'Everybody thought': Slot hints at why he kept his job at Liverpool despite worst run for more than 70 years
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Arne Slot appears to have come through the other side of intense pressure over his position at Liverpool.The Dutchman had looked destined for the sack only two short weeks ago after a string of desperately poor results.Slot actually led Liverpool to their worst run for 72 years at one stage, and after Mohamed Salah took aim at him following the draw at Leeds a fortnight ago, his days at Anfield seemed numbered.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. Speaking after Saturday’s win over Spurs, the Reds’ head coach hinted at why those fans are likely to be disappointed.Liverpool hierarchy understand Arne Slot’s strugglesAfter Liverpool spent more than £400m in the summer transfer window, many supporters automatically assumed they’d be in for another dominant season under Slot.But football does not work like that.
New arrivals take time to settle and gel, and the teams that win tend to be ones who have been together for a long while.Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Arne Slot did something genuinely bizarre in the dying minutes to help Liverpool cling on v TottenhamNevertheless, many football owners would not accept that as an excuse for being as poor as Liverpool have been. Luckily for Slot, he has the backing of football people such as Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, who – according to the Dutchman – knew things could take time to click.“I think it’s never been as bad as people said,” Slot said after pointing out that Liverpool have picked up some good results in the Champions League especially.“But it’s also true that we are definitely not perfect yet.
Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say How long should Liverpool give Slot to get it right?Although Hughes and Edwards were right in predicting things may burn slowly at Liverpool this season, there comes a point where you have to say enough is enough.For Slot, he had appeared to go past that point in November. The back-to-back 3-0 and 4-1 home losses against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven had felt like the moment where things became untenable.But, to their credit, the Liverpool owners have stuck to their mantra that things are going to take a little time.The Reds are still not playing brilliantly despite their better results, but they have been good enough to suggest that they could click eventually.Unless there is another sharp downturn between now and the end of the season, it would be a real shock if Slot were removed without seeing out a second full campaign.