Liverpool facing scrutiny as Steven Gerrard backs Arne Slot
Liverpool rarely do things in a hurry, yet the mood around Anfield has turned edgy as the 2025/26 season slips further off course. Arne Slot, who only a year ago delivered a memorable Premier League title in his first campaign, now finds himself dealing with the sort of scrutiny that comes with managing a club whose standards rarely dip for long. Defeats, including the recent 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, have pushed the Reds out of the Champions League places and they have yet to win a league game since the turn of the year.
Supporters, frustrated by what they see on the pitch, have begun to float familiar names as potential short term fixes, with Steven Gerrard the most emotive of them all. Liverpool legends always hover in the background during difficult spells, but history tells us the club hierarchy prefers measured decisions over knee jerk reactions.
Steven Gerrard offers insight on FSG thinking
Gerrard, now a seasoned observer of the managerial game, gave a telling assessment of Slot’s situation while working for TNT Sports. His words carried weight because of his long standing ties to the club and his understanding of how Fenway Sports Group operate.
He said: “I think he is under pressure, for sure. I think there’s a large section of the Liverpool fans that are very frustrated. I think some have had enough. I think his pressure is more external, media and supporters that are not happy with the form Liverpool are in from a league point of view.
“I think internally it’ll be different. I think Liverpool have got extremely strong owners, fantastic owners. I think they’d want to give the manager on the back of last season, any manager for that matter, as much support, and they’d want to be extremely strong for Arne Slot during this tough time, and try and give him the opportunity to get the team out of it and fix the issues that they’ve got.
“Knowing Richard Hughes a little bit and Michael Edwards a bit more, I think they would want to be strong and rally around the manager. That’s what Liverpool have done historically.”
Those remarks underline a crucial point. Liverpool’s modern identity has been built on patience and planning, not panic. Even when things go wrong, the club usually looks to fix structures rather than simply change the face in the dugout.
Arne Slot under pressure after Liverpool slump
That does not mean Slot has unlimited time. Results shape narratives and the current one is bleak. Falling away from the top four would carry financial and sporting consequences, especially for a side that had become a fixture in Europe’s elite competition under Jurgen Klopp before his departure in 2024.
Slot’s challenge is to rediscover the energy and clarity that powered last season’s title charge. Injuries and form have played their part, but elite managers are judged on how they adapt. Newcastle United next up feels significant, not because one game will decide his fate, but because momentum matters in a league as unforgiving as this one.
Liverpool future hinges on Champions League push
Speculation that Slot could leave at the end of the campaign “whatever happens” adds another layer of intrigue, though it remains just that, speculation. What Liverpool crave is stability that supports another sustained push at the top.
Gerrard’s comments suggest the board will resist the clamour for dramatic change, at least for now. For Slot, the message is clear. Results must improve, belief must return and Liverpool need to look like a team worthy of their recent champions badge. The coming weeks will tell us whether this wobble is a blip or something more serious.
