Manager Arne Slott has suffered a dramatic downturn in results just months after leading Liverpool to Premier League title, but the Dutchman’s job is not yet in jeopardy.
Wednesday night’s 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup was the fifth upset in six games under manager Arne Slott and the fifth consecutive upset in domestic competition. There is no suggestion that the Dutchman’s job is in jeopardy just months after delivering the Premier League title, but he will be determined to stop the rot as soon as possible.
Other managers in the Premier League have been in similar situations for quite some time, so it’s no surprise that the goodwill that comes with winning the title buys them time out of the top flight. Manager Claudio Ranieri stayed on until late February 2017, deciding that Leicester could no longer maintain their position due to the real threat of relegation, and Jose Mourinho stayed on until December 2015, after taking Chelsea from first to 16th place.
Liverpool face Aston Villa on Saturday after defeats to Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford in the league, but Slott does not believe there will be any added pressure in the game. “If we lose six out of seven games, I don’t think there can be any more pressure,” he told reporters after leaving the Carabao Cup.
“When you keep getting results like this, when you’re playing for Liverpool, when you’re managing Liverpool, you know the pressure is there. I don’t think much has changed after this defeat, but if that’s the case, probably the biggest positive tonight was that we were 2-0 down. We weren’t trying too hard to score because we couldn’t do it. It was because the fans were behind the team cheering us on.”
“I feel like on Saturday the players will show how much it means to them and on Saturday the fans will be incredibly supportive of us. “Again, we will be playing a team that has been off all week for a game, and that is Villa.”
read more: Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner slams Liverpool’s ‘rude’ commentsread more: The nightmare record of a young Liverpool player who received a red card in every first-team game
Whether they left on their own terms or knew their time was up for other reasons, Liverpool’s last few managers have been given time to turn things around. Here’s a look at how mirror football ended for them.
Jurgen Klopp
Klopp has had a long break from Liverpool, but few will begrudge him that. He announced in January 2024 that he was too tired to continue with the same intensity, but made one last challenge for the Premier League title before departing.
In the end, Liverpool remained in the league in April, but they have only picked up 12 points from their last eight league games. At the same time, hopes of Europa League glory were dashed, with eventual champions Atalanta winning 3-0 at Anfield in the quarter-finals.
Klopp at least managed to secure a victory. Liverpool faced Wolves in his final match in charge, winning 2-0 with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarrell Quansah.
Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers’ impressive 2013/14 season bought the Ulsterman plenty of time as Liverpool came desperately close to a sensational title win. His departure the following season was not surprising given the loss of Luis Suarez, and he was replaced at the beginning of the 2015-16 season as the Reds were looking to shake off the loss of another big-name player in Raheem Sterling.
The start to the season could not have been further from a goal-producing title win, with Liverpool picking up seven points with two goals and a clean sheet in their first three games. However, they could only win one of their next five games in the league, draw their first two games in the Europa League group games, and only beat Carlisle in the League Cup.
Rodgers’ last game came at Everton, where Danny Ings’ opening goal for the Reds was canceled out by Romelu Lukaku. It was the sixth draw in 11 games that season.
kenny dalglish
Dalglish’s second spell at Liverpool was not the longest. After undergoing recovery surgery late in the 2010/11 season, his inability to lead the Reds back to the Champions League proved to be his undoing.
As it turned out, it didn’t even come close. Liverpool remained in the top four for just one week out of 38 in the 2011-12 season, with a win over Cardiff in the League Cup final and a loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup final not enough to finish them in eighth place.
Dalglish spoke of the “honorable, respectful and dignified manner” in which the owners responded to his exit. He was appointed until the end of the season and was sent off in a 1-0 defeat against Swansea, his last game at the Liberty Stadium before taking over at Anfield.
roy hodgson
Hodgson took charge at Anfield after leading Fulham to the Europa League final, but left by January. Replacing a long-serving manager is never easy and the English manager was unable to recover from a slow start after taking over from Rafa Benitez.
Liverpool briefly slipped to the bottom three after a nightmare start, with Hodgson managing to pick up just one win in his first eight league games. There was also a shock defeat in the League Cup against lower-league side Northampton Town, which they won on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Anfield.
Things were a little better in Europe, with Hodgson’s team topping their Europa League group, but domestic results proved his undoing. He was sacked after Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat at Blackburn, but it was their third defeat in four games and the team remained firmly in the bottom half of the table.
Rafa Benitez
Having won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup 12 months later, Benitez can consider his time at Anfield a success. In the 2008/09 season, the Reds came very close to knocking Manchester United off their feet, but just missed out on the league title.
The following season will be the last with the Spaniard at the helm. Liverpool didn’t help by selling Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, while new signing Alberto Aquilani struggled at Anfield after being hit by injury.
Benitez’s team suffered early defeat in Europe, finishing outside the top four with seven points and missing out on a return to the Champions League, and Benitez left the club in the summer of 2010. The Reds have lost and drawn their last two games, the last of which was a goalless away draw with relegated Hull City.
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