Arne Slot “has to do one crucial thing” to hold onto his Liverpool job after the crushing defeat to PSV Eindhoven.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool endured a second home defeat in the space of a week, following up Wednesday’s loss to PSV with yet more pressure on the manager.
Slot has now been warned about the key decision he must make if he’s to keep his position at Anfield after another disastrous performance.
The Reds had hoped to respond to their grim 3-0 collapse at Nottingham Forest with a better showing in the Champions League against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Instead, they made a nightmare start, with Virgil van Dijk giving away his third penalty of the season after an inexplicable handball early on.
Ivan Perisic converted from the spot, though Dominik Szoboszlai briefly restored parity 10 minutes later. But Liverpool’s problems only deepened as second-half strikes from Guus Til and a Couhab Driouech brace condemned the champions to yet another heavy defeat. They have now shipped at least three goals in each of their last three matches and have fallen to nine losses in their past 12 outings.
Among numerous issues plaguing the team, supporters were particularly furious with Cody Gakpo’s performance against his former club, urging Slot to remove him from the starting XI after another blunt and ineffective display.
One fan on X raged: “Cody Gakpo isn’t good enough for us. He’s consistently terrible – maybe he scores tap-ins sometimes, but his football IQ and ability are shocking. Slot needs to stop picking him.”
Another wrote: “Gakpo shouldn’t still be on the pitch.”
A third added: “You can’t keep playing the same team and expect different results. Gakpo has to be dropped.”
A fourth asked: “How does Gakpo start every single week?”
Gakpo, who arrived in January 2023, has scored 45 goals in 146 appearances for Liverpool, including four this season.
Pressure mounting on Slot
Despite more than £400m invested in new signings this summer, Liverpool’s form has dramatically nosedived, and scrutiny on Slot is intensifying. He is contracted until 2027, but the club’s dire run has sparked talk of potential dismissal and speculation over successors.
After the Forest defeat, Fabrizio Romano reported that Liverpool have held no talks with alternative managers, though the board expect swift improvement, better performances, and “a different kind of results” from Slot.
Liverpool are now enduring their worst run since 1950 and have dropped to 12th in the Premier League. In the Champions League, after topping last year’s inaugural table, they now sit 13th after five matches.
