Arne Slot under pressure at Liverpool after 0-0 Leeds draw
Liverpool’s eight game unbeaten run has not felt like progress. At the start of January, the Reds sit 4th in the Premier League and are already out of the title race. Arne Slot, who won the Premier League in his debut season, has been backed by £450m worth of summer signings, but the football has too often been slow and toothless, leaving many supporters bored and frustrated.
David Lynch, speaking to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, captured the mood after Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Leeds United at Anfield.
Pressure points after goalless stalemate
A home 0-0 can happen, but not when it matches a wider pattern of laboured attacking play. When the tempo drops, frustration rises, and every sideways pass feels louder than it should. Lynch did not dance around the stakes.
“I think people underestimate that when Liverpool lost 9/12 games not too long ago, he was quite close to losing his job.”
“That was definitely on the agenda and it was close to happening. At the moment, he is effectively on trial.”
Trial is a hard word, yet it fits the current mood. Slot has credit in the bank, he also has a team that is not creating enough.
Contract clock and executive reality
Lynch also highlighted why this season carries extra weight, the contract situation and the club’s freedom to act.
“He’s only going to have one year left on his contract by the end of the season and they’re not tripping themselves up to try and extend that right now.”
“It also wouldn’t cost a lot of money to sack him at the end of the season. If someone better suited is available in the summer, they will go and get them.”
If Liverpool are not moving to extend, then Slot is being assessed. That makes every limp display part of a bigger file.
£450m spend, boredom factor, tactical questions
Big spending should bring clarity. Instead, Liverpool often look like a side trying to avoid mistakes rather than force them. In the final third it shows, too few early balls, too little movement ahead of the pass, and not enough shots that make a goalkeeper work.
Supporters are not asking for chaos, they are asking for urgency. A scrappy 2-1 would be welcomed if it came with intensity and a sense of a plan taking shape.
Summer rumours and what Slot must change
Speculation follows uncertainty, and Lynch referenced the sort of name that will keep the talk shows busy.
“Whether it’s Xabi Alonso if things don’t work out at Real Madrid, or someone else, they will go and do it.”
“If this continues into the second half of the season and things don’t improve, there is every chance that he gets dismissed at the end of the season and we shouldn’t rule it out.”
“Top four might not even be enough and especially if it’s not while playing this style of football.”
That last line is the warning. Champions League football matters, but so does how Liverpool get there. Slot’s job now is to raise the tempo, sharpen the chance creation, and reconnect the team with the crowd, because results alone are no longer calming the noise.
