Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted there are “no guarantees” he will remain at the club if they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League. However, he pointed to the club’s past patience with Jurgen Klopp as a reason for hope.
Following a damaging 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City last Sunday, the pressure on Liverpool’s season has increased. Club legend Jamie Carragher has said it now looks unlikely the Reds will secure a top-five finish, which is expected to be needed for Champions League football.
When directly asked if his job depended on reaching Europe’s top competition, Slot offered a cautious reply.
“That is again a difficult question for me to answer because I do not decide my future,” Slot stated.
Yet the Dutch coach then highlighted a recent example from the club’s history. He noted that Liverpool kept faith with Klopp at the end of the 2022-23 season, when the team finished fifth and missed out on the Champions League.
“The only thing I do know is that it happened before, and recently, and it didn’t affect the future of that manager,” Slot said, referring to Klopp. “But that doesn’t guarantee anything of course.”
Slot also openly described this campaign as the most difficult of his managerial career. Liverpool’s form has been inconsistent, leaving them four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea ahead of their midweek fixture at Sunderland.
“By a mile,” Slot said, when asked if this was his hardest season. “Because all the other seasons I’ve managed there were only positives. I don’t think I’ve ever lost two games in a row [before].”
He acknowledged that the struggles are unusual for both him and his players, who are accustomed to more success.
“It’s an exception this season for me, as it is for the players,” he added. “The players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws.”
Despite the challenges, Slot insisted the team’s goals are still within reach. “There’s still the possibility that we can do something special this season as well,” he concluded.
Liverpool’s final league positions and potential European qualification will now be watched closely, with Slot’s future seemingly tied to the outcome.