Replacing Slot Is Not Liverpool’s Real Fix
The call to replace Slot misses wider factors, from too many new starters at once to a damaging injury run. The argument is for balance, better planning, and targeted squad fixes.
Replacing Arne Slot is being talked about like it is the simple answer, but I do not think it is. Things have not sat right this season, yet Mohamed Salah’s drop in form and the wider decline feel tied to a perfect storm that is not entirely on the manager.
Too many changes at once
The sheer volume of new starters has mattered. Bringing in Wirtz, Isak, Kerkez, Ekitike, Frimpong and Mamardashvili all at once is a lot for any side to absorb, because it disrupts relationships on the pitch and creates that awkward expectation clash when everyone fancies themselves as a guaranteed starter.
Injuries and constant firefighting
For me, the biggest swing has been the injury situation. We started the season well with strong spirit and good results, then injuries forced Slot into firefighting and shuffling players around, particularly down the right.
The list is the key point: Leoni out since September, Bradley out since January, Endo out since February, Frimpong in and out, Konate seemingly carrying fitness issues, Alisson out since March, Isak injured in March, and Ekitike out since April. When that many absences hit, it becomes about survival rather than building momentum.
Right flank issues and accountability
There is also the feeling of dressing room tension. Are players unhappy with Slot’s tactics, or are some failing to look in the mirror? Salah’s form has been inconsistent, with missed chances and lapses in defensive work. When your right winger does not track back properly, the right-back and right centre-back get left dealing with too much, too often.
And when things dipped in Autumn, losing Jota was a huge blow in my view. He was not just about goals, he was a grafter who would move defenders around and open lanes for others.
Recruitment, leadership and the actual fixes
I see this as management failures versus the manager’s job. The club hierarchy did not plan well enough for the future or adapt to the market, and the example given is low bids for a centre-back like Marc Guehi last summer, then similar mistakes again in January. Slot has been left to deal with bad business and bad luck, and that is a very different problem to simply being outcoached.
The fixes being called for are not a full rebuild. The argument is for a reliable starting centre-back with cover, a right winger to replace Salah who will graft and do the defensive work, and a replacement for Alisson if he is moving on. There is also a desire to move on from Gakpo for a younger profile, with Rio Ngumoa mentioned as one to develop carefully.
In midfield, the point is that Mac Allister needs real competition and that Curtis Jones is not the answer in that role. The attack, meanwhile, should click better if Ekitike and Isak get service, with Wirtz and Szoboszlai seen as the creative base if the team has a stable platform behind them. Even the goalkeeper situation comes with a clear focus: Mamardashvili needs time and confidence to tidy up his distribution.
For me, the thread running through all of this is balance. Stabilise the right flank, add a more mobile defensive shield than Mac Allister, and it should free Wirtz and Szoboszlai to play. Sacking Slot just risks creating the kind of instability where managers are churned and players end up with too much power, so the call here is for the club to fix the system and back a long-term plan.
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