Arne Slott is Liverpool’s decision maker. (Image: Getty Images)
Two years ago this week, when Jurgen Klopp played his last game at Anfield, Liverpool were preparing for the arrival of the Arne Slott era. The deal with Feyenoord, announced on April 26, 2024, began the process of finalizing the details between the two clubs, while Slott eagerly awaited confirmation that his coveted move would become a reality.
“It’s obvious that I want to work there,” Dutch said at the time. “I’m still on hold because the clubs are negotiating. We have to wait until an agreement is reached, but I have full confidence in it. I believe that Feyenoord will let me join Liverpool because it would be a big step for me.”
Less than a month later, Klopp was chanting his successor’s name on the Anfield lawn as the German bid farewell on an emotional afternoon in front of more than 60,000 supporters.
It was an unconventional way for Liverpool’s prestigious club to effectively announce their next manager, but it was delivered in the almost characteristically spontaneous manner of the carefree Klopp, at which point he was willing to abandon the script and act on impulse.
Less than 12 months after news broke that they had reached an agreement with Feyenoord to appoint Slott as their new head coach, the Reds were enjoying one of their brightest days at Anfield, winning their 20th English title.
Express sports on FB! Get all the best sports news and more on our Facebook page
Amid the distractions of a Europa League final, the 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham was the perfect capstone to one of the most euphoric afternoons this iconic stadium has ever witnessed, as Slott’s side were crowned champions of England.
Exactly one year ago today, the evening’s celebrations continued until about 3 a.m. inside the Carlsberg dugout in the main stand. The team was a relaxed gathering, still wearing specially designed “Champions 20” T-shirts. Those lucky enough to be there said it was more of a red collar than a black tie.
From the outset, Slott provided a masterclass in man management, strengthening the right people at the right time and taking the formidable squad handed down by Klopp to new heights.
At that point, Slott looked poised to join the established pantheon of esteemed dugout brilliance in the Kop.
April 27 last year marked the beginning of a summer of celebrations on Merseyside. The title presentation and trophy parade followed over the next month, with the head coach and his team rightly basking in the praise of an extraordinary campaign that few expected when he first took over from an emotional Klopp.
In fact, many at this point were talking about the inevitable hangover from the glorious years under the previous manager. In retrospect, its appearance was probably postponed. Slots now find themselves in a completely different situation. The end of April 2026 presents a stark contrast for the Reds manager, who has endured a difficult and at times eventful season with questions still lingering.
It looks more realistic now than at any point this season that they need six points from their remaining four games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League. But that’s little consolation.
Arne Slott is struggling in his second season at Liverpool. (Image: Getty Images)
In many ways, thanks to their recent three-game winning streak, May have been spared what will be the decisive month of the entire campaign against the teams they are competing against to emerge as the ‘best of the rest’ behind title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City.
Liverpool, currently fourth in the table ahead of Sunday’s game against United, are well placed as the final month of the season approaches, but securing a Champions League place next season will not be seen as a measure of achievement. This remains the basic minimum expectation for a club whose financial plans appear to revolve around participation in Europe’s most lucrative competition.
Slott will list a number of reasons why the team has underperformed at this stage last year, but the justifications are quickly starting to resemble excuses.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
Injuries have no doubt taken their toll at times for players such as Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo and the £204m strike duo of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isaku, but the casualty list has never soared to the almost farcical depths witnessed during some recent campaigns.
In fact, Slott’s main problem was the club’s lack of depth, with the club being too eager to release fringe players last summer.
Slott has consistently maintained that Liverpool do not keep players against their will, meaning only three players – Darwin Nunez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz – have been given formal permission to leave if they wish to leave. Harvey Elliott is another representative of such a case.
But recouping sizable paychecks for players like Ben Doak, Tyler Morton, and even Jarrell Quansah means there are too few players in the current group who can generate comparable cash this summer.
Should the Reds be forced to ‘buy and sell’, as Slott claimed after their Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, which players would they realistically be prepared to part with? It looks increasingly likely that some first-team regulars will have their futures scrutinized to help fund the next stage of the rebuild.
Slott may be indicative of injury misfortune, with the suspected hamstring problem that has cast a cloud over Mohamed Salah’s final weeks at Anfield being a prime example, but Liverpool’s absentee list is nevertheless far from unique for Liverpool’s storied club. Too many researchers do not have enough trust.
Regardless of the outcome, a consistent pattern throughout the campaign served as an overall measure of performance. 17 losses in all competitions is an unacceptable reality, and captain Virgil van Dijk has acknowledged this many times in his honest evaluations after matches.
But what is most worrying is that beyond a few bright moments in some of the season’s more prestigious matches, the Reds’ overall performance has all suffered from the same struggling shortcomings.
Slott admitted earlier this year that it was difficult to hear that his style of football this season might be characterized as “boring”, but it is usually easy for supporters to tolerate defeat when an attacking brand of football is at its peak. That hasn’t really happened this season.
Slott’s postseason evaluation projects him to remain in his current role. Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox that has made significant changes, is committed to giving the head coach the time and opportunity to explain why April 2025 is the norm and April 2026 is the anomaly.
But the further a club gets from that memorable day this time last year, the smaller the margin of error will be.
