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Beth Lindop
Various Contributors
Upon exiting Etihad Stadium following the 4-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, the visiting Liverpool supporters availed themselves of a moment to praise a revered figure from the club’s past. Regrettably for manager Arne Slot, neither his name nor those of his current squad members were being chanted. Rather, the fans voiced their admiration for ex-midfielder Xabi Alonso, widely considered the preferred successor to Slot as the team navigates an increasingly dire season.
Further exacerbating the predicament for the Dutch coach, this mass departure by fans occurred with over 20 minutes still left in the FA Cup quarterfinal match. Given that the home side had already established a dominant 4-0 lead and were comfortably advancing to the semifinals, even the most hopeful Reds aficionados had relinquished any expectation of a comeback.
This marked Liverpool’s fifteenth loss across all tournaments this term – their highest tally in a solitary season since 2014-15, when Brendan Rodgers’ struggling tenure saw them accumulate 18 defeats. Moreover, it represented Slot’s most substantial loss as Liverpool’s manager and the widest losing margin for the club since their crushing 7-2 defeat away to Aston Villa in October 2020.
After cementing his place among Anfield’s celebrated figures last season by securing the Premier League championship in his inaugural attempt, Slot now observes the club experiencing one of its most tumultuous periods in contemporary memory.
The UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg encounter against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night already carried immense importance; currently, it is difficult to shake the impression that this fixture could determine the trajectory of Slot’s managerial career at Liverpool.
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Hutchison questions Arne Slot’s long-term prospects at Liverpool
Don Hutchison expresses skepticism that Arne Slot will remain Liverpool manager by the commencement of the next season, following their elimination from the FA Cup by Manchester City.
Liverpool’s “competitive drive” has diminished
Potentially, the most condemning element of Liverpool’s surrender at the Etihad was its uncanny similarity to their prior league fixture at the venue last November, where they suffered a 3-0 loss amidst a brutal sequence of nine defeats in a dozen matches.
Contrasting their previous trip to Manchester, Liverpool commenced Saturday’s game positively, creating two significant scoring opportunities, which Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike each failed to convert. A lack of clinical finishing has persisted as a problem for Slot’s squad this season, and they were once more punished as City decisively broke them down in an an intense 20-minute period, netting four goals straddling the halftime whistle.
Mirroring the league encounter, Liverpool frequently contributed to their own undoing. Skipper Virgil van Dijk gave away an awkward penalty leading to the opening goal, and subsequently, Ibrahima Konaté permitted Erling Haaland to bypass him with excessive ease, resulting in City’s second goal just prior to halftime.
Just as in November, City delivered the initial blow, and Liverpool proved incapable of recovering. The Reds’ inherent weakness rendered them susceptible to a complete rout, and this most recent loss marked the fifth occasion in the 2025-26 campaign that they had been defeated by a margin of three goals or more. Liverpool did not experience a single loss of that magnitude last season, and only once endured a 3-0 defeat during the 2023-24 term.
“Our competitive drive was insufficient, our mental fortitude was lacking,” midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai conveyed to TNT Sports following the match. “Frankly, none of us performed to our full capacity.”
This was a troubling statement, consistent with Liverpool’s persistent tendency to exhibit a lack of resolve when confronted with setbacks. This season, the Reds have emerged victorious in merely two of the 19 matches where they conceded the initial goal – a dreadful statistic for a squad previously lauded as “mentality monsters” by their erstwhile manager Jürgen Klopp.
Persistent comparisons linking Slot with his captivating forebear have troubled the Dutchman for a significant portion of this season. Although Slot’s more restrained, direct demeanor was praised last term, it has since prompted doubts regarding his capacity to motivate a collective demonstrably in need of profound encouragement.
Undoubtedly, there is a sense that Liverpool desperately needs a significant overhaul, as the cohesion among the head coach, the players, and the fanbase has eroded throughout this campaign. The sight of Szoboszlai confronting the handful of supporters still present inside the stadium when the final whistle blew on Saturday perfectly illustrated the extent of the current disunity.
For any managerial figure, re-establishing harmony during a period of turmoil presents a formidable challenge. Reclaiming a spirit of solidarity, both within the team and among its followers, appears to be an especially arduous endeavor for a Liverpool coach who increasingly seems to be struggling against prevailing sentiment.
A Champions League setback might strain FSG’s endorsement
Naturally, Slot ought not to bear the entire burden for Liverpool’s current downturn. Setbacks due to injuries among crucial squad members, insufficient team development, and the unfortunate absence of forward Diogo Jota just before the preseason period have all compounded his role this term.
The athletes, furthermore, must acknowledge that they have consistently fallen short of the standards anticipated from them as Premier League titleholders, concerning both their demeanor and their execution. The fact that two of City’s goals on Saturday materialized almost immediately after Liverpool relinquished possession from their own throw-ins suggests a team frequently neglecting fundamental aspects of play.
“Should you assert that out of City’s fifteen attacking movements, we failed to track them on all fifteen occasions, I would dispute that,” Slot commented during his press conference after the match. “However, upon a direct examination of the goals, I observe untracked runs, unblocked crosses, and un-won challenges. Each instance we neglect to impede a cross or pursue an opponent, a goal resulted.”
This feeling was reiterated by Van Dijk, who extended an apology to the fans for his team’s spiritless performance and conceded that Liverpool appeared to “capitulate” subsequent to City registering their third goal just five minutes into the second period.
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Nicol: Arne Slot faces significant difficulties following defeat against Man City
Steve Nicol expresses concern for Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool after a 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Nonetheless, the ultimate accountability rests with Slot. Liverpool’s supporters are – by contemporary football metrics, at any rate – a comparatively forbearing group, yet witnessing fans departing early from the Etihad will undoubtedly cause apprehension for Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club’s proprietors.
Having secured what amounted to merely Liverpool’s second league championship in 35 years last season, Slot merits deference and gratitude, irrespective of where his protracted career trajectory might lead. FSG and athletic director Richard Hughes have consistently offered him their steadfast backing during the unpredictable developments of this dismal season. However, a crushing defeat by PSG – or league losses to established adversaries Everton, Manchester United, and Chelsea in the forthcoming weeks – possesses the potential to render his role unsustainable.
Even should Slot manage to achieve this season’s fundamental objective of securing Champions League entry, retaining him as manager beyond the summer period renders him vulnerable to renewed animosity at the earliest indication of difficulty in the subsequent term.
Currently, it appears the singular pathway to reclaiming the complete endorsement of a disheartened supporter base involves triumphing in the Champions League. This notion seems improbable given that the reigning champions, PSG, previously overcame Chelsea with an 8-2 aggregate score in the preceding stage, and a potential encounter with either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid looms in the semifinals. Nevertheless, the esteemed reputation of European tournaments has frequently lent luster to what might otherwise be an ordinary Liverpool season, and the possibility of a similar occurrence should not be entirely disregarded.
Unquestionably, PSG’s head coach Luis Enrique and his illustrious roster of athletes will not presume their progression to the last four, especially since they needed a penalty shootout to overcome Liverpool on their way to last year’s title. In certain perspectives, the Reds’ elimination in the round of 16 last season by the French champions is perceived as the onset of their downturn under Slot’s leadership.
Should Liverpool fail to deliver an exceptional performance against these identical adversaries this season, it could very well be the decisive factor determining the Dutchman’s destiny.
