Liverpool stance on Arne Slot: Manager safe for now despite ‘dangerous’ situation

Liverpool’s season took another troubling turn after a 3–0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest, prompting inevitable questions about Arne Slot’s future just six months after the Dutchman delivered a Premier League title in his first campaign at Anfield. Yet despite losing six of their last seven league games, the club’s hierarchy are not preparing for a managerial change — at least not yet.

Saturday’s loss was one of the most alarming of Slot’s tenure. With Alisson returning in goal, Liverpool still conceded three times, with Murillo, Nicola Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White punishing a passive, error-prone performance. A ruled-out goal from Igor Jesus spared deeper embarrassment. The Reds now sit 11th after 12 matches — their lowest position at this point in a season for a decade — and already trail leaders Arsenal by 11 points.

Despite the scale of the downturn, Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that Liverpool are not considering a changeand have held no talks with alternative managers. “Liverpool are not thinking about changing the manager now,” he said, emphasising that FSG still back Slot but expect performances to improve “imminently”.

The Times also claim that Slot retains support at board level, while the Daily Mail report he still has “credit in the bank” after last season’s achievements.

This backing is important — but not absolute. Everyone at Liverpool acknowledges the situation has become “dangerous”, in Slot’s own words, as the momentum and authority built last season have evaporated faster than anyone expected.

Liverpool’s summer investment of around £450 million raised expectations dramatically. Headline signings such as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have struggled for rhythm, and the team’s structure has buckled under the weight of injuries, tactical inconsistencies and individual errors.

Slot’s team have scored fewer goals, conceded more high-value chances and have lost the high defensive line that defined much of last year’s success. The manager insists the issues are collective, and Virgil van Dijk publicly stressed that the players must also “take responsibility”.

The Daily Mail report that Slot withdrew from attending the Northern Football Writers’ Awards ceremony on Sunday night, where he was due to collect the 2024/25 Manager of the Season trophy. Club ambassador Gary McAllister accepted the award on his behalf — a choice that underlines the emotional weight of the current crisis.

Slot knows the results must change quickly, with PSV visiting Anfield in midweek and an away trip to West Ham next weekend. Liverpool have fallen three points off the top four, meaning the Champions League race is now as urgent as the title defence.

Having covered Liverpool through several managerial transitions, this situation feels familiar in one key way: Liverpool rarely make impulsive decisions. In our view, Slot’s position remains secure for now because he has previously demonstrated he can build, adapt and recover. But unlike past rebuilds, Liverpool’s main obstacle today is expectation. The club spent heavily, renewed the squad aggressively and promoted Slot as a long-term thinker. That affords him a buffer — but not an unlimited one.

Although some believe the manager is solely responsible for the collapse, other indications point differently: Liverpool’s squad has undergone enormous structural change, several key players are underperforming, and defensive organisation has tanked in ways that cannot be attributed to coaching alone. This seems optimistic for Slot, but the pressure will become untenable if results don’t improve within weeks, not months.

From my experience covering long Premier League seasons, the pattern is clear: boards back managers publicly only as long as they feel a turnaround is realistic. Slot still has that belief — but the next five games could define his entire Liverpool tenure.

Liverpool host PSV in the Champions League before a testing visit to West Ham. After that, a December run featuring Arsenal, Brighton and Wolves will determine whether this season can still be rescued. Slot must re-establish defensive control and get more from his summer signings, or the tone of boardroom discussions will change quickly.

Liverpool face PSV on 26 November 2025, needing a strong European performance to reset momentum. Slot retains backing — but cannot afford many more domestic slip-ups.

👉 Liverpool fans — is keeping Slot the right call, or does the club need a reset before it’s too late?