Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group plan to keep Arne Slott at the helm even as manager Arne Slott endures a difficult season to defend their Premier League title.
It seems almost certain that Arne Slott will be in charge of Liverpool next season (Image: Getty Images)
If Liverpool defeat Crystal Palace at Anfield in their next Premier League match, they will sit sixth with eight points and will almost certainly qualify for next season’s Champions League if they play their remaining four games. But Arne Slot may have another target.
If the team wins all five remaining games, the Dutchman will finish the 2020-21 title defense better than Jurgen Klopp in terms of points. After winning his only Premier League in 2019-20 with an astonishing 99 points, Klopp only scored 69 points the following season.
If Liverpool in the slot win their remaining five games, they will finish with 70 points. And that 2020-21 season will no doubt be a factor as Liverpool’s leaders consider Slott’s position.
Michael Edwards, currently FSG’s head of football, was Liverpool’s director of football at the time. In the 2020-21 season, Liverpool lost to Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup and to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
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This season, they lost to Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. In the Premier League, Liverpool have more points after 33 games (55th place) than Klopp’s team had after 33 games in the 2020-21 season (54 points).
Even if Pep Guardiola makes it look easy, Liverpool’s hierarchy know how difficult a season can be after winning the Premier League. One thing to note about Klopp’s title defense is that he did not welcome the flurry of summer signings worth over £400m compared to slots.
But Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes acknowledge that expensive recruits sometimes have chronic problems as they settle into life at the club. Most of those problems are physical. Alexander Isak missed 145 days of the season as he recovered from a broken foot.
Alexander Isak missed most of his first season at Liverpool due to injury (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Jeremy Frimpong missed 117 days of the season with a hamstring issue. Hugo Ekitike is currently out for an extended period of time and will likely not return from his Achilles tendon tear until 2027.
And Florian Wirths has only missed a few weeks with injury, but has clearly taken time to adapt to the tougher demands of the Premier League. These issues will be considered by Edwards, Hughes and Fenway Sports Group when evaluating the season. And of course, there is also the immense impact of Diogo Jota’s tragic death.
Slott’s position was undoubtedly under threat as Liverpool looked to be facing a serious battle for Champions League qualification. But even if he doesn’t finish in the top five, he might still be safe. Winning the Premier League in your first season in English football would be a huge achievement.
And Slott deserves a third season. His title defense has been a perfect storm, including Mo Salah’s long slump in form, and he will know how to put things right.
Arne Slot has yet to reach the full potential of Florian Wirtz (Image: PA)
The team needs to strengthen their full-back ranks and a replacement for Salah will likely be found in the transfer market. And the slot already has a good team at its disposal. Rio Ngmoja should be given an important role next season. He could reinvigorate this Liverpool attack.
After a solid title defense under Klopp in 2020-21, the German won the 2021-22 FA Cup, the 2021-22 EFL Cup, finished runners-up in the 2021-22 Premier League with 92 points and only two losses, and finished runners-up in the Champions League. That was during a certain season.
It will be extremely difficult for slot machines to replicate that. But based on recent history, it’s only right that he be given a chance.
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