Liverpool made their decision on Arne Slot much earlier than we think – Opinion | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Arne Slot Decision Was Made Months Ago

Liverpool have finally parted company with Arne Slot.

The official messaging will naturally focus on how difficult the decision was, how extensive the review process became, and how every aspect of the season was carefully evaluated before concluding. That is how modern football clubs operate when delivering news of this magnitude.

Personally, I do not believe the decision was made this week.

I believe it was made months ago.

For me, the defining period came in March when Liverpool’s season effectively unravelled in front of the football world. Defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City exposed every weakness that had been building throughout the campaign. Three matches. Three defeats. Eight goals conceded.

More importantly, Liverpool did not simply lose those games.

They looked incapable of competing.

The tactical structure collapsed under pressure. The midfield was bypassed with alarming ease. The defensive organisation disappeared. The intensity levels that once defined Liverpool Football Club were nowhere to be seen.

Those performances felt different.

Up until that point, there was still an argument that Slot deserved time. There was still hope that results might improve and that the transition away from the Jürgen Klopp era simply required patience.

March changed that.

Photo: IMAGO

The defeats against elite opposition highlighted a team moving backwards rather than forwards. Liverpool looked physically weaker, tactically inferior, and emotionally disconnected from both supporters and the standards expected at Anfield.

I suspect that was the moment Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes reached their own internal conclusions.

Perhaps not publicly.

Perhaps not officially.

But privately.

Once that belief disappears at the executive level, the outcome is usually inevitable.

The remainder of the season increasingly felt like a process of confirmation rather than evaluation. Each poor performance simply reinforced what had already become obvious. The football remained slow. The player development remained limited. The atmosphere around the club deteriorated further.

By the time the campaign concluded, the review process felt less like a decision-making exercise and more like a formality.

Iraola Always Felt Like the Logical Successor

The timing surrounding Andoni Iraola’s availability has always felt intriguing.

Shortly after Liverpool’s season began spiralling further after those defeats mentioned, the Bournemouth manager announced his intention to leave at the end of the campaign. Given his relationship with Richard Hughes, it is difficult not to wonder whether conversations had already begun taking place behind the scenes.

Hughes knows Iraola better than almost anyone.

He was instrumental in appointing the Spaniard at Bournemouth and witnessed first-hand the transformation he delivered. High intensity. Aggressive pressing. Exceptional fitness levels. Clear tactical organisation. A team that consistently outperformed expectations through coaching rather than spending.

Those qualities stand in stark contrast to what Liverpool supporters witnessed under Slot this season.

That is why Iraola always felt like the obvious candidate.

Not because he is fashionable. Not because he represents a headline appointment.

But because his footballing principles align far more closely with what Liverpool supporters expect from their team.

Ultimately, the sacking was warranted. In fact, I would argue it became warranted months ago.

Liverpool can survive one disappointing season. Every major football club experiences setbacks. What cannot be accepted is stagnation. The warning signs became impossible to ignore as the season progressed. Performances declined, confidence evaporated, and key players appeared increasingly uncertain about the direction of the project.

At some point, leadership requires decisive action.

That moment has now arrived. The challenge for Liverpool is ensuring they get the next appointment right.

Removing Slot was only the first step.

Now comes the far more important task of restoring the intensity, identity, and ambition that once made Liverpool one of the most feared teams in European football.

If Iraola is indeed the man chosen to lead that revival, then Richard Hughes may be about to make the most important appointment of his Liverpool career.