Steven Gerrard has issued a strong warning to Arne Slot, urging the Liverpool boss to quickly address the team’s alarming dip in form as pressure builds at Anfield.
Despite winning the Premier League title in his debut season, Slot’s second campaign has taken a difficult turn.
Liverpool’s title defence has faltered, and they now find themselves trailing league leaders Arsenal by a staggering 21 points with just seven matches remaining.
As the race intensifies, the Reds sit fifth, chasing a Champions League qualification spot behind Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Meanwhile, injuries have disrupted Liverpool’s rhythm all season. Slot has been forced to reshuffle repeatedly, at one point relying on just two senior central defenders.
The absence of key players, including summer signing Alexander Isak, who suffered a broken leg, has further complicated matters.
As the fixtures come thick and fast, Liverpool will also be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker for their FA Cup clash against Manchester City.
Adding to their defensive concerns, Jeremie Frimpong is sidelined again, while Conor Bradley has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Against this backdrop, Gerrard acknowledged Slot’s early success but emphasized the urgency of improvement.
“I know more than anyone on the planet how difficult it is to win a league, and for him to come in and win a league, in his first season, he’s got a lot more credit with me,” he said on The Overlap.
“Liverpool will demand – they expect – to win [the league] every year. I think he needs the opportunity to play his way out of trouble and fix the issues and try and get himself back in a good place.
“I think he did during that period a few months ago where they’d lost nine out of 12 and then they went on a run where he took them from 12th to fourth in the league.
“I think someone who has won a league deserves at least a full season to try and get out of the problems and issues that they’ve got. I’m certainly one of them.
“But I have to understand what the fans are saying as well, because it has been dire on certain games and performances.”
From a tactical standpoint, Liverpool have looked inconsistent: switching gears between competitions.
Gerrard pointed out that while their Champions League displays have been impressive, their league form tells a different story.
“I’ve enjoyed watching them in the Champions League, because I think they look like a completely different team. I think they’re in a different place there, but it’s a really tough ask for them going into the next one against PSG.
“In the league, they’ve looked very different. I haven’t really enjoyed watching them. It looks as if they’ve got a lot of issues to fix.
“It’s been difficult to put your finger on one issue, because they’ve got quite a few and it’s all over the pitch. So they’ve been very mixed and very two-faced, I would say.”
Looking ahead, the Reds must quickly regroup. Following their FA Cup quarter-final showdown, attention shifts to a high-stakes Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, who are riding high after a dominant win over Chelsea.
In between those European nights, Liverpool will also lock horns with Fulham at Anfield.
As the season enters its final stretch, every match now feels like a must-win encounter in their bid to salvage a top-five finish.
Ultimately, the ball is firmly in Slot’s court, and time is running out.
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