Arne Slott has been compared to Jurgen Klopp because of Liverpool’s worst run in more than half a century
Arne Slott has found himself in a position surprisingly similar to the one he held before Jurgen Klopp resigned as Liverpool manager. Midway through the 2023/24 season, manager Klopp made the surprising announcement that he would be leaving Anfield after almost nine years in charge.
Citing fatigue and the relentless pressure to deliver success, the 2019 Champions League-winning manager has revealed he will resign from the club at the end of the season. A few weeks before his departure, Klopp revealed a little about the motivations behind his decision, ones that could ultimately lead to Slott’s departure.
He feared that if things continued as they were, Liverpool would finish fifth in 2022/23 and their failure to win a silver medal would only get worse. Essentially, he took himself out of the equation for the benefit of the club.
Klopp told Sky Sports in May 2024: “I haven’t been feeling well in terms of football over the last few weeks. As a result, people have started saying that I look really tired. I’m just getting older.”
“I’m going to give it 100 percent until the last day. That’s always been my plan. I knew that if I didn’t make the decision now, it might have been difficult next year. I’m going to get ready for another preseason and make a big decision.”
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“For that, you have to be really full of energy. Eighty percent is not enough. That’s the truth. It’s too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if you really care, it’s 24/7.”
“I’ve been doing it for quite some time and I knew I couldn’t continue to do it to the standard required for a club like Liverpool.”
While Slott cannot claim to suffer from the same kind of fatigue that plagued Klopp, having been in Liverpool’s spotlight for just 18 months, he will no doubt share his predecessor’s insistence on sky-high standards – standards that are simply not being met at the moment.
The Reds are in their worst form in decades, losing nine of their last 12 games in all competitions. What started as a solid Premier League title defense devolved into a full-blown crisis on all fronts.
Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League was their third straight defeat by three goals, following back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
As a result, Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League’s automatic qualification spots and dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League. It was the first time since the 2012-13 season that the team had achieved this ranking so late in the season.
There is now intense pressure on Slott and although he is understood to have retained support from Liverpool’s hierarchy, that goodwill could quickly evaporate if performances and results do not improve soon.
The match list provides some relief. Next up is a match against struggling West Ham, followed by newly promoted Sunderland and Leeds.
Still, an easy game brings higher expectations, and if Slott fails to live up to those expectations, he may follow Klopp’s path, whether by choice or with an ax to grind.
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