Liverpool ‘dressing room is unhappy’ and ‘people are taking notice’ – top source stunned
Arne Slot needs to prove his managerial skills to avoid the sack after Liverpool dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen and Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, who speaking exclusively to Football Insider has asked questions of Slot’s ability to motivate his squad.
Liverpool lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest in their first game back after the international break, which made it seven defeats in 10 matches for the Reds.
Slot won the Premier League title in his first season at Liverpool, but hopes of defending the crown are quickly evaporating, with leaders Arsenal 11 points ahead in the table.
Arne Slot faces ‘a lot of questions’
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insists that Liverpool’s current bad run of form comes down to Slot’s man management skills.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the Dutchman is under pressure at the club to turn results around.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It has been a very bad run for them, there’s no doubt about it.
“I think this was their joint heaviest defeat at Anfield in the club’s history. And that’s something that people sit up and take notice of because it’s not going right for them. And it was the style of the performance that was the problem.
“It certainly is, I think, resting a lot on Slot and his man management skills. Nobody can say he hasn’t been supported.
“But nevertheless, it is going to be a lot of questions about his ability to motivate the squad and get them going. There does not seem to be a lot of happiness in that squad and a lot of fight and unity.
“So I think it does come down to the manager and the pressure is on.”
Slot and Liverpool face crucial festive period
Slot still holds the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy with no sack verdict set to be delivered in the immediate future.
However, Liverpool now enter a favourable run of fixtures which could heap even more pressure on Slot if this poor run of form was to continue.
There are problems to contend with in defence, but Liverpool will not target a right-back in January even with injuries to Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley.
Liverpool have only kept three clean sheets in 12 Premier League matches this season, which partly explains some of their struggles.