Liverpool have lost six of their last seven games ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa, and Peter Crouch says Arne Slott is under huge pressure to deliver.
Arne Slott’s credibility at Liverpool is running low and he needs a result against Aston Villa to calm any doubts about his future. This is the opinion of former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, who believes there will be “serious question marks” if their dismal form continues at Anfield on Saturday night.
Mirror Football understands that Slott will remain in support of the Reds hierarchy for the time being. However, the Dutchman is under pressure for the first time since joining the club, having lost six of his last seven matches in all competitions.
Liverpool suffered four consecutive defeats in the Premier League, falling to seventh place, seven points behind leaders Arsenal. In Wednesday’s Carabao Cup, Slott made 10 changes and started young, inexperienced players, resulting in a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.
The stakes are high for Unai Emery’s team, who defeated Manchester City 1-0 last weekend, when they visit Villa on Saturday from 8pm. Mr Crouch said he believed Mr Slott was the right person to turn things around, but acknowledged recent criticism was justified.
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“He has earned enough reprieve from last season that he can certainly finish this season. There are now concerns and, for the first time in Slott’s Liverpool career, there are question marks over his selection and tactics,” Crouch told Paddy Power.
“In the Carabao Cup, it was one of those games where we really needed to win, so it seemed a bit strange to change as many players as he did when they were struggling as much. We needed a little more quality than the players that were selected.”
“It was a very young team. I know they’ve had some injury issues, but I think the balance of play certainly needs to be addressed because it feels like there’s a lack of confidence defensively at the moment.”
Asked if Slott would be sacked if they lost again this weekend, Crouch said: “There will be serious discussions behind the scenes. I think we should get our best team and play again. It’s a big game against Aston Villa, but no, I don’t think there will be a sudden reaction. There will be serious question marks, definitely.”
“There’s certainly pressure on him now. If you lose one game at Liverpool, there’s pressure on you, and if you lose five games in a row, it’s a serious problem.”
After losing to Palace for the third time this season, Slott said he accepted the pressure he was under. “When you’ve got results like this, when you’re playing for Liverpool, when you’re managing Liverpool, the pressure is there,” he said. “I don’t think that has changed much after this loss.”
He will follow Villa’s visit with a series of important games, including Tuesday’s Champions League game against Real Madrid at Anfield and a league trip to Manchester City next weekend before the international break.
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