Liverpool’s 2025-26 season has gone about as poorly as it could have compared to expectations. While the Reds remain in the FA cup, in the race to finish in the Champions League places, and in the Champions League itself, the likeliest outcome from where things stand today would see them coming up short across the board.
The tragic passing of Diogo Jota last summer was a blow, one that had many expecting a difficult start to Arne Slot’s second season in charge and something that always probably made
a defence of last season’s Premier League title unlikely, but this Liverpool side looks as lost in March as they did back in September and remains without any kind of a tactical identity.
Even accounting for the very real and significant real complicating factors, after last summer’s £450M transfer splurge finishing without a trophy and out of the Champions League places—in a season where the top five will qualify—would be a significant setback. It would, most would assume, mean a parting of ways with Slot.
If that’s a possibility currently being considered, though, the club are keeping any plans under wraps. That’s based on the latest today from club-connected journalists, which has club upper management “steadfastly behind” Slot. It’s worth nothing, of course, that you wouldn’t expect to hear anything less from a well run organization regardless the reality.
It’s also worth nothing when chatter turns to sackings and club upper management start to have to let everyone know that the head coach has their full backing, well, it’s often only a matter of time before the inevitable happens and things change—in part because doing otherwise only invites more scrutiny for all involved.
And there should be focus on all involved after last summer’s transfer activity and a window that saw plenty of headlining arrivals but also a lot of depth departures. It’s clear whatever the plan for constructing a squad that could mount a title defence, things haven’t gone to it. Some of that falls on Slot, but sporting director Richard Hughes is ultimately in charge of recruitment.
In these kinds of situations, it’s often the case that no matter who is ultimately and primarily responsible, at some point Hughes as well as loftily named chief executive of football Michael Edwards will have to act out of self-defence as much as anything—or risk going down with Slot if things continue to go the way they have been.
Last summer was complicated in ways that will have been nearly impossible for all involved, but the truth is that Liverpool haven’t looked an elite side since autumn 2024. It’s now been 15 months of uncertainty and questions about what this side is trying to build towards, and the only thing that seems to change with each passing month are the excuses for why they’re falling short.
Time is now well and truly running out on the season and on Slot proving he can give this group a functional, effective identity. If he can’t, the only real question will be whether it’s only Slot who pays the price for Liverpool’s failings over that period or whether Hughes and Edwards’ jobs could also end up being at risk.
