After guiding Liverpool to just a second Premier League trophy during his debut season in charge, few would have predicted that Arne Slot would be sacked just a year later. Although the decision came as a surprise to many, only a minority believe the Liverpool hierarchy has made a mistake given Liverpool’s decline in 2025/26.
In this article, we will look at whether sacking Slot could come back to haunt Liverpool, or if their only mistake was not ditching the Dutchman earlier.
Position A: Slot Was Responsible for Liverpool’s Decline
Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way.
He leaves with a Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 30, 2026
Speak to most Liverpool fans and they can provide a long list of questionable decisions Arne Slot made over the course of the 2025/26 season, whether relating to formations, tactics, or team selection. A couple of examples include playing Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back or weakening defensive midfield cover by using Ryan Gravenberch in a box-to-box role.
Behind the scenes, there were also murmurs of discontent about some of Slot’s decisions. Some players felt new arrivals were given preferential treatment and were less likely to be dropped after poor performances. Tactically, there were those who disagreed with his decision to shift the attacking focus away from Mohamed Salah and sympathised with the Egyptian’s frustrations.
It would be unfair to say Slot lost the dressing room, but frustration clearly grew as the season went on. It is telling that a dozen players liked Salah’s controversial social media post following the defeat to Aston Villa, which bemoaned Liverpool’s loss of identity and called for a return to “heavy metal football”. While Salah did not mention names, it was widely viewed as players siding with their teammate against Slot.
It is easy to see why frustration built given the drop-off Liverpool suffered across competitions. They finished 24 points worse off in the Premier League compared to the 2024/25 campaign, were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 on aggregate, lost 4-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup, and went down 3-0 to Crystal Palace in the League Cup.
Position B: Slot Deserved More Time After an Unfortunate Season
The more sympathetic view is that most managers would have struggled in charge of Liverpool this season. Even the great Jürgen Klopp was not immune to difficult periods. The injury crisis of 2022/23 saw Liverpool finish 25 points worse off than the season before. That is one point more than the drop-off under Slot, yet only one of those managers was dismissed.
Almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Slot across 2024/25. The first blow came with the tragic death of Diogo Jota. Not only did Liverpool lose a key player, but the emotional impact on the squad was significant. Jota was a well-established member of the team, and losing a friend and teammate inevitably resulted in a lot of trauma.
Then there was the club’s decision to appoint Aaron Briggs as set-piece coach. By December, Liverpool had the worst defensive set-piece record in the league and offered little threat from attacking situations. The situation improved after Briggs was dismissed, but the original appointment was not something Slot had pushed for, yet he had to deal with the consequences.
The club also did Slot few favours in the transfer market. While it is fair to point out they spent a significant amount of money, their failure to sign another centre-back left them light in defence. The late signing of Alexander Isak also meant he arrived lacking fitness and took weeks to get up to speed.
On top of this, injuries consistently disrupted momentum. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley both suffered season-ending injuries and Isak missed four months with a broken leg. While the overall number of injuries was not extreme, their timing often left Liverpool short in key areas, particularly at goalkeeper, right-back and striker. The fact that Liverpool had to rely on their third-choice goalkeeper at times sums things up.
Finally, there was the unexpected decline of Mohamed Salah, which left Liverpool missing what would normally be an extremely potent attacking threat.
Conclusion
Arne Slot statement:
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 3, 2025
Sacking managers is no guarantee of a quick fix, as clubs like Chelsea can attest. Sometimes patience can go a long way, perhaps best demonstrated by Mikel Arteta’s tenure at Arsenal. That said, Liverpool are not a club known for being trigger-happy, and there is a sense they only took this decision reluctantly, having spent much of the season standing by the Dutchman.
Sticking with Slot would have been a risk given his standing with parts of the Liverpool squad and most of the fan base. A positive start could have shifted the mood, but a poor one would likely have created an irreversibly toxic atmosphere and left Liverpool scrambling for a new manager at a far from ideal time.
Given the circumstances, cutting ties now and moving on was perhaps the safest choice. One senior Liverpool figure, quoted in The Athletic, summed up the situation well: “The powers-that-be never lost faith in Arne’s ability as a coach. They just stopped being able to see a way out of his problems at Liverpool.”
Still, sticking with Slot could have remained the most appealing option if no other managers were available, but interest from the highly rated former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has changed the picture and makes sacking Slot less of a gamble. If Iraola can bring success to Anfield next season, the club’s decision to sack Slot will be vindicated.