Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted he is navigating the most demanding campaign of his managerial career as the Reds battle to stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield proved another stumbling block, leaving the reigning Premier League champions sixth in the table and five points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United.
As the race tightens, pressure has intensified around Slot, less than two years after he arrived from Feyenoord to succeed Jurgen Klopp.
Asked if this season has been his most difficult in management, the Dutchman was unequivocal.
“By a mile,” Slot said. “Because all the other seasons I’ve managed there were only positives, I don’t think I’ve ever lost two games in a row [before].
“It’s an exception this season for me, as it is for the players, the players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws.
“It is different with the season we’re having now than all the other seasons I’ve managed where we always did something special – and there’s still the possibility that we can do something special this season as well.”
However, with United gaining momentum under Michael Carrick and Aston Villa sitting three points further ahead, Slot accepts that breaking into the top four is becoming a steeper climb.
“To close the gap of four, five points to third, fourth, fifth, that means you have to win a lot, and that’s not what we’ve done this season. That’s why that has to be better and we have to come close to perfection.
“Margins are indeed very small. Seven minutes before the end, we thought we were five points behind City, and five minutes later, we were 11 points behind.”
The former Feyenoord boss made clear that failure to reach Europe’s elite competition would be unacceptable.
“If we don’t have Champions League football, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season,” Slot admitted. “When I arrived here we could only sign Federico Chiesa, and that was after a Europa League season, so that does have an enormous impact in the way this club is run.”
With the run-in approaching and little room for error, Liverpool’s fight for a top-four finish now looks set to go down to the wire.
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