Here’s where it’s all gone terribly wrong for Arne Slot at Liverpool

Arne Slot’s time at Liverpool is starting to feel a little like the slow end to a loveless marriage.

The Dutchman’s honeymoon period at Anfield was longer than usual after he led the Reds to the title with ease last season. Expectations soared after they spent big on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz during the summer and reached the moon after five dramatic wins in their first five games.

And while there have been plenty of mitigating factors to point at for their inconsistent and sometimes disastrous form since then, recent results against Manchester City and PSG have left even the most patient Liverpool fans feeling like a change is needed.

Indecision has cost Liverpool this season

There’s a long list of reasons which most people will be aware of: poor squad building last summer, a huge drop off in performances from the best players and the impact of Diogo Jota’s death have all contributed.

However, in recent months one of Slot’s best qualities has started to become his biggest weakness.

The Dutchman was praised to high heaven last season for his decision making and ability to tweak things on the pitch during games to find ways to win.

That knack has all but left him this time around.

Take the constant changes to where Dominik Szoboszlai plays, for example, or the insistence on picking Alexis Mac Allister despite the fact he hasn’t looked fully fit once all season.

Substitutions have become panicked and the approach to both legs of the Champions League quarter-final proved to be badly misjudged.

The warning signs can be traced all the way back to Slot’s third competitive game in charge at Liverpool.

The Reds hosted Nottingham Forest and completely dominated the game, but were unable to create any meaningful chances against what was then Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored a great goal in the 72nd minute against the run of play and Slot made changes to try get back into the game. Ibrahima Konate went off and midfielder Curtis Jones came on. Players were thrown forward and Virgil van Dijk was left to fend for himself at the back.

There’s logic to the changes – Slot desperately wanted to get back in the game – but the panicked feeling they induced meant what had been a controlled performance turned into a frantic one, with players being shunted around into different positions as each tweak was passed onto the pitch.

That feeling was visible again at Anfield on Tuesday night, and not for the first time this season. As Slot has tried to find a system and combination of players that works, each decision has felt less and less confident.

The club’s hierarchy don’t seem to think a change is needed, with all the noise coming from Anfield pointing towards Slot still being in charge next season. Take that with a big pinch of the finest salt – there’s little doubt that Liverpool’s owners are at the very least planning for a change, even if they’d prefer not to make one.

And while there is a world where Slot stays on, with Ekitike’s horror injury, Mohamed Salah set to leave and the shadow of Isak only now starting to look like he’s played football before, Liverpool’s short-term future now rests on the expensive shoulders of Wirtz.

I do seem to remember a certain former club hero getting the best out of him in Germany… if Liverpool were to file for divorce this summer, a rebound fling with Xabi Alonso would make everyone feel alive again.

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