The way some conversations go, you’d think Liverpool sack managers the second we slip out of the title race. We don’t. We never really have. And whatever people want to believe about standards, FSG have never run this club like Real Madrid, where finishing second is treated like failure and the manager’s bags are half-packed by May.
Klopp showed what stability looks like
It’s worth remembering that even under Klopp, there were seasons where we weren’t in the thick of a title challenge. There were dips, there were rebuild phases, and there were periods where it was about steadying the ship rather than racking up points with one hand tied behind our back.
And yet, there was no serious sense that his job was hanging by a thread every time the league table didn’t look pretty. That’s not because Klopp was beyond criticism, it’s because Liverpool, as a club, tend to understand what the long game looks like.
FSG: competitiveness first, trophies if you can
The uncomfortable truth for some is that FSG are owners who prioritise sustainability. They’re a business operation. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to win, but it does mean they’re not going to treat “win something every season” as the only acceptable outcome.
Profit and growth come from being consistently competitive: Champions League places, big games under the lights, global attention, the club staying in the right bracket. If trophies come on top of that, brilliant. But I don’t think anyone should kid themselves that the club is set up to gamble everything for one all-in season.
Style matters to fans, results matter to the board
Supporters will always care about how we play. It’s part of the identity, part of the pride, part of why we bother. But boards and ownership groups generally care about outcomes. If Arne Slot sets up in a way some people label as anti-football, but it keeps Liverpool competitive at the top end, I struggle to see FSG losing sleep over the aesthetics.
That’s not me saying style is irrelevant. It isn’t. It’s just that if the choice is between “nice patterns” and “getting results”, the people signing off the plan will pick the thing that protects the club’s position.
And context matters too. Finishing fifth in the middle of a rebuild, with injuries and disruption thrown in, isn’t the same as finishing fifth because it’s all gone stale. If Slot delivers something massive early, it carries serious weight. Much more than a single league position taken in isolation.
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