Defiant Arne Slot Fires Back at Critics as Liverpool Crashes to Historic 72-Year Depths
Liverpool boss Arne Slot maintained that he receives "substantial backing" from the club's hierarchy despite experiencing a catastrophic spell of results not witnessed since Britain was under wartime food restrictions.
The Merseyside outfit was completely outplayed by PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday evening, suffering their ninth loss in 12 matches - marking the club's poorest sequence since a terrible period spanning November 1953 to January 1954.
The 4–1 home defeat against PSV followed back-to-back 3–0 losses to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City in England's top flight. The last occasion Liverpool endured three straight defeats by three-goal margins dates back to December 1953, according to Opta statistics.
This also marks the first instance this millennium that Liverpool have shipped three or more goals across three consecutive fixtures in all competitions, with the previous occurrence happening in 1992.
Liverpool's current form has been absolutely catastrophic. pic.twitter.com/tdjLbDBJjO
The horrendous run over recent weeks has left the defending Premier League champions languishing in 12th position domestically, 13th in the Champions League table, and already knocked out of the League Cup.
Following an almost perfect inaugural campaign at Anfield, the romance between Slot and Liverpool has definitively ended. Many viewed the PSV home fixture as crucial for Slot's squad, and now the Dutch manager's position will likely face intense examination—if it hasn't already—unless performances improve rapidly.
Arne Slot: I Feel Secure
Predictably following the recent performances, questions about Slot's job security were inevitable, and the Dutch tactician didn't hesitate to address the matter directly.
"I feel secure, I'm fine, I receive substantial backing from the hierarchy," he informed reporters. "It would be wonderful to reverse this trend and secure a win naturally, but when you're working as a manager and struggling, it's normal for questions to arise. I'm comfortable with my situation. This isn't my first challenging period, but it's time we turned things around."
"We communicate frequently," Slot explained regarding his relationship with the ownership. "They support both the squad and myself, and we maintain those discussions, though they don't contact me constantly to express their confidence. Through our regular conversations, I sense their trust. However, I haven't spoken with them following tonight's match, so we'll see."
The last time Liverpool experienced such poor form, Winston Churchill led the nation. 72 years ago. #LIVPSV
Despite reassurances from Liverpool's leadership, Slot remained critical of the team's performances. "I believe it's shocking for everyone," he acknowledged. "For the squad, for the media present, for myself, for everyone this comes as a shock. It's extremely, extremely, extremely surprising considering the talent we possess."
Slot's Liverpool now hope to break this negative cycle when they travel to face West Ham United this Sunday. Adding a fourth straight loss against a Premier League relegation candidate would be absolutely disastrous for the second-season manager.