Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Arne Slot has ‘a week to save his job’, in a brutal takedown questioning the Dutchman’s behaviour after last season’s title triumph.
The scathing assessment of the Dutch manager’s position at his former club comes amid a woeful run of form that has seen the Reds lose nine of their last 12 fixtures.
The most recent came at the hands of Eredivisie champions at Anfield, a 4-1 defeat in the Champions League just days after the Reds suffered the ignominy of a 3-0 home loss by Nottingham Forest.
Carragher argued Slot’s situation has reached breaking point, with an upcoming run of three fixtures likely to decide whether he remains in charge at Anfield.
‘Arne Slot has a week to save his job, he wrote in The Telegraph. ‘It is hard to believe that sentence is being written, but Liverpool’s next three games are against West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United. Anything fewer than seven points will make an already unacceptable situation untenable.’
Slot’s conduct during Liverpool’s title run-in last season has since come back under scrutiny, following footage of him celebrating on the Spanish island of Ibiza before the campaign had officially finished.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Arne Slot has ‘a week to save his job’, in a brutal takedown
The Dutchman has come under intense pressure amid a torrid run of form for the Premier League champions
The Reds have lost nine of their last 12 matches in all competitions and currently sit in the Premier League’s bottom half
He was filmed behind the DJ booth at Wayne Lineker’s O Beach venue, with fans holding ‘Champions!’ placards as he sang along to ‘Freed From Desire’, while several first-team players were simultaneously celebrating in Dubai.
Carragher seized on that moment as a signal of a shift in mentality, claiming Liverpool behaved like a ‘small club’.
‘The immediate response to the victory over Tottenham Hotspur on April 27 was justified and understandable. The supporters were always going to start the biggest party for 35 years after being able to witness their side become champions.
‘But for the manager and players, there were still four games left. No one wants to sound like a killjoy, but the time to arrange parties in Ibiza and Dubai was after the final game against Crystal Palace, not before.
‘It may have seemed good fun seeing all the party videos and photographs on social media, but as the team failed to win any of their final four games, losing twice, accusations of it being a bad look had merit.’
Carragher’s comments followed similar criticism from Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, who branded Slot’s Ibiza appearance ‘disrespectful’ and ‘classless’.
Despite the backlash and Liverpool’s dismal run, Slot retains the support of the club’s hierarchy and insisted on Thursday that he would not step away, stressing instead that he would ‘fight on’.
Liverpool’s trip to West Ham at the London Stadium now looks far from straightforward, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side winning two and drawing one of their last three matches.
Slot’s decision to part in Ibiza with Wayne Lineker before the end of last season has also come under scrutiny amid the poor run
Carragher questioned the logic of signing two expenzive strikers (L-R: Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike)
That recent upturn has removed any sense of routine from the visit to the capital.
Carragher argued that while the focus has centred on form and mentality, Liverpool’s problems ran deeper, pointing to costly transfer decisions.
‘Signing two expensive No 9s was wrong, too. It is like betting on two horses in the same race. You do not buy a striker for £80m and then two weeks later another for £125m, because if they are competing for the same position, only one can win. It cannot work.’
He added that Liverpool’s failure to complete a deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi only worsened the situation.
‘That error was compounded by the failure to pay whatever it took to sign Marc Guehi. For the sake of another £10m, Liverpool may lose over £100m because they will not be in next season’s Champions League unless they sign at least one centre-back in January.’
