Liverpool appear to have secured their place in next season’s Champions League. Manchester City’s draw with Bournemouth saw to that. The Reds need only avoid defeat against Brentford on Sunday to guarantee a top five finish.
Short of a minor miracle, Arne Slot has found some respite at the conclusion of a near disastrous campaign.
But the pressure? It’s not going away.
‘The stats are shocking’
Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has urged the club to part company with Slot. Last Friday’s 4-2 loss to Aston Villa meant the Reds have lost 20 matches across all competitions this season. Twenty.
Pennant believes a change is urgently required.
“If the board thinks that this is the guy to stay in charge, then something’s wrong with the board,” he said.
“Everyone can see this Liverpool team, see that they broke almost every single record which is not good, the most goals conceded, the most losses ever in a campaign, you name it. The stats are shocking.”
Pennant also threw his weight behind Mohamed Salah, who publicly criticised Liverpool’s recent standards in a social media post last weekend.
“What he’s saying is stating the obvious. And if the board ultimately think that next season is going to be any different… I’m just shocked, because personally, I don’t see how things will change.
“Are they going to spend another £450million, half a billion to bring in some more players? It’s down to philosophy the way Liverpool play, how to play. They’re playing like a mid table team, they just sit back, they wait for teams to come onto them. There’s no threat going forward, they’re not aggressive.
“So you’ve built a great machine and then all of a sudden you change these same cogs in that machine and expect to get the right output. It’s just not going to work.”
Salah’s ‘U turn’
Reports claim Salah has given the “green light” to join Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
The Reds forward sent shockwaves through Anfield in April when he confirmed he would be departing after nine trophy laden years. Many had anticipated a switch to the Saudi Pro League.
But the Turkish club have reportedly tabled an “informal offer” of around £11m a year to keep the Egyptian icon in Europe. The report cautions that Salah has not “entirely ruled out” a move to Saudi Arabia, but he is targeting an ambitious project “at the highest level”.
The claims echo Jamie Carragher’s assessment earlier this campaign, when he backed Salah to turn his back on Saudi Arabia in favour of remaining in Europe.
“I think Mo Salah, the way he’s driven like a Ronaldo, I don’t see the Saudi thing just yet,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“I just think your career’s over when you go there. I think he’ll still be looking at his Champions League record or how many goals he can get.
“I still think he thinks, ‘I’m still one of the best players, and me leaving now is not the end of my top level career, I’ve still got something to give’.”
The bottom line
Slot has secured Champions League football. That might buy him time. But Pennant’s words will echo.
Twenty losses. Shocking stats. A style of play that looks nothing like the Liverpool of old.
Salah, meanwhile, looks to be heading to Turkey rather than Saudi. A U turn that keeps him in Europe. A final chapter somewhere else.
The season ends on Sunday. Then the real drama begins.
