Arne Slott is under huge pressure at Liverpool. (Image: PA)
Liverpool manager Arne Slott found himself under increasing pressure again after he and his underperforming side were booed after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The Dutchman succeeded the iconic Jurgen Klopp and won the Premier League title in his first season.
But his second season has been a disaster so far, with the expensive side, who were rebuilt after spending over £400m in the summer, currently languishing in fifth place after another dismal result against struggling Spurs. Dominik Szoboszlai’s early free-kick at Anfield was canceled out by former Everton forward Richarlison scoring an equalizer in the 90th minute.
Slott is now approaching Wednesday’s crucial Champions League return match at home against Galatasaray, and although he was 1-0 down in the first leg, he knows his team must win to save the team and possibly his position.
All the latest developments at Anfield…
Liverpool’s head coach on Sunday addressed the jeers from the home fans at the final whistle.
“I think it’s natural for the fans to be frustrated because it’s happened many times in the past that the home team didn’t get the points they were hoping for and conceded at the last minute,” he said.
“It’s up to us to take that frustration and put in a great performance on Wednesday, because we’re all frustrated and that’s completely obvious.”
“And it’s up to me and the players to take that frustration on Wednesday night and give the fans the performance and result they deserve, because they’ve supported us all season. And if it happens again and again at the end of the game or after the final whistle, that’s completely understandable to me.”
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Slott was full of praise for teenage sensation Rio Ngmoha, who put in a great performance in his first Premier League start despite substituting the controversial 17-year-old forward.
Liverpool struggled to score from open play, but Ngmoha remained a constant threat. The former Chelsea prospect completed all seven dribbles in his 64 minutes on the pitch and had seven touches inside Tottenham’s penalty area.
Ngmoha started ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike, but was sent off after the hour mark when Slott made three substitutions, bringing on Ekike, Curtis Jones and Salah in place of Jeremy Frimpong, Ngmoha and Florian Wirths.
“Rio is doing so well that it makes sense to play him. It’s a combination of playing the right players and taking advantage of the quality that these players bring,” Slott said.
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates Liverpool’s goal against Tottenham. (Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool star Arne Slott’s three decisions baffle him
Jermaine Pennant criticized Slott’s decisions during the draw, especially his substitutions. The former winger told X: “Someone please help me and make me understand.
“Let me understand why 1) (Ugo) Ekitike is not starting, 2) (he) Rio is rested, (Cody) Gakpo is in, 3) (he) (Jeremy) Frimpong is rested and then Szoboszlai remains at running back.”
In response to a fan, he added: “But if we (were able to see), and I think most fans would agree, there’s no way the people in charge wouldn’t see this. There must be something going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, because this is blasphemy.”
Slott said of the game, “We were the better team for most of the game, but I think that was the moment when we had to score the second goal. I think we had quite a few moments to do that, and in the more even parts of the game, the last 15 to 20 minutes, both teams were waiting for one of them to score.”
“They all created chances in the same way, four or five moments. They picked up long balls, second balls and tried to be a threat in moments like that. We also picked up a lot of second balls where we were able to counter-attack.”
“But from all these counter-attacks, all the 4-on-3, 3-on-2, all the moments that we felt with the quality players that we have, we felt like we should have been able to get bigger chances or score when we had the chances, but we didn’t do that and we conceded the equalizer at the last minute and didn’t have a lot of time left to get it back.”
Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has suggested Slott could be sacked if he fails to qualify for the Champions League.
“If he (Slott) wins the FA Cup, if he doesn’t finish in the Champions League, it won’t make any difference. I think Liverpool have to follow the (financial) fair play rules and play in the Champions League,” Melson told Sky Sports.
“The more you play in the Champions League, the more quality players you can bring in. I think they need to get a centre-half and they’ll be back there next year.”
“They’ve just fallen off this year. It’s been really weird. It’s tough when you’re winning the league like they are. They’ve been competing the last couple of years, and they’ve got new players coming in.”
The former England midfielder added: “Again, they’re playing for Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world. They’ve taken time to deal with it and they’re top-level players, but the club is just a huge football club. I thought he had to be in the top four or he could be the[next]Tottenham manager.”
