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Why Liverpool Pulled the Plug on Arne Slot

Liverpool’s decision to sack Arne Slot was not a surprise within itself, but the timing of it was curious.

Pressure has actually been building on the Dutchman at Anfield since before he lifted the Premier League title in his debut season. While it would be unfair and untrue to suggest the side of feeling had turned at that point, exiting the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain and losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle United in March was a precursor to a stuttering end to the campaign.

Fortunately, the title was long wrapped up, with neither Arsenal or Manchester City capable of reeling them in. But supporters expected better, more definition and a stronger identity. That was before a summer where he spent £450m on new players.

Slot needed to hit back at accusations that he only won the league thanks to the work of his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp. But winning without it being ‘your team’, is surely a more impressive achievement. His calmer approach to possession play blended well with the ‘heavy metal’ tendencies Klopp had instilled.

Looking back now, Slot may never get the credit he truly deserves for that title, because when it came to building his own team, he failed miserably. The tragic death of striker Diogo Jota 11 months ago should not be brushed over when putting Liverpool’s season under the microscope.]]

But you simply cannot spend the money the Reds did on Slot’s watch, including breaking the British transfer record twice on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and take a title-winning team to fifth while eroding the previously clear and rich identity of the team in the process and hope to survive.

It was, ironically, the failure to successfully blend Wirtz and Isak in the team, for different reasons, which proved most costly. Throw in public criticism on two occasions from talisman and fan hero Mohamed Salah and his position felt increasingly untenable.

It was Salah’s social media post before departing Anfield after nine years, pointing out the erosion of style, identity and standards, which was then ‘liked’ by a high number of the squad, which ultimately sealed Slot’s fate.

The Liverpool fans are famed for backing managers, but he had lost them a long time ago.

With former midfielder and Kop icon turned elite coaching prospect Xabi Alonso on the market this summer and joining Chelsea just weeks ago, some may suggest it was silly not to make the change earlier. But it has since emerged that a reunion was never on the cards on Merseyside.

Instead, they’ve turned to Andoni Iraola, who left Bournemouth at the end of last season after steering them to sixth in the Premier League and European qualification for the first time ever. It has been clear for some time, especially taking his overachievement at Rayo Vallecano into account too, that Iraola was destined for a bigger challenge.

But therein lies the reality: Iraola has worked with two of the smallest budgets in the top flights of England and Spain. Expectation is much lower as a result. It is not a given that he will be able to scale up.

Style wise, too, it is a gamble. Although on the surface it is a good fit, and could prove that way, he will need to adapt. Iraola is a huge admirer of Klopp and utilises the same principles of energy, intensity and counter-pressing. He truly embraces chaos, and that has proven very effective when punching ‘up’ with Rayo and Bournemouth.

Liverpool, though, need to break down low blocks and win games in a more pragmatic way, both because most opponents will sit deeper than Iraola has been used to and the number of games they’ll play makes intensity difficult to replicate consistently.

Klopp understood that too. Although his team were particularly effective when he played that way, towards the end of his reign, he attempted to shift the emphasis. He signed possession-skilled midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szobozslai in 2023 and called it ‘Liverpool 2.0’.

But in his final two seasons, Liverpool finished fifth and third, failing to make a dent in the title race.

Iraola needs to prove that he can adapt to his surroundings. But in so many ways, he will fit Liverpool like a glove. If all goes well, they’ll find they have the next big thing in football coaching already in situ.

He has no time to lose, though.