Slot Needs Time, Not a Trigger Finger

Arne Slot has made mistakes this season. That much feels obvious. But the idea that the answer is to bin him off mid-season still doesn’t sit right with me, especially when you can see signs of the side slowly getting its act together again.

A lot of this campaign has felt like confidence outrunning performance. Last season, Liverpool walked the league, and it’s hard not to think that left a little bit of swagger behind, particularly after adding some very good players in the summer. Early on, you could ride that wave. Then reality arrives, and you have to earn it again.

Performance has to catch up with results

People will rightly point out Liverpool haven’t been beaten for a while, but truth is the football hasn’t always improved to match that. There have been stretches where it’s felt a bit like we’re waiting for the proper click, not just muddling through.

Saturday’s draw was a good example. Disappointing, yes, but the first half was more like what you’d want to see: better control, more threat, and it really felt like Liverpool should have added to the single goal rather than leaving the door ajar.

A disciplined night can still mean something

Then you get a performance like the one away at Marseille. Hostile venue, proper test, and Liverpool looked disciplined and switched on. Not flawless, not fireworks, but solid in the way that travels. If you’re looking for a marker to build momentum, that’s the sort of night you point to.

On individuals, it was interesting to hear the point about Kerkez too: when he’s allowed to play his natural game, he looks a different player. He’s maybe been guilty of trying too hard at times, and you can see how that turns into rushed decisions and a bit of struggle. Give him clarity, let him play, and suddenly the basics look easier.

Liverpool don’t do knee-jerk… and shouldn’t start now

I don’t agree with the demands for Slot to be sacked. In my time watching Liverpool, going back to 1990, Roy Hodgson is the only manager I remember going without really being given time, and that situation was what it was. Rodgers went mid-season too, but only after years to show what he was about.

Sacking managers at the drop of a hat is Chelsea stuff. Real Madrid stuff. I’d rather Liverpool didn’t go down that road.

There are loads of reasons seasons go sideways that aren’t just “manager bad”. Think about that first league defeat away at Palace: Liverpool were flying at the time. If you replay that game now, you’d fancy it looking very different. If Slot and the lads build on the Marseille showing, there’s still time for good memories before the summer, then you address the squad issues properly and go again.

Written by Semibythesea3: 23 January 2026