Liverpool make bold call on Slot future as pressure grows on under-fire manager

Arne Slot retains the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy despite knowing he is under pressure to turn around their wretched run of form.

The Premier League champions have lost nine of their last 12 fixtures, with the last two defeats – 3-0 to Nottingham Forest and 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven, both at home – turning many fans against Slot.

Anfield was full of empty seats at full-time in defeat to the Dutch league leaders and boos were heard from those remaining. It continued the most bruising week of Slot’s career as PSV fans, rivals of his old employers Feyenoord, mocked him from the away end.

But sources close to both Liverpool and Slot himself have insisted to Daily Mail Sport this morning that his position as head coach is safe and that has not changed after the defeat to PSV.

The boss is due to talk to the media at 3pm today (Thursday) where he will undoubtedly face more questions about his future.

It is also believed Liverpool players and staff will have a day off on Friday, as it stands. They will undergo recovery work on Thursday then train on Saturday before travelling down to the capital for Sunday’s clash with West Ham at the London Stadium.

That is a must-win match which suddenly looks quite tough given Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have won two and drawn one of their last three.

Speaking straight after the PSV defeat, Slot said he retains the support of Liverpool’s hierarchy.

‘I am feeling safe,’ he said. ‘I am OK, I have got a lot of support from above. It would be nice to turn it around and get a victory, of course, but if you are working as a coach and not doing well then it is normal that questions are asked.

‘I am OK with my position. It is not the first time I’ve been in a difficult position but it is about time that we turned it around.

‘I have had conversations but not in the sense that they tell me every single minute, “We support you, we support you, we support you”. We talk a lot if we are winning last season and if we are losing, and then they are helpful to me and to the team.

‘We do have those conversations but they do not call me every single minute to tell me that they still trust me, but we do have the normal conversations and in those I feel the trust.

‘If you lose so many times, it is normal that people talk about that (my position).’