Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s position appears secure despite crashing out of the EFL Cup following a dismal 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Wednesday’s loss to the Eagles marked a sixth defeat in seven matches for the Merseysiders, including their second against Palace during that worrying run.
Having led the club to Premier League glory in his debut campaign at Anfield, Slot’s fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. The Reds launched the season in blistering form, claiming victory in their opening seven fixtures across all competitions. However, a damaging slump has materialised since, leaving Liverpool languishing in seventh position in the league and eliminated from one cup already. The deterioration has intensified external scrutiny, with questions emerging about how much further results must deteriorate before Slot’s position comes under genuine threat.
According to the BBC, Slot is “under the same pressure as every Liverpool manager,” with the primary expectation being to deliver victories consistently. Nevertheless, when answering the question as to whether his role was in jeopardy, the answer was an emphatic: “Not a chance.”
It was also noted Liverpool are “not the sort of club to panic” when confronted with a difficult spell of results. The question of whether Liverpool would turn to former manager Klopp in a time of crisis has been raised.
The iconic Reds manager, who departed Anfield in 2024 due to burnout, hinted at a possible reunion during an October episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast. The German said: “I said I will never coach a different team in England so that means, if [I did return], then it’s Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically it is possible.”
Incumbent Slot has recognised the increasing scrutiny on his position following Wednesday’s defeat. However, he doesn’t believe a second loss to the Eagles in seven games has significantly altered the situation.
Speaking after the midweek defeat at Anfield, he said: “If you are on a run of results like this, if you play for Liverpool, if you manage Liverpool, the pressure is there. I don’t think it has changed much after this loss.
“There are multiple reasons we have lost so many games, but with all the reasons still are no excuses to lose so many. But it hasn’t been helpful that all the games we lost there were only two days in between the games we had to play away from home.”
Liverpool were considered underdogs in the cup clash after fielding a largely reserve side with only academy players on the bench. Despite this, Slot defended his team selection when questioned about whether he had shown the match sufficient respect.
“It is always a blow to lose a game of football,” he told reporters. “Especially if it leads to going out of a competition. But it is the same selection I did last season in rounds like this. There are many reasons we lost five out of six, or six out of seven. None of them are good enough to accept losing so many.”
