The absence of key Liverpool figures at Anfield has raised further questions – Opinion

By Steven Smith
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Is Liverpool Waiting for the Review Before Making the Final Call on Arne Slot?

Liverpool’s season has finally reached its conclusion, yet the uncertainty surrounding Arne Slot somehow feels greater now than it did weeks ago. Despite the constant reports, the endless rhetoric, and the daily swings in media opinion, one thing remains glaringly obvious — no definitive backing has come from the people that actually matter.

And that silence speaks volumes.

The absence of both Liverpool sporting CEO Michael Edwards and FSG owner John W Henry from the final Premier League game against Brentford only intensified the growing feeling that major discussions are now taking place behind the scenes. For a club that prides itself on optics, structure, and executive visibility during important moments, it felt incredibly strange that the two most powerful decision-makers at the football club were nowhere to be seen at Anfield.

Perhaps that was deliberate.

Because if Liverpool are genuinely preparing to dissect the failings of this season and assess whether their current head coach is capable of leading the club forward, it becomes increasingly difficult to publicly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a man whose future sits balanced on a knife-edge.

The Review Was Always Going to Decide Everything

For months now, Liverpool supporters have watched a team that looked tactically disorganised, physically underprepared, and emotionally fragile.

Moments of quality remained because the squad itself is elite.

But structure? Cohesion? Identity? Those elements rarely appeared consistently under Arne Slot throughout this campaign. Even the final game against Brentford felt symbolic of the season as a whole — promising moments undermined by confusion, poor game control, and a lingering sense that Liverpool were never truly functioning as a properly coached side.

That is what Michael Edwards now has to assess. Not isolated results. Not excuses surrounding injuries. Not transition narratives. The actual level of coaching.

Liverpool has too many elite footballers to look this disjointed for such prolonged periods. From midfield spacing to pressing structures to defensive transitions, the same flaws repeated themselves endlessly throughout the season. And when issues continue appearing month after month without correction, responsibility inevitably lands at the feet of the manager.

That is why the review matters so much.

FSG are not an ownership group known for emotional decision-making. They are calculated, methodical, and deeply analytical. Every department will likely now feed information into the final assessment — performances, squad morale, conditioning levels, tactical progression, supporter unrest, and future commercial stability.

Because make no mistake, the atmosphere around the club has deteriorated badly.

The fanbase has largely lost confidence in Slot and the growing disconnect between supporters and head coach became increasingly obvious as the season collapsed into frustration and apathy.

Liverpool cannot allow that to continue into next season.

Silence Often Tells the Real Story

If Liverpool were truly convinced Arne Slot was unquestionably the right man moving forward, this situation would already look very different.

There would be briefings. There would be public backing. There would likely even be movement regarding a contract extension given that Slot now approaches the final year of his deal.

Instead, there is silence.

And silence at a football club of Liverpool’s size is rarely accidental.

The absence of Michael Edwards and John W Henry from the Brentford game may ultimately prove insignificant, but equally, it may reflect a hierarchy already emotionally detached from the current head coach while preparing for difficult conversations this week.

Because ultimately, this season has been a failure.

Champions League qualification only became achievable due to the collapse of others and the introduction of an additional qualification spot. Liverpool were never genuinely competitive where elite standards are expected to exist.

That cannot become acceptable. The review now becomes the defining moment.

And when Liverpool’s most powerful figures finally sit down to dissect this disastrous campaign, Arne Slot may discover that the silence surrounding his future was the loudest warning of all.

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