There’s plenty you can criticise Arne Slot for. I’ve had my moments with him as well, especially when the football hasn’t looked like it has any real rhythm to it. But the way every single thing gets pinned on him, on and off the pitch, is getting a bit daft.
Fans can be ruthless, and that’s part of the deal at Liverpool. You don’t get patience served up at Anfield like it’s complimentary. Still, there’s a line between being demanding and just deciding the manager is wrong no matter what he says or does.
Squad depth: quantity or quality?
When Slot talks about a lack of squad depth, people instantly hear “we haven’t got enough bodies”. But it can just as easily be about quality. Depth isn’t only about having options; it’s about having options you trust when it matters.
If a few lads can’t get a start, the blunt truth might be that Slot doesn’t think they’re at the required level. That’s not a personal insult, it’s just what management is. Every manager has players he’ll lean on and players he’ll keep at arm’s length. And yes, you can disagree with who those players are, but it doesn’t automatically make the point invalid.
The Netherlands stuff doesn’t really stand up
The other thing that keeps doing the rounds is this idea he’s constantly off back to the Netherlands. To be fair, it sounds like one of those stories that grows legs because it’s a tidy narrative, not because it’s true.
The picture of him “clearing off” every weekend doesn’t match reality. Liverpool are playing regularly; you don’t manage a Premier League side by popping in for a quick session and then disappearing. Unless we’re suggesting he’s got a twin in the technical area twice a week, it’s a stretch.
Results, performances, and the bit in between
Now, I’m not pretending it’s all been brilliant. Even with minor improvements, it hasn’t always been great to watch, and there are games where the structure looks unsure and the tempo drops off a cliff. But not everything is grim either.
We’ve at least managed to stop the flow of goals we were conceding, and going 11 unbeaten matters, even if the “standard and style of play notwithstanding” caveat is doing a lot of work. That kind of run doesn’t happen if everything is broken.
Maybe the simplest point is this: not every decision a fan wouldn’t make is automatically a bad one. Sometimes the criticism says more about how we want it to look than what’s actually needed to get results.
Related Articles
About Liverpool News Views
Liverpool News Views offers daily Liverpool coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, EFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
