'Arne Slot is paying for the major problem he could have fixed at Liverpool' - Mick Brown
Arne Slot must bare the majority of the weight for what has proved to be a disappointing season at Liverpool as speculation over his future ramps up.
Liverpool drew 1-1 against Tottenham last time out, and failure to overturn their Champions League first-leg defeat to Galatasaray will pile on the pressure.
The Reds' defensive issues were highlighted once again at Anfield as neither Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate or Virgil van Dijk have been able to impress this season.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Slot's decision not to address what is a "major problem" in his team could cost him his job.
It was clear he had to add to their defensive options in January, but opted to wait until the summer, and that could now come alongside Liverpool looking for a new manager.
Arne Slot at fault for Liverpool struggles
Brown told Football Insider on 16 March that Slot is facing serious questions at Liverpool in the wake of their frustrating result against Tottenham.
After failing to capitalise on Chelsea and Aston Villa's defeat at the weekend, pressure on the boss is once again at a high, and he only has himself to blame.
"You'd think Liverpool would have enough quality to avoid these issues," Brown told Football Insider.
"But they've struggled all season, their best players haven't stepped up, and that's typified by Mohamed Salah who hasn't been anywhere near his best.
"The major problem at Liverpool, which can't really be argued against, if their defence.
"But that's not something Slot can point at and say, 'Well, they're not performing, it's not my fault'. It is his fault, because he decided not to sign anybody in January.
"He was happy to wait until the summer to bring somebody in. He wanted to ignore it and hope their current options would come good eventually.
"That hasn't happened, they're still making mistakes most weeks and that means Liverpool aren't winning games because they're inviting pressure on themselves.
"It was an issue that could have been addressed and dealt with, the manager decided not to do that, and now he's the one paying for it."
When could Liverpool pull the trigger on Slot?
Despite it looking unlikely that Slot will be sacked as things stand, and no immediate plans to part ways, calls for his dismissal have continued to grow.
As a result, Football Insider revealed on 13 March that Liverpool plan to assess Slot’s position at the end of the season, when they will make a decision.
Should they miss out on qualifying for next season's Champions League, their key aim for the season, then the boss' future will be massively in doubt.
Slot still has credit in the bank from last season’s Premier League title win, and remains in with a chance of lifting further silverware in the FA Cup.
However, failure to win silverware or qualify for the Champions League via their Premier League placing is likely to be enough to see the boss dismissed.