What will he think when he looks back at this period? First in a press conference he was asked if he’d spoken to Xabi Alonso; then he found himself being asked in a separate interview whether he could still be successful at Liverpool.
The smile has disappeared from Arne Slot’s face of late and can you really blame him? Feted having masterminded Liverpool’s 20th successful title winning campaign, now under siege in large quarters of his own club’s fanbase, a man seemingly lucky to have a job.
Managing Liverpool has never been easy but, currently, it seems practically impossible. Thumbs up one week, thumbs down the next, Slot must feel like a gladiator in the colosseum awaiting the emperor’s decision – such wild swings of emotion are the antithesis of what this club stands for.
Have Liverpool hit the heights expected of them this season? Not in a million years and it would be nonsensical to suggest they have. The very fact Anfield was emptying long before the final whistle in recent games against Burnley and Leeds tells you how flat mood has been.
There is frustration that Liverpool will not be going head-to-head with Arsenal in the final months of the season, trying to win the title again, but the criticism of Slot – and some of the questions he has faced – has gone too far during one of the most emotionally-challenging periods in the club’s history.
‘If you’ve won the league at a club which has won it twice in 30 years, I am surprised to hear that,’ Slot replied to a question from TNT Sports before his team played in Marseille, the subject of which was whether he needed to prove he could deliver what Liverpool expect, the glory and success.
‘If that is the situation, then I have to accept it. I’ve tried the same things as last season this time around. Every time we’ve been a goal down, I’ve made offensive substitutions, and wherever I can, I am playing a team that is as offensive as possible.’
He stayed true to his word in Marseille and Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to a 13th game; in the last 1170 minutes of action, they have been behind for just 54 minutes and they have kept clean sheets in the San Siro, the Emirates Stadium and, now, the broiling Stade Velodrome.
From the first whistle, Liverpool were terrific and full value for the shellacking they gave to the home side, a performance which evoked echoes of a dominant display here in December 2007, a 4-0 win for Rafa Benitez’s squad propelling them onto a run that saw them reach the semi-finals.
Slot sussed out a while ago that unless he is winning every game 4-0 and having 40 shots per game with 85 per cent possession, it won’t be enough for some who harbour the perception that Liverpool should automatically be successful, not that it needs to be earned.
But, quietly, there have been promising green shoots: Florian Wirtz is influencing games and looks stronger; Jeremie Frimpong is having a positive impact at right-back, Hugo Ekitike carries the kind of swagger a Liverpool number nine requires.
They all had a role in what was Liverpool’s most professional and polished night of the season, the authority they exerted over a Marseille side that has been scoring goals for fun in Ligue 1 about as complete as the Head Coach could have hoped for, an evening after which he was entitled to smile.
As was the case in Milan five weeks ago, the last time Slot went into a Champions League fixture with questions about his position, Liverpool responded impressively. If there was no faith in the plan he devised and the tactics he implemented, the final score would not have been 3-0.
Clearly, the squad is buying into what he is saying to them. His critics won’t want to hear that and, doubtlessly, they will be waiting for the next misstep, which could even come at Bournemouth – a team that carries a degree of unpredictability – this weekend.
Something about Liverpool, however, tells you they are going to peak as spring blooms. Slot’s messaging never changes when he analyses games and he has trust in the process he is overseeing, even if some remain ambivalent.
You would think, given everything he has had to contend with, that someone from Liverpool’s hierarchy would step forward and provide Slot some much-needed public backing and it remains curious why Sporting Director Richard Hughes has not done so. He should change this soon.
Slot, in the eight months since Liverpool became Champions, has faced up every week, taken every question and tried to find the right words against the backdrop of tragic situation that people shouldn’t need to be reminded about, all while trying to blend a new team.
The Dutchman has handled more stress since last May than many contend with in a lifetime yet he knows the scrutiny about his job will persist and those who have made their mind up already won’t be for turning.
Such chaos would have broken many men but Slot ploughs on and so he should: Liverpool’s values are about patience, they are not a basket case like Chelsea or Real Madrid, where a manager can be thrown to the lions after delivering triumphs. It’s time such reasonable behaviour followed.
Whisper it quietly, he might even do so again in May. The idea has long persisted that Liverpool would be more suited to the Champions League this season than the domestic grind; maybe a long walk on the path down to Budapest is how it’s all going to play out.
The sceptics won’t see it that way. Slot, fortunately, can still see the bigger picture. He will be better for facing the storm head on.
