Former Liverpool midfielder Igor Biscan has denied claims that Arne Slott could be sacked as Anfield manager following the disastrous defeat of his Premier League title defense. The Champions League winners also believe that Alexander Isak can turn his fortunes around after a very dismal start to his career with the Reds.
Liverpool’s hopes of retaining the title were effectively extinguished with a disastrous record of six defeats in seven top-flight games, followed by a crushing 3-0 defeat at home to struggling Nottingham Forest. The tragic turn of events has put Slott under intense scrutiny, with the Dutchman being sacked after being considered by bookmakers to be the third favorite to be the next league manager, behind Leeds’ Daniel Farke and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
But Biscan is adamant that Slott has already proven his ability to overcome difficult situations after taking over from Jurgen Klopp 18 months ago.
“There’s pressure, but there’s always pressure for a manager at that level,” he told BOYLE Sports. “I don’t think it’s about his job. Even if we didn’t win the league, just doing what we did last year was special considering what happened before he arrived and how difficult his job was.”
“Everyone said it would be very difficult for him to really continue what Jurgen Klopp had done before him.
“He’s a quality manager and deserves a lot of praise, but he needs time. We have a lot of new players, so we need time to get them to work together. I’m really confident they’ll start winning again soon.”
Xabi Alonso was one of the people being looked at as a potential successor to Klopp even before Slott was appointed. Biscan believes his former colleague could manage at Anfield one day.
“Xabi Alonso to be Liverpool manager? I think it’s always a possibility if he continues to do what he’s doing and be successful and make a difference,” he said.
“Every time I look at his teams, they are very successful, they have a clear structure and the quality is always there. Who wouldn’t want a manager like him?”
Isak has endured a tough period at Liverpool since joining from Newcastle for a British record £125 million in September, but a combination of fitness issues meant he scored just one goal in nine games and was substituted early against Forest again.
But Biscan said, “What team didn’t want to sign Alexander Isak at the beginning of the season? I don’t think there’s a team, a coach, a fan that would say, ‘No, no, we don’t like him. We don’t believe he’s going to be good enough for our team.'”
“He’s a special player. As everyone knows, he’s a top-class centre-forward. And yes, he missed pre-season and then his lack of adaptability and sharpness in the game certainly takes away from his ability a little bit.
“But it’s the same situation we talked about with Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk. You know, the quality is there. And there’s definite quality. It’s always been there. It’s only a matter of time before he starts scoring.”
“It’s just a matter of getting into the right rhythm, scoring some goals and getting this momentum back a little bit again. And the whole team needs that and if this happens, we’ll see a different story.”
