Online Reporter
LAST time chairman Tom Werner sat in the Anfield directors’ box, it was to witness Liverpool lifting the Premier League trophy.
And the American could never have imagined on that back-slapping day that, six months later, he would be forced to consider Arne Slot’s future.
But he returned on Saturday… and that is exactly what he and the club’s Fenway Sports Group owners must now be seriously contemplating.
Under the Dutchman, a team that romped to the title in his first season are now drowning beneath a tide of dire defeats.
Slot just cannot stick his finger in the dyke. Instead, fingers are being pointed.
A sizeable number from the fanbase — plenty of whom were deserting the sinking ship long before the final whistle signalled a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games.
The majority stayed but still booed their team off. Defender Virgil van Dijk launched a scathing tirade after Sean Dyche’s rapidly-improving Nottingham Forest had embarrassed him. And the skipper insinuated team-mates were lacking the grit champions need to defend crowns.
It will have interested his targets that while he declared “we” need to look in the mirror and “we” lost a goal to a set-piece — again — he did not discuss his own failings as captain.
Wayne Rooney, who suggested the central defender and Mo Salah had not been showing the correct leadership qualities, would have cocked an ear, too.
Slot, meanwhile, was doing what all managers think is the decent thing to do — blaming himself.
Yet his attempts to deflect criticism from a team that laid down arms once Murillo struck the 33rd-minute opener just sounded hollow.
He was as convincing as the defence commanded by Van Dijk.
Werner will not have enjoyed either what he saw or heard.
Hard talking, surely followed by hard thinking on behalf of himself and FSG head honcho John W Henry, will be taking place.
After a £426million summer splurge, they are getting little bang for their buck — and the buck stops with Slot.
Van Dijk is right that too many in red give up the ghost now after going behind — but it is the manager who is supposed to inspire. That is just not happening right now.
The Americans might have appreciated straight-talking from the ex-Feyenoord chief and some criticism of players who no longer deserve his protection. Better still, outlining a plan to halt the Kop crisis — and fast — ahead of PSV Eindhoven visiting in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Yet EIGHT defeats in 11 games across all competitions have left Slot weakened and sounding such.
And if things carry on like this, Henry and Co will have to be ruthless.
Unlike the quaking home players, who opened the door for Nicola Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White to score after Liverpool conceded a ninth set-piece goal of this campaign.
Reds chiefs would not be alone in sacking a boss the season after Prem glory — Jose Mourinho got the boot from Chelsea in 2015 and Claudio Ranieri from Leicester in 2017.
Liverpool love indulging in their “This Means More” slogan but FSG’s blueprint for domination will ultimately mean more to them than Slot.
It would help if £130m British-record buy Alexander Isak were to come out of semi–retirement having gone on strike at Newcastle.
The Swede had just 15 touches against Forest before being hooked. Their £100m man Florian Wirtz was ruled out injured, though it was hardly much of a loss given his own struggles.
Dropping centre-back Ibrahima Konate would be a good plan, given his mind appears to be on seeing out his contract before joining Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid.
Simply put, something has to change or FSG will change their manager — a bit like Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis did just over a month ago.
He saw the writing on the wall after just eight games of Ange Postecoglou’s reign and dumped him for Dyche.
Cut-throat or not, that decision looks like it could save his club’s season.
Henry and Werner will not want to do the same — but if they are not already considering alternatives and preparing for the worst, then they should be -Sun.
