notes that “things aren’t quite that desperate for Arne Slot yet, with his team still in both the Champions League and FA Cup, and locked in a battle for a top-five finish.”

Yet optimism remains fragile, and recent performances have hardly inspired belief that a late surge is imminent.

Photo: IMAGO

Importance of Finishing Strong

Klopp’s toughest seasons contained one redeeming quality, momentum at the end. That ability to rediscover rhythm before the summer break helped shape the campaigns that followed.

In 2020-21 Liverpool produced a remarkable run, as Lynch recalls, “the Reds somehow managed to sneak into third place in the Premier League by finishing up with a 10-match unbeaten run that included eight wins.”

Momentum matters in football more than many clubs care to admit. Form carries over psychologically into pre-season, belief returns to the dressing room, and the narrative surrounding the squad begins to shift.

Two years later the pattern repeated itself. Liverpool finished the campaign on an 11-match unbeaten streak, winning seven times and narrowly missing out on a top four finish. That run planted the seeds for improvement and tactical evolution.

Slot’s Challenge at Anfield

For Arne Slot, the equation feels similar but the context is different. Klopp’s struggles came with clear mitigating factors. Liverpool endured an unprecedented centre back injury crisis in 2020-21, and later faced a midfield overhaul when several key players declined simultaneously.

Slot does not have the same level of explanation available.

Liverpool have suffered injuries, but not a crisis. New signings have had time to adapt. The tactical trends of the Premier League, including a renewed emphasis on physicality and set pieces, are hardly new by March.

There are emotional factors too. Lynch rightly acknowledges the tragedy surrounding Diogo Jota’s passing, but he also argues that it would be “unfair and inaccurate to put Liverpool’s multitude of problems all down to that.”

That leaves one unavoidable conclusion. Liverpool simply have not been good enough.

Signs Needed Before Season Ends

Expecting trophies at this stage would be unrealistic. Lynch makes that clear when he writes that asking Slot to guarantee silverware or even a top five finish “would be folly.”

What Liverpool supporters do need is evidence. Evidence that the manager’s ideas are beginning to take hold, evidence that the squad can still produce intensity, evidence that lessons are being learned.

A strong finish would not erase the frustration of this season, but it would offer a glimpse of what might come next. Without it, the summer becomes less about rebuilding and more about explaining.

And explanations rarely inspire confidence.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

Liverpool supporters are reaching the stage where patience is wearing thin. Winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season raised expectations dramatically. Spending around £450 million in the summer raised them even further. Sitting sixth in March of the following campaign feels like a collapse rather than a dip.

Fans were promised evolution, control, and a new tactical era. What they have seen too often is confusion. Liverpool look vulnerable in transition, predictable in possession, and surprisingly fragile at set pieces. Those problems should have been addressed months ago.

Supporters understand that football cycles exist. Klopp had difficult years too. The difference is that Klopp’s teams always looked like they believed in what they were doing. Even in tough moments there was intensity, identity, and a sense that the players were fighting for something.

Right now that feeling is harder to find.

Slot does not need to deliver a miracle between now and May. Nobody realistically expects Liverpool to suddenly win every competition still available. What fans want is direction. They want to see a team pressing together, defending with organisation, and attacking with conviction.

A strong finish could change the mood quickly. Football supporters are emotional, and momentum has a way of rewriting narratives. Win six or seven games, show a tactical plan that actually works, and belief might return.

If Liverpool drift through the final months with more flat performances, the questions around this project will grow louder.

Supporters can accept a bad season. What they struggle to accept is a team that looks like it has no idea how to fix it.