‘Not doing himself any favours’ – Arne Slot implored to stop ‘talking himself into trouble’
Arne Slot has been urged to stop ‘talking himself into trouble’ over some of his recent public utterances as Liverpool endure a horrendous run of results.
The 47-year-old openly admitted that he hasn’t ‘found an answer’ to overcoming teams such as Brentford and Manchester United who exploited the Reds’ weaknesses to claim two of the six defeats which have been inflicted upon us since 27 September.
Following last night’s Carabao Cup loss to Crystal Palace, in which the Dutchman made 10 changes to his starting XI, implied that his squad depth is inferior to the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, with several injuries laving the Premier League champions with ‘only 15 or 16 players available’ (liverpoolfc.com).
Slot urged to stop ‘talking himself into trouble’
In a column for The Telegraph on Thursday with the headline ‘Arne Slot risks talking himself into trouble’, Jason Burt implored the Liverpool head coach to cease and desist with the self-defeating narrative, arguing that the Reds don’t have a leg to stand on after spending almost £450m on new signings in the summer.
The journalist wrote: ‘Slot is not doing himself any favours as he tries to arrest a stunning run of six defeats in Liverpool’s last seven games in all competitions.
‘In fact, there is always the danger in such situations of talking yourself into further trouble, aggravating already frustrated fans – and eventually annoying the club’s hierarchy however supportive they are. These things can become self-fulfilling.’
Burt continued: ‘The spend/net spend argument can go on for ever, but do not complain about not having a strong enough squad when you have spent so much. The bottom line is Liverpool did decide to undergo a massive overhaul. No-one forced them to do it. They have to own it.’
Slot and Liverpool in need of results to quieten the scrutiny
At a time when the whole world is queuing up to have a go at Liverpool – something we have to accept when results are going so badly and expectations aren’t being met – it’s natural that even someone as candid as Slot will adapt a defensive stance, rather than kicking his team when they’re already down.
Putting on the poor mouth is a risky strategy amid such a prolonged slump in form, and the references to other clubs’ tactics and squad depth leaves him wide open to further external ridicule.
Burt also makes a fair point about the Reds’ vast summer spending, and although it’s far too early to write off any of the new signings, their collective impact hasn’t been as effective as what we’d have hoped at the end of the transfer window.
Slot would be wise to choose his words carefully in public when things are going so badly on the pitch, but he’s not wrong in stressing that injuries have hampered his squad – as per the trusted Premier Injuries website, Liverpool currently have as many as six players sidelined.
Any team in world football would miss players of the calibre of Alisson Becker, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak, and although those absences only partially explain why things have gone so wrong for us recently, it’s fair to say they haven’t helped, either.
The most powerful statements in football aren’t made with the mouth, but rather by what happens on the pitch on matchday. If the Reds are to create a more positive narrative around themselves, the best way in which to do so is by rediscovering the kind of consistency which brought them Premier League glory last season.
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