Five Liverpool fiascos that will see Arne Slot sacked on January 4th 2025

Three pre-season games and three wins for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, over Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United. Not bad at all.

Despite that, the mood’s not great (though a signing in the works may change that significantly) and following in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp was always going to be tough. We expected Slot to last a bit longer than he’s going to though. As it turns out, he only just makes it to the new year, and we’ve picked out the five key events that lead to his sacking.

Signing Anthony Gordon
If his ‘one-word transfer hint’ didn’t convince you that Gordon’s Liverpool bound, we don’t know what will, and if there is one position Liverpool don’t need to strengthen it’s the left wing. Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all either prefer or look far better playing there than anywhere else. It would be fine if Liverpool had already bought a replacement for Mohamed Salah, a centre-forward, a couple of centre-backs, a defensive midfielder, a goalkeeper and a left-back, but as things stand they’ve signed no one, and while spending £75m on Gordon may be a marginal gain, far more significant improvements to the squad can be made for far less money.

It probably says more about new sporting director Richard Hughes and overlord Michael Edwards, who appears to have lost his magic touch, than it says about Slot, but it’s the manager that will have to deal with the issues that Gordon’s arrival is bound to create.

Spending that much will decrease the pot for other signings, if indeed they make any at all on the back of landing the Newcastle star. Not bringing in a centre-back would be particularly negligent. It will mean one or two players will consistently play in roles unsuited to them, and too much competition for places will inevitably lead to sulking and friction among the players, and an early deep-dive from The Athletic detailing squad cliques and an unnamed player or players’ dissatisfaction with the training methods.

Mohamed Salah injury
He’s averaged 31 goal Premier League contributions per season in his seven years at Liverpool. The question for Slot will be whether they can make up roughly a third of the goals they usually score that Salah provides with the Egyptian sidelined. It won’t be a case of one player bearing the load because not only have they failed to sign someone who could hope to achieve those numbers – which is very unlikely unless they were prepared to stump up £100m – but they’ve not bought anyone to replace him.

It’s bad enough that they’re not equipped to deal with Salah’s potential absence, but to not prepare for what will be his definitive absence at the end of a season is very strange. Harvey Elliott is a fine footballer but he a) is better when playing deeper and b) is never going to contribute to 20 goals a season let alone 30. What about the guy who ‘could save them millions’? Please.

Again it will square pegs in round holes and relying on the third-worst finisher in the Premier League to cope with an injury to one of the best the top flight has ever seen will lead to mass frustration at multiple chances going begging in a string of draws and defeats.

Defeat at Goodison
With Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle among Liverpool’s opponents in the six weeks leading up to the Merseyside derby on December 7, Slot will be in must-win territory by the time they arrive at Goodison Park. And it won’t be defeat on its own that takes him right to the top of the next manager sacked betting but the manner of it; more specifically, his reaction – or lack of it – both on the touchline and in his post-match comments.

Accusations of Not Knowing The Club will have been rumbling in the background for a while with the Dutchman on a hiding to nothing in that respect having followed the honorary scouser into his post. Failing to sufficiently beat his chest and grimace after a particular instance of successful pressing in full view of the TV cameras will lead fans to question whether he has the requisite passion to do the job. Not calling an interviewer a big ol’ fatty after they ask whether Liverpool’s intensity has dropped due to the workload just won’t feel quite right, especially as Slot then fails to take a swipe at the broadcaster for giving them another 12.30 kick-off. Read the room, Arne.

Trent Alexander-Arnold agrees Real Madrid free transfer
Three extension offers rebuffed and not even the promise of the captaincy next season is enough for Alexander-Arnold, who’s had Jude Bellingham in his ear for the last six months. Slot’s attempts to placate him by playing him in midfield has seen Lee Carlsey look past him for consecutive England squads and has led to pastings by the media, to the point where he would rather risk the wrath of the most critical fanbase in world football than stick around.

He signs a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid on very lucrative terms and upon announcing his move in an emotional social media post titled ‘Dear Liverpool’ is forced to train with the reserves, leading to a rift in the fanbase between those spray painting ‘JUDAS’ on his Anfield Road mural and others who can’t believe Slot would be so disrespectful of one of their greatest academy products of all time.

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Spanked at Old Trafford
Alexander-Arnold’s not in the squad, Mohamed Salah’s returned from injury but now has his mind entirely on the Saudi gold, Virgil van Dijk’s doing twice as much pointing and arm waving as defending, and in order to put a rocket up the underperforming senior stars and to desperately get the baying fans back onside Slot turns to the kids, apparently unaware that – so much was their ability tied to his predecessor – they may as well actually have been Jurgen Klopp’s offspring.

Mid-table Manchester United put Liverpool to the sword as Rasmus Hojlund brings his goal drought to an end before scoring two more in a 7-0 rout to match the Anfield thumping two years previously, with the United fans delighting in choruses of ‘Arne’s At The Wheel’ for much of the second half as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s reactions on the gantry are clipped up for social media.

Liverpool thank Slot for his service and send him packing before the day’s out. Steven Gerrard takes interim charge.