The Dutchman is facing fresh questions over his future at Liverpool after the Reds succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest.
It’s a result that left the reigning champions in 11th place, eight points behind Arsenal (who had a game in hand). Although, judging by the current direction of play (with the Gunners currently 3-1 against Tottenham), that gap appears to exceed double figures.
Liverpool cannot fire Arne Slot after success in the Premier League
Keown did admit that Liverpool’s struggles this season have been completely unprecedented in light of their recent success.
“I don’t think you can win the league one year and get fired the next year.” the former Arsenal star spoke about Final Score (via BBC Sports).
“It’s remarkable what we’re seeing from Liverpool. Their fall from grace and to lose so many games at the start of the season, they’re eight points behind first place, that’s basically unthinkable from this time last season.”
However, a run of six defeats in the Reds’ last seven Premier League games should raise serious questions.
Who exactly should bear the brunt of such an investigation into Liverpool’s unacceptably poor form in the English top flight is of course up for debate.
Why are Liverpool struggling in 2025/26?
We have extensively covered the mitigating reality of Diogo Jota’s tragic death in the summer and the ongoing impact on the squad.
Additionally, it would be remiss of us to ignore the impact of the club’s creative fulcrum with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid.
Likewise, shaking up the squad with an influx of new signings, including two new full-backs, must play a role in our destabilization.
Claudio Ranieri already proved Keown wrong with Leicester’s dismissal
Can’t a Premier League-winning manager be sacked next season? Claudio Ranieri will differ.
The former Leicester City boss was sacked by his employers in February, with the Foxes one point above the relegation zone and just 13 league games remaining.
Things are not rather just as dire at Liverpool, it must be said. Of course, you could also reasonably argue that significantly higher expectations on Merseyside should bring Arne Slot under significant, if not equivalent, scrutiny.
| Arne Slot (yet to be fired at Liverpool) | Claudio Ranieri (sacked at Leicester) |
| 18 points from 12 games (1.5 per game) | 21 points from 25 league games (0.84 per game) |
| 6 wins | 5 wins |
| 0 draws | 6 draws |
| 6 defeats | 14 defeats |
* Arne Slot’s managerial record at Liverpool in the 2025/26 season to date and Claudio Ranieri’s record in the 2016/17 season prior to his dismissal (Premier League)
How much time does Slot have?
Clearly, by Liverpool’s high standards, a finish just outside the top four is not good enough, even if it is unlikely to be a criminal offence.
The problem for decision makers is assessing the threshold for a Premier League-winning head coach. Should FSG take the time for Arne Slot if the club is still languishing in the bottom half of the rankings in the new year? Should we give him time to work with any new signings coming in in January?
Our position on this is that it is highly unlikely that the club will wait until the end of February to act, should we still be waiting for solutions.
Ultimately, we need to allow enough time for a potential successor to come in and help right the ship towards safe Champions League qualification.
But how much time would the Dutchman’s successor need? Should a break glass option even be considered when there are so many mitigating factors to consider?
Firing Slot just doesn’t seem like an objectively simple decision to make — even if the results indicate otherwise.
It is a decision that is incredibly complex due to the fact that there are mitigating factors outside the manager’s control.
Changing the man in the dugout doesn’t necessarily negate these considerations.
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