Why Slot needs more than just a win at West Ham

The Dutchman's position is under huge pressure, and so signs that a long-term improvement are coming are required.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

Jurgen Klopp may have been given an emotional send-off by Liverpool, but the fate of his predecessors Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers is proof enough that Fenway Sports Group are more than willing to sack their managers.

And so, as much as the current word from the club and sources close to Arne Slot is that his job is safe, that won’t be the case forever.

Ultimately, a Liverpool manager can only lose so many games and, after a run of nine defeats in 12 outings was capped by boos at Anfield on Wednesday, the point at which action is taken is surely around the corner.

In that context, you might think that Slot simply needs a win - any win - when the Reds travel to West Ham United on Sunday.

Yes, the Hammers sit 17th in the Premier League, but they have now gone three unbeaten under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, whose philosophy plays on every weakness possessed by this Liverpool team.

Therefore, ending a run of three straight defeats by a three-goal margin and getting three points on the board would represent a significant improvement.

However, Liverpool’s malaise has been so prolonged that both fans and the owners will surely only be convinced that a brighter future lies ahead in the event that a victory is matched by a good performance.

When Rodgers was dismissed in October 2015, it was off the back of a run of one win in eight, yet just two of those games had ended in defeat, which is not even close to the disastrous form being seen now.

What really cost the Northern Irishman was the feeling that his team were not playing in a way that was conducive to a long winning run - well, that and the availability of a certain charismatic German.

For Slot, that means victory needs to be matched by some evidence of a well-coached press, which seems to have declined the further away from Klopp’s tenure we have moved.

Improvement on attacking patterns that have grown ponderous is also required, despite the manager arguing his team had clocked up sufficient xG against PSV Eindhoven to score more than once.

The reality is that Liverpool have, of late, descended into taking on low-quality efforts in high volume, when a strength of last season was their shot selection.

The long-overdue arrival of last summer’s signings certainly would not harm the Dutchman’s case, either.

It might be unfair to expect too much of the obviously unfit Alexander Isak, but his fellow striker Hugo Ekitike is now on a run of one goal in 10 games for his club having previously made an impressive start.

Milos Kerkez has also yet to nail down a starting berth at left-back ahead of Andy Robertson, while Florian Wirtz is struggling to adapt to the Premier League following his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Clearly, expecting these many individual and tactical issues to all be solved in time for Sunday’s trip to the capital is unrealistic, but you feel that, at the very least, some green shoots need to be on show.

If not, then history tells us that three points alone may not be enough to extend Slot’s time in the Anfield hotseat.