Heading into the 2025–26 Premier League season, many fans — myself included — expected Liverpool to have a highly formidable shot at retaining their league title.
New boss Arne Slot not only accomplished the near-impossible by replacing Jürgen Klopp and winning England’s biggest trophy in his first season, but he also convinced ownership to invest in elite talent like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, fueling hopes of a budding dynasty.
With that combination of momentum and recruitment, seeing the Reds sit atop the table for most of the campaign felt almost inevitable.
However, 12 matches into the season, Liverpool find themselves languishing in 12th place — 11 points adrift of league-leaders Arsenal and even trailing rivals like Manchester United and Everton, clubs most assumed the Reds would be comfortably ahead of at this stage.
Slot, who lost only four games in all of last season, has already suffered six defeats this campaign — a staggering downturn that has prompted an unavoidable question: does the Dutchman deserve to be sacked?
Why Slot could be sacked
One of the most glaring issues so far is Slot’s inability to justify the record-breaking transfer window he was entrusted with, which was the most expensive in the club’s history, and a stark departure from FSG’s typically frugal approach.
Wirtz, while perhaps a bit better than many critics are willing to give him credit for, has still fallen short of the lofty expectations attached to Liverpool’s supposed midfielder of the future.
Meanwhile, Alexander Isak has been a downright disappointment, scoring just once in all competitions after netting 23 goals for Newcastle last season.
The lack of a proper preseason could certainly be a factor in his slow start at Anfield, but more damning is the sense that even when he does play, Slot has failed to adjust his system to maximize the Swede’s ability to do damage on the ball.
In the 3–0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest — arguably the most gut-punching loss of the season — Isak recorded just 14 touches, the fewest of any Liverpool player, and failed to register a single shot on target.
Slot’s emphasis on chance creation from wide areas made sense during last year’s title-winning run, given the influence of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But his continued reluctance to feed the No. 9 centrally feels increasingly stubborn and hardly compatible with the logic of spending a British-record fee on the former Magpie.
Speaking of the Egyptian, while it may be understandable that Slot is still figuring out how to bring his new signings into the fold, it’s far more concerning that established stars from last season’s title triumph, namely Salah and Ibrahima Konaté, have looked like shadows of themselves.
Their dramatic dip in form has supporters wondering how the same manager who elevated them to excellence last year now has them producing one poor performance after another.
After what was arguably his greatest season in a Liverpool shirt — equaling the Premier League G/A record and winning Player of the Season — Salah has crashed back to earth in a way few could have predicted.
He has just 6 G/A in 12 matches and like Isak, he struggled mightily against Forest, recording 10 unsuccessful dribbles — the most by any player in a single Premier League match this season.
Any competent manager would be dissatisfied with these numbers, and while it’s understandable that Slot’s fate is seemingly tied to continuing to play the man who essentially delivered last season’s title, his refusal to explore alternatives — such as giving Federico Chiesa a chance in Salah’s place — has grown increasingly frustrating week by week.
With new signings failing to integrate, the club’s star player struggling, and the backline looking as fragile as ever, it’s clear why Slot’s days at Anfield could be numbered.
Why Slot could be safe
As nightmarish as the Premier League season has been, Liverpool have fortunately fared well in the Champions League, winning three of four matches.
Highlights include a 5–1 thrashing of Frankfurt and a 1–0 victory over Real Madrid with the latter arguably the team’s best collective performance of the season.
With a clash against PSV on Wednesday offering the Reds a chance to move closer to automatic qualification for the knockout stage, and domestic title hopes fading by the day, Slot may choose to focus entirely on Europe — aiming to prove he could be the man to deliver Liverpool their first Champions League trophy since 2019.
After all, Liverpool were eliminated last season by the eventual champions, PSG, in a heartbreaking penalty shootout, and it would be virtually impossible to let Slot go if he can guide the team to European glory.
Still, banking on winning one of the most difficult trophies in world football is still too uncertain to guarantee job security; but, waiting to see how the January transfer window unfolds could also give the manager another opportunity to climb back up the table.
I’m by no means suggesting that Slot lacks reinforcements in midfield and attack, but between the failed summer signing of Marc Guehi, Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury, and Konaté’s miserable form contributing to a shaky defense, adding defensive depth could be key to turning things around.
Rumors suggest Guehi could still make the move to Merseyside in the winter window, and with other defensive talents like Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck also linked to the club, securing one more reinforcer could be Slot’s final chance to steer Liverpool back to winning ways.
Lastly, there is also the simple reality of the fact that sometimes, seasons like this happen.
Pep Guardiola has unquestionably built a far more established managerial career than Slot, yet even he experienced a stumble last season, with Manchester City finishing 13 points off the top after four consecutive titles.
City clearly viewed it as a blip in his tenure and didn't consider sacking him and, sure enough, they are once again in a title race with Arsenal and Chelsea this season.
Additionally, Mikel Arteta, who has managed Arsenal since the 2019–20 season, now looks poised to finally win the league — long after Gunners fans called for his dismissal in previous years — demonstrating the value of a club and fanbase’s patience and belief in a manager.
Naturally, context matters as neither City nor Arsenal have spent as heavily in one window as Liverpool did this summer, but given that Slot delivered a title in his very first season, perhaps he deserves more leeway than he is currently being afforded.
Final Verdict
Taking all of this into account, I believe Slot should be given until the end of the season to prove he is still the right man for the job.
He has been celebrated on fan banners alongside the club’s great managers, and given the affection supporters have shown him, it feels far too soon to turn our backs.
This has unquestionably been the most difficult stretch the club has faced in quite some time, and while the Normal One's position in the table never sunk this low, even Jürgen Klopp endured challenging campaigns despite a talented roster — most notably during the 2020/21 season.
I believe two key benchmarks for evaluating Slot’s job will be Champions League qualification and his impact on the January transfer window.
If Liverpool can secure a top-four finish while addressing defensive issues through reinforcements, I would certainly want to see him return next season to redeem this domestic campaign — something I choose to believe will happen.
However, if Liverpool slide further down the table, miss out on Champions League qualification, and fail to address their glaring defensive issues, Slot could be looking for a new job by May.