Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been told he should not feel under pressure despite the availability of Xabi Alonso on the managerial market
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Arne Slot has been told he should not feel under increased pressure as Liverpool head coach given the availability of Xabi Alonso. Alonso departed his position as Real Madrid boss by mutual consent following the Spanish Super Cup loss to bitter rivals Barcelona last week barely seven months after being appointed.
Slot won the Premier League title during his debut campaign in charge at Anfield after taking on the difficult task of replacing long-time Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.
This season, though, the Dutchman has seen his position heavily scrutinised with the champions down in fourth place, although they retain a strong interest in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
READ MORE: Arne Slot faces major Mohamed Salah decision as Liverpool consider midfield change
And former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor has dismissed suggestions Slot should be concerned at the prospect of Alonso potentially replacing him in the near future.
“No, surely not,” said Mellor. “He (Alonso) had great success at Leverkusen. (But) Real Madrid is Real Madrid, isn’t it?
“It’s not worked out at Real Madrid. Do you know what? The way that Real Madrid go, he might go back there in a few years anyway, because that’s how it sometimes works. I don’t think he’s tarnished his record as a manager, and he’ll be back stronger.
“But honestly, Arne Slot won the league in his first season, which was beyond expectations. And all of a sudden, we’ve had a transitional season, a lot of change at the football club.
“I think it’d be very unfair to be piling pressure on him to lose his job at this stage. Yes, there’ll always be pressure because he’s Liverpool manager and Liverpool have to succeed.
“And ultimately top four is seen as probably okay this season and hopefully a trophy, whether it’s FA Cup, Champions League. But no, he’s not under pressure with Xabi Alonso losing his job.”
However, Mellor added: “If Liverpool weren’t to get in the Champions League next season it would be a massive disappointment.
“It’s unthinkable that Liverpool will miss out at this moment in time. If that happens, that’s when it’s a different conversation.”
Speaking to OLBG, Mellor also believes Slot is not being given enough credit by some for transforming the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp into Premier League winners.
“I don’t like it when I’ve heard people say Arne Slot won it with Jurgen’s team,” he said. “I completely disagree with that. Arne Slot inherited an incredible squad of players without a doubt.
“But he still had to manage those players. He still had to manage them and guide them and tactically set them up to win the Premier League.
“He put (Ryan) Gravenberch in a six. Jurgen Klopp never did that. He put (Luis) Diaz down the middle as a nine. Jurgen didn’t do that. He had to manage the Trent (Alexander-Arnold), Virgil van Dijk and (Mohamed) Salah contract situation and prove to them that he was good enough as a coach and a manager for them to stay at Liverpool. Because if he wasn’t, they don’t stay. And it unsettles Liverpool’s season.
“So Liverpool won the league with all that going on in the background.
“Liverpool always had to move on and to move on so quickly and win something so quickly with Slot was brilliant. But can that happen every season? No, I don’t think it can.”
