Journalist: ‘Forget social media nonsense’ over Arne Slot as Liverpool players’ stance outlined | OneFootball

James Pearce has rubbished suggestions that Liverpool players no longer respect Arne Slot and aren’t playing for the head coach.

A year on from being widely lauded for winning the Premier League at the first attempt, the Dutchman finds himself facing continuing external scrutiny over his position as Reds boss, with results on the pitch deteriorating this season.

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The 47-year-old has also had to deal with the fallout from Mo Salah saying after the 3-3 draw against Leeds in December that his relationship with the head coach had disintegrated and that he was being ‘thrown under the bus’ after being omitted from the starting XI three times in a week.

Pearce: Slot still has the respect of Liverpool players

In a Q&A for The Athletic on Thursday, Pearce was asked if the Liverpool players are still behind Slot, and his answer was emphatic.

The journalist replied: ‘Yes. Forget social media nonsense, I’ve not seen or heard anything to make me think differently. Yes, alarm bells were ringing after those chastening away defeats by Manchester City and PSG. When you’ve got players questioning a lack of fight, it’s worrying.

‘But there was a decent response domestically with those three straight league wins over Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace, which put them on the brink of securing Champions League qualification. Understandably there’s a lot of frustration over how this season has panned out but I think he still commands their respect.

‘That first-half display at Old Trafford last Sunday was grim but that was Liverpool without Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Salah, Alisson, Mamardashvili, Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Bradley.’

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Performances on the pitch will speak the loudest

Every side will lose a few games over the course of the season, but what felt particularly damning for Liverpool was Dominik Szoboszlai publicly questioning the team’s mentality after the atrocious FA Cup drubbing by Manchester City a month ago.

Fans will accept losing to a better opponent, or being undone by bad luck on a given day, but they absolutely won’t stand for a lack of effort on the pitch. That such an accusation has been made about the Reds in recent months – even by one of their own players – is a poor reflection on Slot.

The 47-year-old seems likely to retain the faith of FSG into next season, particulary if (as seems likely) we qualify for the Champions League, but the Dutchman certainly has a lot of sceptics to win over after this hugely underwhelming campaign.

Liverpool’s players have three more matches to show that they haven’t downed tools or given up on the head coach; and even if they had lost respect for him, they have an obligation to the fans to play with maximum effort and pride at the very least.

Speaking words in front of a microphone is one thing, but the ultimate proof is determined by what happens on the pitch on matchday.