The Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group, are facing a familiar conundrum: to stick or twist with head coach Arne Slot? The reigning Premier League champions are in the midst of an alarming decline, with fan discontent rising. Slot has lost the faith of many supporters, and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes his departure is a matter of when, not if.
The owners have been here before, of course. In 2015, Brendan Rodgers suffered the same fate among Liverpool's fanbase after a humiliating 6-1 loss at Stoke City. FSG had to decide whether to stick or twist with the manager who almost brought the Premier League title back to Anfield in 2014. They eventually kept faith with Rodgers, but with a rebuilt backroom staff.
Rodgers was backed with big money to sign players of the calibre of Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino, who went on to be Liverpool greats. However, the ploy failed, and Rodgers was sacked in early October, replaced by Jurgen Klopp. It was the start of a new era of success for Liverpool.
So, what will FSG do now? Will they keep faith and bankroll a head coach who was backed with a £450m transfer outlay last summer, or cut their losses to make a fresh start? There are currently no indications that FSG are planning to part with Slot, but the voices of Liverpool supporters are rising in volume against him.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is the name on the lips of the Kop. Alonso is a hugely popular figure with them following a stellar Anfield career, having won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen before a short spell in the dysfunction of Real Madrid. Murphy believes Slot's departure is now purely a case of when, not if, given the increasing revolt in the stands.
Murphy revealed that he was interviewed by Rodgers for a role in that last reshaped coaching team before the manager was sacked. He feels that Slot has won a title, which Brendan didn't do, so on the surface, it would make more sense to stick with him. However, the problem Slot has got, especially at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is that when the fanbase turns, it is really, really struggling to get them back unless you win every game, then not just win, but win in a style Liverpool fans expect and demand.
This season, Liverpool has been dictated to by the way other teams play at Anfield. Murphy believes that Slot's biggest difficulty is winning back the support of Liverpool's fans, which has been rapidly lost this season. He doesn't see a situation where the fans get back to being 100% behind Slot, irrelevant of transfer ins and outs. For that to happen, he will have to go on a run like he did in the first season, where he basically won every game.
Murphy has sympathy for Slot, especially after the churn of signings in the summer. He believes that the new players have found it difficult to cope with the pressure of playing for Liverpool. If you take Hugo Ekitike out, the rest have struggled. Alexander Isak has been injured. Florian Wirtz is a real talent, but has not produced enough goals or enough creatively.
Murphy feels that FSG run the risk of falling behind should they follow the Rodgers template from 2015 and keep Slot in place. He believes that it is unlikely that the team will start the next season amazingly well, with everything going brilliantly. Instead, they might have to take a decision when everyone else is kicking on.
In my opinion, the inevitable departure of Slot is a matter of when, not if. The main reason for saying this is not a dislike of him. I think he's a good guy and a very bright coach, but the reality is that Liverpool's fanbase is as powerful as any out there, for all sorts of reasons. We know how strong they are in fighting the cause over tickets and other issues, not just the manager. I don't remember a time when the fans turned on a manager then turned it back around.
