Liverpool Fail to Reach Champions League, Arne Slot Threatened with Dismissal

Liverpool manager Arne Slot. (X/@LFC)

JAKARTA - Manager Arne Slot's honeymoon with Liverpool is soon over. If Slot fails to bring Liverpool into the top four to get a ticket to the Champions League, he is threatened with dismissal.

Slot was indeed unlucky in his second year in the English League. After achieving great success in his debut as Liverpool manager when replacing Juergen Klopp by delivering the Reds to the English Premier League title, but now Slot is in a slump.

Liverpool is definitely failing to defend the title because they are 22 points behind the leader of the Arsenal standings. Not to mention approaching Arsenal, Liverpool's target, which is currently in sixth place, is to enter the Champions League zone. However, they have to fight hard because they are competing with Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester United.

Liverpool actually still survive in the FA Cup and the Champions League. The question is, Mohamed Salah et al have lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League 16th round. Liverpool's hopes are still open in European competitions because there is a second match held at Anfield.

If he fails in the Champions League and cannot get into the top four, then the threat of dismissal for Slot will be louder. Former Arsenal player Paul Merson, who is now a football pundit, said Slot's position was uncomfortable if he failed to meet the target.

"If he [Slot] wins the FA Cup, but fails to finish in the Champions League zone, it's like it's useless. In my opinion, Liverpool should be able to get into the Champions League because they face the problem of financial fair play rules," said Merson as quoted by Sky Sports.

"If you want to play in the Champions League, you need better quality players. And, they need a central defender. In addition, the team also needs an additional right back as a cover," he said again.

In Merson's analysis, Liverpool's achievements this season are disappointing considering their status as defending champions. Especially with the huge player spending capital. The slot has spent more than 400 million pounds to buy players, including Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak who broke the transfer record in the English League.

But instead of the squad getting stronger, on the contrary they almost collapsed. Contrast with last season when Liverpool did not buy players and Slot had to maintain the squad left by Klopp. They played consistently and won the league even though they failed in the Champions League, FA Cup and English League Cup.

"They had a bad season. It's really strange and hard to accept because you just won the league. They showed a team that fought great for the last two or three years. But when new players arrive, they fail," he said.

"But he [Slot] has to be able to bring the team to finish in the top four," said Merson.

Meanwhile, Slot did not think about his position which was rumored to be threatened if he failed to meet the target. However, he admitted that it was difficult for The Pool to repeat the success like last season.

"We made it to the final of the English League Cup [but lost to Newcastle United]. We almost beat Paris Saint-Germain in the 16th round [Champions League]," Slot said.

"But this season, honestly, we are having difficulties compared to last season. But we can still win trophies. We have qualified for the FA Cup quarter-finals and survived in the Champions League 16. In addition, this squad is growing. Even this team will continue to grow in the years to come. So I see Liverpool's future is very bright," he said.