Three losses in a row, a trophyless season looming, and a club-record £570 million summer spend sitting in the wreckage. Arne Slot's response? He feels fine.
"The club knows which period of time we are in. In the meantime, I feel complete support," Slot said Friday ahead of Saturday's home game against Fulham. He extended that to the fanbase too — pointing to Liverpool supporters singing and clapping at the Parc des Princes after a 2-0 Champions League beating by PSG. "As weird as it might sound, I also feel the support of the fans."
It's not as weird as it sounds. Liverpool fans have been patient before. But patience only stretches so far when the ambition level this summer was that obvious.
How bad is it, actually?
Bad. One win in six games. Fifth in the Premier League, 21 points behind Arsenal. The FA Cup exit came via a 4-0 thrashing by Manchester City. The Champions League last eight could still turn, but Liverpool were outplayed in Paris — and they need to be significantly better in the second leg to survive.
The irony is that last season Slot won the Premier League in his debut campaign. The club backed him with the kind of transfer outlay you don't see outside of a rebuild — and now they're scrambling for a top-four finish just to secure Champions League football next year. Liverpool's odds to finish in the top four look shakier with every result, and the Fulham game on Saturday is no longer a comfortable home fixture — it's a pressure test.
Robertson's exit confirmed
In the middle of all this, Andy Robertson's departure was announced Thursday. His contract expires at the end of the season and he won't be renewing. Slot was measured about it — tipping his hat to Robertson's intensity while acknowledging the reduced role had probably accelerated the decision.
"This season he didn't play as much as he was used to — still a lot but not as much as he was used to. As a result of that, he's leaving," Slot said, with a frankness that was almost clinical.
Robertson didn't even start in Paris. At 32, with Kostas Tsimikas pushing him for minutes, the writing had been on the wall for a while. Still, losing a player who has been Liverpool's starting left back since 2018 — in a season where results are already sliding — doesn't make the rebuild feel any cleaner.
"Every player wants as much regular first-team football as possible," Slot said. "But it's a question you should ask him."
