Arne Slot has reportedly been given a deadline to turn Liverpool’s fortunes around with Jurgen Klopp linked with an unlikely return to Anfield.
Liverpool are in crisis this season and that has been an unavoidable fact for several weeks now.
So bad is the situation that it’s no longer a matter of opinion that Slot’s job is in danger.
It’s a very complicated situation, of course, given that this season is not just shaped by football factors but also by the very human response the players have had in losing their friend and teammate, Diogo Jota.
However, Liverpool is also a business, and the owners are tasked with the unenviable position of making cold and calculated decisions with nothing but the best interest of the club in mind.
Slot ordered to fix things by Christmas amid Jurgen Klopp links to Anfield return
According to a report from German outlet SportBILD, Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are thinking about bringing Klopp back to the club amid the turbulent form this season.
Arne Slot has apparently been given a deadline of Christmas to get the side playing as they should be in the wake of the £466million summer transfer spend. Specifically, the Dutch coach has been told to reunite the dressing room which, in the wake of Mohamed Salah’s comments, looks a big hill to climb.
Klopp’s comments about returning to Liverpool have done nothing to defuse speculation either.
After he was asked about returning to Liverpool, Klopp said that it’s “theoretically possible.”
Given how much of a straight shooter the German is, it’s quite interesting that he didn’t outright deny the possibility.
Has Arne Slot been coasting on the foundations left behind by Jurgen Klopp?
This is a complicated question and one I’ve seen doing the rounds on Twitter the last several weeks.
For one, it takes a lot more than sturdy foundations and a talented group of players to ‘coast’ to a Premier League title with enough games to spare that the squad was going on holiday between the final few games of the season.
It also completely ignores all the positive work he did to develop the players he was left. For instance, the major difference between the team Klopp had in his final season and the one that Slot inherited and won the league with is Ryan Gravenberch.
Klopp, for all his man-management skills, did not get the best out of the Dutchman. Slot came in, and after Martin Zubimendi rejected Liverpool, he trusted the young midfielder in the no.6 role with zero experience in the position.
Moreover, it’s not that easy to win the Premier League title. Sure, Liverpool were fortunate that Manchester City endured their worst season under Pep Guardiola while Arsenal were not the team they are this season.
Yet, it’s still the Premier League. Slot had Liverpool playing an entirely different brand of football, and to do that and win the league means he deserves a lot more credit.
At the same time, Slot rightfully deserves a lot of the stick he has been getting the last few months.
But to suggest he has merely benefited from the fine work Klopp did is lazy at best.
