Arne Slott has received very harsh reviews, but the presence of Xabi Alonso looms large.

There are many mitigating circumstances in Liverpool’s disappointing Premier League title defence, but pressure is mounting on the Dutch manager following defeat at Wolves

The consensus in the football world is that Arne Slott is no Jurgen Klopp and will therefore come under extra scrutiny. This is a little ironic. That’s because special critical research has shown that Slott is currently performing a bit better in the season in which he is defending the Premier League title than Klopp achieved in the 2020/21 season.

After winning their only Premier League title in 2019/20, Klopp took Liverpool to 46 points after 29 games the following season. After 29 games this season, Slott has 48 points for Liverpool.

At this point in the 20/21 season, Klopp’s Liverpool have been eliminated from the FA Cup and Slott’s side are looking forward to a fifth-round draw at Molineux on Friday night. In the 20/21 season, Liverpool, led by manager Klopp, defeated RB Leipzig in the last 16 of the Champions League, but lost to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

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Next week, slot Liverpool head to Istanbul for the first leg of their last-16 tie against Galatasaray. In the Premier League, Klopp’s side bounced back to win five of their last five games of the 20/21 season, but their final score of 69 points was not impressive.

As always, there were mitigating circumstances. Klopp has had to deal with a daunting injury list and the challenges of games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus.

But there are also situations that alleviate Slot having to deal with an equally troubling injury list. He also had to console and rally a team deeply affected by the tragic death of Diogo Jota.

A late breakthrough in the Premier League saw Klopp’s 20/21 side finish third and qualify for the Champions League, but there was no suggestion that the German would be sacked even if he failed to feature. There are numerous suggestions that Slott will be fired.

If Liverpool fail to win the Champions League, finish outside the Premier League’s top five and finish outside of the qualification spots, many will understand the board’s decision to thank Slott for his hard work and make changes. But it will still be very tough.

However, there are two words that cannot be avoided when thinking about the future of slots. Xabi Alonso. It’s early days, but months after his harsh dismissal from Real Madrid, Alonso has yet to be seriously linked with a future job.

More importantly, there has been no movement regarding Slot’s contract situation. Winning the Premier League title in the first year of a three-year deal would normally earn a manager a new contract, but that didn’t happen last summer.

And the chances of that happening between now and the end of the season are extremely slim. It would be a relatively cheap managerial change for Liverpool’s owners, as Alonso only has one year left on his contract and is available as a free agent.

After his outstanding first season, and considering the issues he has had to deal with, it would be an incredibly tough managerial change for Slott, who has what it takes to lead a great club for a long time. But it’s becoming easier and easier to imagine.

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