Three Liverpool stars accused of ‘letting Slot down’ as FSG initiate sack process | OneFootball

Arne Slot appears to be a dead man walking after Liverpool owners FSG took the first step towards sacking the Dutchman, and three Reds stars including arguably their player of the season, Dominik Szoboszlai, have been accused of letting Slot down.

The international break was supposed to serve as the launching pad for Liverpool to salvage what since about five weeks in, has looked a campaign destined for disaster.

However, an encouraging half hour at the Etihad on Saturday quickly gave way to the usual capitulation, with Liverpool humiliated by a side they used to go toe-to-toe with in the Jurgen Klopp era.

The Athletic’s James Pearce insisted the manner of the defeat has ratcheted the pressure up on Slot. The sight of most of Liverpool’s travelling fans leaving early on Saturday won’t have gone unnoticed by owners FSG.

And according to information provided to our insider, Graeme Bailey, the club have expedited their end-of-season review.

A review of the campaign and Slot’s position was always pencilled in, but sources explained the decision has been taken to begin the review early and it’s now well underway.

Liverpool will take everything into consideration, though many fans can’t look past on-field results, which to put it bluntly, are pathetic.

Liverpool have lost 15 matches across all competitions this term, though the club’s decline actually began in the second half of last season.

The Reds tasted defeat eight times in the latter half of the previous campaign, meaning they’ve lost 23 matches since the beginning of 2025.

Ultimately, it’ll be down to FSG and the likes of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to determine whether that it acceptable.

And according to the latest from the Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, there are a handful of Liverpool players who’ve let their manager down.

Steele was keen to stress the buck stops with Slot, and that ultimately, he must be held responsible for Liverpool’s demise.

Nevertheless, Steele zeroed in on Mohamed Salah, as well as highlighting the ill-advised actions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike on Saturday as being ones that haven’t helped Slot’s increasingly desperate cause.

He wrote: ‘Slot is not the only man to blame, of course. This squad is brimming with talent but none have performed to the standards they set last year.

‘Some incidents, like Hugo Ekitike giving Rayan Cherki his shirt [mid-match] or Dominik Szoboszlai appearing to be annoyed at fans leaving, are not a great look.

‘Mohamed Salah, who is starting his farewell tour, seems devoid of confidence as City keeper James Trafford denied him multiple times, once from the penalty spot. The defence wilted and City played through the Liverpool midfield like a hot knife through butter.

‘But the buck ultimately stops with Slot, who has overseen 12 months of stinking performances, starting with the Carabao Cup final last spring. Does he have the answers to change the trajectory of this team? Right now, it does not seem like he does.

‘The hierarchy at Anfield are measured and not trigger-happy so may retain backing of Slot right now. But as they watched 7,000 fans voting with their feet by turning their backs to leave early, is it time for the head coach’s position to be seriously scrutinised?’