Arne Slot shows ‘Pure Panic’ as Liverpool form collapses, say Dutch reports

Liverpool’s season has gone from promising to catastrophic in the space of two months — and, according to reports in the Netherlands, Arne Slot is visibly crumbling under the pressure. The club’s 4–1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield has ignited a storm around the 47-year-old, with De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen describing the Dutchman as being “in pure panic”.

It was a night that laid bare Liverpool’s collapse. Once competing at the top end of both domestic and European competitions, Slot’s side have now fallen into the worst run of form the club has experienced since 1953–54, the season before their last relegation. Wednesday’s defeat made it nine losses in twelve matches, and incredibly, three consecutive defeats by three-goal margins — something not witnessed at Liverpool for 72 years.

For a club built on competitive pride and ferocious standards, the current slump is alarming. And what concerns Dutch analysts most is not only the results, but the body language of the man tasked with reversing them.

Driessen’s comments in De Telegraaf paint a stark picture. He praised Slot’s public composure — gracious in defeat, complimentary of PSV, professional in media duties — but insisted the mask slipped after the final whistle.

According to the journalist: “For the first time in Slot’s managerial career, you saw pure panic in his eyes… disbelief and helplessness. A man who realised he had lost control of his team.”

Slot reportedly refused to answer two key questions:

Driessen argues that, sooner or later, Liverpool’s owners will demand concrete answers. The implication was blunt: unless Slot halts the slide soon, he may not survive the season.

Dutch analysis of Slot has always highlighted one strength above all: emotional clarity. He usually exudes calm control, even during adversity. Driessen’s claim that he saw “pure panic” is therefore significant — it indicates a shift in behaviour not previously associated with the manager.

In our view, this reflects the scale of the job Slot has inherited. Liverpool endured a turbulent final Klopp season, with inconsistent performances masked by emotional farewell narratives. Slot now faces the burden of rebuilding that structure while managing immediate expectations.

It’s worth questioning whether the club underestimated the difficulty of transitioning from one ideological extreme to another. Managers cannot simply “replace Klopp”; they must reinvent the squad’s habits, and that takes time.

From my experience covering managerial cycles in the Premier League, the biggest red flag is not results alone — it is when a manager’s identity disappears. Liverpool currently look like a team without a clear direction. That will worry owners far more than isolated heavy defeats.

Although some fans believe Slot needs more time, the nuance is that Liverpool’s new structure — and long-term squad refresh — will only function if core principles begin settling soon. The performances are currently chaotic, not transitional.

However, there is also a counterpoint: rebuilding after the Klopp era was always going to be brutal. Many top clubs (United, Arsenal, Chelsea) experienced years of instability post-legendary departures. Slot may simply be suffering the first wave of that turbulence.

The next month will define everything. If the panic observed in his demeanour translates into hesitation on the touchline, the crisis worsens. If Slot uses the moment to simplify and stabilise, he still has time to regain authority.

Liverpool must regroup ahead of a gruelling December schedule. Slot will face the media again this weekend, with pressure intensifying on him to outline a coherent plan. For now, the club insists they are backing him — but history shows owners’ patience erodes quickly when results resemble relegation form.

👉 Is Arne Slot out of his depth — or can he stabilise Liverpool before it’s too late?