Liverpool Plunge Into Crisis as Slot Faces Mounting Pressure
Arne Slot is no longer trying to stop Premier League champions Liverpool from slipping — he’s fighting to keep them from collapsing entirely.
Saturday’s Anfield nightmare against Nottingham Forest was not a stumble; it was a freefall.
What many generously dismissed as an early-season blip, especially after Slot’s impressive title-winning debut campaign, has now erupted into a full-blown crisis for Liverpool and their increasingly embattled head coach.
Club chairman Tom Werner watched on as Liverpool were dismantled 3–0 at Anfield by a vibrant Forest side, producing one of the poorest home performances seen in years.
“It’s difficult to measure how bad it was — but it was very bad,” Slot admitted. “To lose 3–0 at home, no matter the opponent, is a very, very bad result.”
Slot’s job is not believed to be under immediate threat given the credit he earned after succeeding Jurgen Klopp, but the unforgiving nature of elite football means the pressure on him is now unmistakably heavy.
Liverpool managers are always expected to win — and that pressure intensifies when a team loses six of seven Premier League matches, matching the total number of defeats from their previous 58 games.
They have also lost two of their last three league matches at Anfield, the same number as in their previous 53.
The aura of invincibility that carried Liverpool last season has vanished, replaced by a soft underbelly that has been visible since August.
Despite spending £450m on new signings, Liverpool look significantly worse. It is an astonishing regression after last season’s title cruise.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport:
- “Crisis? I’m not sure — but it’s a major problem.
- Six defeats in seven? Unthinkable.
- The wheels are coming off for Arne Slot.”
He added: “It was Klopp’s team, and Slot has made changes — but after spending £450m, they are going backwards.”
Slot, speaking to Match of the Day, acknowledged the responsibility:
“We started well for half an hour, then conceded and couldn’t recover. If things go well or badly, it’s my responsibility. We didn’t create enough, and the adjustments didn’t work.”
One symbol of Liverpool’s decline is Alexander Isak, signed from Newcastle for a British record £125m after a bitter transfer battle. Arriving without full fitness and then suffering a groin injury, his Liverpool career has started disastrously.
Slot gave him a start, but Isak was peripheral and ineffective — almost invisible. He was eventually replaced by Federico Chiesa after 68 minutes, and many felt he could’ve been withdrawn even earlier.
But Isak was not alone. Liverpool wilted across the pitch.
Mohamed Salah, criticized during the recent slump, escaped blame here — he was their only bright spot.
For Slot, however, the statistics are piling up like debris around him.
Since Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner at Crystal Palace in September, Slot has struggled to stop the rot.
Wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid hinted at a resurgence, but heavy defeats to Manchester City and Forest have pulled Liverpool back into crisis.
Even Slot’s substitutions reflected desperation — replacing defender Ibrahima Konaté with striker Hugo Ekitike after just 55 minutes. It looked like a wild gamble rather than a tactical plan. Meanwhile, Isak stayed on the pitch long enough to confirm it simply was not his day.
Florian Wirtz, the £116m summer signing, missed this match through injury — perhaps a blessing — but he too has yet to score or assist in the Premier League.
The numbers behind Liverpool’s collapse:
- This is only the second time they have lost six of their first 12 Premier League games, last happening in 2014–15.
- Only three champions in Premier League history have started their title defence with as many early defeats: Blackburn (1995–96), Chelsea (2015–16), and Leicester (2016–17).
- Liverpool have lost back-to-back league games by 3+ goals for the first time since April 1965 under Bill Shankly.
- They have conceded nine goals from set pieces — as many as the whole of last season.
Forest’s goals illustrated Liverpool’s fragility. Murillo’s opener came from a corner. Their brief “revival” after half-time lasted 47 seconds before Neco Williams set up Nicola Savona to make it 2–0.
The third, scored by Morgan Gibbs-White, prompted many Liverpool fans to leave early. There was no anger — just resignation. Anfield lacked the belief that has fueled countless comebacks.
Liverpool and Slot are now in deep trouble.
Forget retaining the title.
No Premier League champion has ever defended the crown after having 18 points or fewer at this stage.
Liverpool sit 11th, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who still have a game in hand. The reality is clear:
Liverpool are now fighting just to stay in the Champions League race.
And unless Slot finds solutions fast, the pressure on him will only intensify.