Arne Slot insists he feels “complete support” from both the club and the fanbase despite mounting pressure on the Liverpool head coach.
Liverpool have lost three straight games, including a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final and a heavy 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup, contributing to a run of just two wins in their last eight matches.
With pressure rising ahead of the trip to Fulham, live on Saturday Night Football, Slot has reiterated that he feels supported by the club’s hierarchy and supporters. “I am repeating myself a lot but I have said many times, I feel a lot of support,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
Slot pointed to backing from the owners and recruitment figures, naming Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, and described the fans’ response after the Manchester City defeat. “As weird as it sounds, I feel the support of the fans. When we were out in Paris immediately after a 4-0 loss [to Man City] the fans were singing, ‘We love you, Liverpool’. It is fair to say we were outplayed but we went to the away end and they were still singing and clapping for us. That support, we have felt constantly. The club knows what period of time we are in. In the meantime, I feel complete support.”
The league situation adds to the stakes. Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League — a position that would secure Champions League football next season after England gained an extra spot — but they are just one point ahead of Chelsea, with Brentford and Everton a further three points behind. Asked about the pressure to finish in the top five, Slot said: “We faced the champions of Europe and experienced, on that evening, not at the level we want to be. The good thing is that in four or five days, we have another chance to show we can be much more competitive than we were. But it also tells us that if we want to keep improving, we have to keep playing at that level and next season that means Champions League football. If you experience that, you want to be involved in that next season to show we can do even better. We want to have that chance next season, so we have to perform in the league as well.”
Slot acknowledged the physical demands on the squad after the midweek trip to Paris: “Yesterday was a recovery day. Not all of our players are able and capable of playing three days later in another intense game. Let’s see what the line-up brings this time.”
Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor described Slot’s comments as telling ahead of a defining period in what has become a transition phase at Anfield. The impending departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson have underlined that transition, while Slot’s involvement in recruitment for the summer has been interpreted as a sign of confidence from the board in his long-term role.
“We’ve given ourselves not the best situation to be in,” Slot admitted. “Paris kept us alive, so we’re still in that tie. And there are two massive games in the league coming up as well, and afterwards four more. Hopefully, a few more in the Champions League as well.” He added that not all of the club’s problems rest with the head coach, pointing to mistakes and a lack of squad depth that have been exposed this season. Still, he urged belief: where there’s life, there’s hope.
On injuries, Slot confirmed goalkeeper Alisson Becker will not be in the matchday squad as he continues to recover from a muscle problem that has sidelined him for the last three matches — a period in which Liverpool conceded eight goals and scored once. “Alisson is working hard to find his way back in the squad. He will not be back in the squad,” Slot said.
There was better news with Alexander Isak. The club-record signing returned from a long-term injury as a 13-minute substitute against PSG. Isak has made only 16 appearances since his £125m move from Newcastle amid fitness setbacks and a significant ankle issue in December that required surgery after a tackle by Micky van de Ven left him with a fibula fracture. Slot described Isak’s availability as “vital” and welcomed the cameo: “Alex is available for us again is vital for us, of course. It was hard for us to convert chances to goals and he has been a goalscorer his whole life. To have him back is really nice. It was only 15 minutes but it’s good to have him back and hopefully we can grow his minutes. Last time, it took him a while but we are hoping after the great rehab period that we can bring him faster to the level.”
Slot also expressed concern over the fitness of Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez but did not confirm whether either would feature against Fulham.