On Borrowed Time: What Arne Slot Must Do to Save His Liverpool Job
Liverpool Football Club rarely lives in limbo, yet that is exactly where it finds itself as another decisive spring approaches. Arne Slot remains in charge, but only just, and the sense that this season is being played out under review rather than trust is impossible to ignore. After a horrendous autumn and a winter that stripped belief rather than restored it, the Dutchman’s future sits firmly on a knife-edge. With Xabi Alonso’s name never far from the conversation, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are quietly preparing for a decision that will shape the next five years at Anfield.
The Case for Survival: Results, Rhythm, and Resistance
If Arne Slot is to keep his job beyond May, the pathway is brutally clear. Liverpool must not only win, but win convincingly and consistently, particularly in the Premier League. Top-four qualification feels like a minimum requirement rather than a bargaining chip, and any serious drop-off would almost certainly trigger change. Beyond raw results, however, the football itself must evolve. What has undermined Slot most is not isolated defeats, but repetition — the same struggles against low blocks, the same slow circulation, the same lack of coordinated movement once opponents refuse to engage.
Recent performances against Newcastle and Qarabağ hinted at what Slot’s Liverpool can look like when space is offered. Ten goals across two games, fluid movement, vertical intent, and players thriving when asked to attack rather than solve puzzles. The upcoming visit of Manchester City is therefore fascinating. Pep Guardiola will not arrive at Anfield to sit deep or starve his own side of the ball. City will play, dominate possession phases, and commit bodies forward. That environment suits Liverpool and could provide Slot with a platform to reinforce belief — both internally and externally.
A strong run in the Champions League would also matter. European nights still carry weight at Anfield, and progression with authority could soften the appetite for immediate change. If Liverpool looks organised, dangerous, and confident against elite opposition, the argument for continuity gains traction. But it must feel earned, not accidental.
The Inevitable Pull of Alonso and the Low-Block Problem
The shadow of Xabi Alonso complicates everything. His potential appointment is not just a change of manager; it would be a philosophical shift. A move toward a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system would require structural buy-in, patience, and squad recalibration. Manchester United’s struggles under Ruben Amorim offer a cautionary tale — formation upheaval without total alignment can derail even talented squads. Edwards and Hughes will be acutely aware of that risk.
Yet, the core issue remains unresolved under Slot: Liverpool’s inability to consistently break down organised, passive opponents. Since the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, progression from deep has lacked imagination and authority. The patterns are predictable, the width often sterile, and the central overloads too easily smothered. This has become Liverpool’s Achilles heel and the primary reason confidence drains from both stands and squad alike.
Slot may feel unlucky, even misunderstood, but excuses no longer land. Fatigue, refereeing, or game state explanations cannot mask a season-long tactical shortfall. If he cannot demonstrate clear solutions to low-block football between now and May, sentiment will not save him.
These months are among the most intriguing in Liverpool’s modern history. The squad is talented, the infrastructure elite, and the ambitions unchanged. The question is whether Arne Slot can re-galvanise a group that looks tactically uncertain and emotionally fragile — or whether a reset, led by a former captain with a bold new vision, is inevitable.
For now, Slot remains. But at Anfield, borrowed time has a habit of running out quickly.