Liverpool manager faces intense scrutiny after ninth defeat in 12 games as Reds slump to bottom half of Premier League table in worst run of form for 72 years
08:44, 29 Nov 2025Updated 08:46, 29 Nov 2025
Arne Slot needs to turn around Liverpool’s form(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Arne Slot insists it is “almost impossible” to overhaul his struggling Liverpool side and remains confident he can turn around his players’ fortunes. The Reds are enduring their worst spell in 72 years following a dismal 4-1 Champions League defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
It marked a ninth loss in 12 matches across all competitions, with Liverpool now languishing in the bottom half of the table just six months after securing a record-equalling 20th league title.
Slot’s position as manager is now under significant scrutiny heading into a crucial week, with Sunday’s trip to West Ham United followed by home and away fixtures against Sunderland and Leeds United, respectively.
The Dutchman believes that relentless fixture schedule is making it virtually impossible to contemplate any wholesale changes to his underperforming squad.
“Is the question should I change dramatically?” said Slot when questioned about potentially shaking up his starting XI. “If for example you want another system with five defenders that could be an issue. I don’t even have five defenders.”.
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“It suits the players best the system we are playing now, they have played this system probably throughout their whole career and there is hardly any training time for us.
“So it is almost impossible to change our complete idea about football if we play every two days.”
Remarkably, dethroned champions Manchester City endured an even worse spell this time last year when they managed just one victory in 13 matches, yet still secured third place and reached the FA Cup final before mounting another title challenge this season.
Arne Slot does not believe changes are possible(Image: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
And Slot has pointed to Pep Guardiola’s side’s experience as evidence Liverpool can still rescue their difficult campaign.
“I said already multiple reasons, and I can come up with an extra five or six, for why we are on a run of form like this but they will never be enough to makeup for the results that we have,” he said. “I am not sure but Pep will probably have said the same.
“For example, we had injuries last season as well. So it is not like this season we have injuries and last season we didn’t so that helped us with a better run of form.
Manchester City endured a tough period last season(Image: Mike Morese/Getty Images)
“But indeed (the example of City can help) because they have quality and we have quality.
“The best chance to come out of a situation like this is that we as a team and me as a manager bring the best out of these players again to bring us back to winning ways.
“If we didn’t have the quality we would have had a big problem. I think we have the quality and we have to bring the best out of them again.”
The defeat to PSV equalled Liverpool’s heaviest home loss in European competition and arrived just four days after a humiliating 3-0 Anfield defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. When questioned whether this marked the darkest moment of his 18-month spell at Anfield, Slot responded: “I have already thought a few times that we hit the worst point, or the lowest point.
“Because many times I have said – and actually I still feel this about Wednesday as well – that the score does not reflect the way we played. So every time you are thinking we can keep playing the same but hopefully do better because this team should – and can – play better than we do. Make no mistake about that.
“It is not that we perform at the highest standards we can perform at. But you should expect that given the quality we have, that we have reached the lowest point a few times.”
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