Liverpool's 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford has pushed Arne Slot's future into open discussion, with Gary Lineker even naming Xabi Alonso as a possible successor. Slot is now being judged against a season that already includes eleven Premier League defeats, and the noise around him has spread beyond one bad result. There is still no confirmed change in the dugout, only a sharper summer debate than Liverpool would want this late in the campaign.

Why the pressure has grown

Lineker did not dress it up. "Would Slot be there next season? Eleven defeats in the Premier League, still in the Champions League positions. I wouldn't be surprised if Xabi Alonso was there next season," he said. That is speculation, not confirmation, but it reflects where the conversation has moved after Liverpool's latest setback.

The numbers help explain why. Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League on 58 points after 35 matches, and they have lost 11 of those 35 games. That is not a title defence any club would be happy with, even if the standings still keep them in the Champions League places.

Alan Shearer offered the clearest pushback, saying: "I think in terms of what he did last season and winning the league, manager of the season. With the issues and the problems they've had at Liverpool this year, then yeah, I do. If it were my choice, I would have him as manager, yeah." The split is obvious enough: one side sees a manager under real pressure, the other points to last season and argues that the job is not yet up for grabs.

The signings are part of the argument

Micah Richards pushed the focus away from Slot alone and toward recruitment. "I think where the scrutiny comes is the signings. They've not worked," he said, before naming Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

The available stats back up the feeling that those arrivals have not all taken hold cleanly. Isak has made only 13 Premier League appearances and scored 3 goals, Wirtz has a 6.84 Premier League rating, Frimpong has 19 appearances, and Kerkez's rating is 6.66. None of that proves a signing has failed, but it does support the idea that the summer business has not yet given Liverpool the lift it was meant to.

Richards also said Liverpool are "too slow, too passive," adding that they are "too easy to play against" and no longer have the aggression people associate with the club. That criticism lands because it is not just about individuals, it is about a team that has lost the edge that usually protects a Liverpool manager from this sort of public questioning.

Cruyff's line about Ajax makes the speculation even busier. Ajax have been linked to enquiries about Slot, which means the story is now carrying both pressure and succession chatter at the same time. For now, though, the only firm thing is that Liverpool are discussing their manager in public after a 3-2 loss at Old Trafford and 11 league defeats.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 10 outlets. How we work →