What could go wrong has gone wrong for Arne Slot this season, yet the Liverpool manager deserves a crack at another campaign. Despite a limp defence of the Premier League title, Slot's position should not be under threat.
A Season of Setbacks
When Dominik Szoboszlai slipped ahead of Aston Villa's second goal on Friday night, it summed up Liverpool's ill-fated title defence. Everything that could go wrong for Liverpool did go wrong. Slot, however, does not make excuses. He gives explanations for bad results, of which there have been plenty over the past nine months.
As the cliché goes, final judgement will be based on results. And on that basis, Slot is underperforming relative to expectations. But Liverpool does not have a divine right to win trophies every year. They should be able to withstand and rebound from a bad season, as they did in 2022-23 when Jurgen Klopp's side finished fifth.
Comparing Seasons
Slot's Liverpool of 2025-26 will likely finish fifth or fourth in the Premier League, were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals by Manchester City, and were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. A relatively disappointing campaign can happen, but it becomes untenable only if due to glaring inadequacies from the manager.
Slot has not been glaringly inadequate. He has come off second best in a battle with a series of setbacks. Last summer, he lost Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose importance to Liverpool cannot be overstated. Mohamed Salah's form fell off a cliff, and his presence became disruptive rather than inspirational. Salah's statement about wanting Liverpool to 'go back to being the heavy metal attacking team' said more about the player than the manager.
Injury Woes
Of the expensive new signings, Hugo Ekitike did reasonably well before suffering a terrible Achilles injury just as Alexander Isak was returning from a broken bone in his leg. Jeremie Frimpong has already missed more games for Liverpool through injury than he did in four and a half years for Bayer Leverkusen. These are not excuses but explanations for Liverpool's limp title defence.
Slot was given a three-year deal when he joined in 2024. Delivering a Premier League title in his first year, breaking Manchester City's dominance, was a significant achievement. Whatever happens in the final days of the season, he deserves a crack at righting the wrongs of this campaign.
