Early in Arne Slot’s tenure as Liverpool head coach, a banner was unveiled at Anfield in his honour.
Emblazoned with a picture of the Dutchman alongside the words “Arne’s Slot Machine,” the banner has become a regular fixture on the Kop over the past two seasons and, for a long spell, seemed to perfectly encapsulate Slot’s Liverpool.
Last season, the Reds were a well-oiled freight train, steaming ahead of the chasing pack and rumbling ruthlessly toward a 20th league title. This term, however, Liverpool’s title defence has been derailed, and they now find themselves embroiled in a race for a top-five finish in the Premier League — and with it a UEFA Champions League qualification spot — against Chelsea, Aston Villa and a resurgent Manchester United. Where only 10 months ago “Arne’s Slot Machine” paid out the ultimate jackpot of a Premier League trophy, now the hardware is repeatedly malfunctioning.
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Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was, on paper, not even Liverpool’s most embarrassing result this month — they lost 2-1 to bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers only two weeks ago. But the utter despondency that greeted the full-time whistle from supporters suggested it was, perhaps, the most damaging of a truly miserable campaign.
Dominik Szoboszlai — who had opened the scoring before Richarlison equalised for Spurs in the 90th minute — stared off into space. An irate Mohamed Salah talked animatedly with fellow substitute Federico Chiesa while Slot dutifully applauded the dwindling number of fans who had eschewed the temptation to leave early.
Some of those who stayed behind booed the Dutchman and his players, having apparently grown tired of watching their team so frequently wilt in the face of adversity. It was not the first time Anfield had audibly voiced its frustration — there were also boos after Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in November and their 1-1 draw with Burnley in January. However, the scale of the discontent was, at least in recent memory, unprecedented.
“I think it is understandable for fans to be frustrated because it has happened already so many times that they have seen the home team not picking up the points they’re expecting due to goals conceded in the last minute,” Slot said in Sunday’s postmatch news conference.
He added: “We are all frustrated — that is completely clear. It is now up to me and the players to take that frustration to Wednesday evening and show the fans the performance and result they deserve because the fans have been supportive all season for us.”
With Liverpool trailing Galatasaray 1-0 heading into the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on Wednesday, Slot and his players have little time to dwell on the weekend’s disappointing showing. The meeting with the Turkish Super Lig champions is shaping up to be the most decisive fixture of Slot’s Anfield career, with opportunities to convince the fanbase of his long-term credentials now few and far between.
Anfield hostility could make Slot’s position untenable
Arguably the most damning aspect of Liverpool’s performance against Tottenham was its predictability. Richarlison’s late strike was the 10th goal the Reds had conceded in the 90th minute or beyond in all competitions this season — the most of any side in Europe’s big five leagues. All of those goals changed the outcome, resulting in dropped points for Liverpool.
With that abysmal record in mind, Anfield was understandably tense heading into the closing stages on Sunday, with most of the noise coming from the away end as Igor Tudor’s men pushed for a deserved leveller.
Many of the Spurs supporters in attendance will have made the trip to Spain last week to watch their side — still winless in 2026 — lose 5-2 in an error-strewn game at Atlético Madrid. And yet, they still seemed to have more belief in a positive result for their team than the fans of the Premier League champions. After the game, Szoboszlai questioned why so many home fans had opted to leave the stadium early, urging fans to “stick with” the team.
1:32
Slot: Liverpool owe ‘frustrated’ fans after late Tottenham draw
Arne Slot reacts to Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against relegation-battling Tottenham after conceding another late goal in the Premier League.
While the Hungary international’s queries were valid, it is a worry for Slot that some match-going supporters are starting to vote with their feet — and with their voices. Social-media criticism has been aimed at the Dutchman for months. However there has been no widespread mutiny in the stands, with Anfield largely having remained behind the team and its faltering head coach.
Sunday, though, felt like a turning point, with the toxicity levels likely to ratchet up another notch if Liverpool fail to progress past Galatasaray on Wednesday. Even if the Reds do make it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, their likely showdown with title-holders Paris Saint-Germain — who knocked Liverpool out on penalties last year — seems an ominous prospect. Next month’s trip to Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup also appears a tough assignment.
Confidence on Merseyside is so brittle, and allegiance to Slot so fractured, that it feels as if the Liverpool boss is only one bad result away from irretrievable crisis. While Slot has retained the support of the club’s hierarchy throughout the darkest days of this torrid season, there is a risk his position could become untenable should Anfield to continue to make its displeasure known.
Apathy a dangerous weapon for Liverpool
It is worth noting it was only last month that Liverpool posted a roundtable discussion between Slot, sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO Billy Hogan to the club’s social media channels. While the in-house nature of the video meant analysis of the Reds’ turbulent season was always likely to be sanitised, the symbolism of Slot sitting alongside two of the club’s most influential decision-makers felt significant. In some quarters, it was perceived as a public show of support for the under-fire head coach, demonstrating the strong behind-the-scenes relationship Slot shares with the Anfield hierarchy.
“You have to have an opinion,” Hughes admitted. “It was an opinion that got Arne into the position he is in, so you can’t shy away from that. But once you have the right person and believe in that person, the judgement isn’t something that is happening on a daily basis. You are working together to achieve something together.”
While Hughes’ words seemed like a pretty clear endorsement of Slot, it must be noted that the Dutchman is yet to be handed a new contract, with his current deal — alongside those of Hughes and Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football Michael Edwards — set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season. Should Slot remain in post next season without extending his terms, debate over his long-term future — and the futures of those above him — is only likely to intensify.
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Burley: Liverpool have had the same issues all season
Craig Burley believes Liverpool’s failure to improve has been something they’ve struggled with all season.
When assessing this season, Hughes conceded that last summer’s influx of new signings required a period of adaptation. Much has been made of Liverpool’s £450 million outlay, however Slot’s advocates would likely point to the fact that the most expensive of those signings, the £125 million Alexander Isak, has missed most of the season through injury, while Liverpool have also recouped £258.5 million (rising to £294.5 million with add-ons) from player departures during his tenure.
Despite showing undeniable flashes of quality, star midfielder Florian Wirtz has not yet lived up to his £116 million transfer fee, and former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong has found his Liverpool career stunted by a succession of hamstring injuries.
The club’s decision to sanction the departure of forward Luis Díaz without sourcing a senior replacement now looks misguided, while the glaring underperformance of key players such as Salah and Alexis Mac Allister has massively hurt Slot’s cause.
All of the above mitigation, though, pales into insignificance beside to the fact the Liverpool boss has had to contend with the death of a much-loved first-team player — striker Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident last July. It remains an unquantifiable tragedy that, while in no way an excuse for Liverpool’s consistently poor form, nonetheless has framed their entire season.
Still, football is a results business and the importance of Champions League qualification is irrefutable, both reputationally and in terms of the club’s finances. The modern game is fickle, and the general consensus among supporters is that Slot’s credit in the bank from last season’s title win is in dangerously short supply.
Where last term the Dutchman was lauded for his calm persona and controlled style of play, he now finds himself accused of being the uninspiring coach of an uninspired team. It is a harsh and perhaps unjust assessment but, for a football club which thrives on emotion, apathy is critical weapon.
With so much at stake against Galatasaray this week, it feels imperative that Liverpool’s supporters rally behind their team. The power of Anfield on European nights has so often proved decisive. For Slot, it might just shape the course of his future.
