‘We fight on’ – Arne Slot remains defiant after ‘conversations’ with Liverpool hierarchy

Arne Slot has defiantly vowed to ‘fight on’ as Liverpool head coach amid a prolonged slump for the Reds.

The 4-1 thrashing at home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night was the Merseysiders’ ninth defeat in 12 games, prompting some journalists to claim that the Dutchman might now have ‘one week’ to save his job amid an upcoming triple header of Premier League games in seven days.

However, Lewis Steele reported on Thursday that the 47-year-old retains the backing of the Anfield hierarchy, albeit with the realisation that he’s under pressure to instigate a turnaround in form quickly.

Slot has spoken with Liverpool hierarchy today

Slot addressed the media this afternoon ahead of Sunday’s fixture against West Ham, and the press conference began with him being asked if he’s spoken to sporting director Richard Hughes and the Liverpool hierarchy since the PSV game.

The Reds’ head coach replied (via Liverpool FC on YouTube): “We’ve had the same conversations that we’ve had since I’ve been here. We fight on and we try to improve. That’s what we all try [to do], but the conversations have been the same as they’ve been for the last year-and-a-half.”

Slot knows he needs results very quickly

While publicly the 47-year-old remains defiant, the media scrutiny will intensify if the Premier League champions fail to beat 17th-placed West Ham at the weekend, with the promoted duo of Sunderland and Leeds to follow later next week.

It’s not a common occurrence for Liverpool to dismiss a manager mid-season; it’s only happened twice since the turn of the century (Roy Hodgson in January 2011 and Brendan Rodgers in October 2015), and FSG might continue to afford Slot some patience after what he achieved last season.

However, it’s not unknown for coaches to be sacked within a year of winning the Premier League, and the nature of the beat is that past achievements count for little if the present tense seems irrevocably miserable.

Slot will crack on as the Reds’ head coach for the time being, but the credit that he had in the bank from last season is rapidly running out. He and his players need to respond on Sunday – no excuses.

You can watch Slot’s full post-PSV press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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