Liverpool supporters were given a rare treat on Wednesday as they finally put a visiting team to the sword at Anfield.
The Reds have been far too easy to play against on home turf this season, leading to some unusual results.
But after smashing six past Qarabag to qualify for the Champions League last-16, some positivity should have been returned to Liverpool.
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Strangely, that was not on show in the slightest during Arne Slot‘s post-match press conference, where the Dutchman cut an annoyed and frustrated figure.
Ranting about his pre-match quotes being taken out of context and once again bringing up Liverpool’s Europa League exit in 2024, Slot looked like a head coach who will not be in place for too much longer.
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Slot has increasingly alienated himself from Liverpool supporters in recent months with some downright bizarre comments while speaking to the press.
The latest of these came on Tuesday, when the 47-year-old suggested that Liverpool being beaten by PSG in the Champions League last-16 helped them to avoid further injuries and in turn meant they had a better chance of winning the Premier League.
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For fans who expect their team to challenge on all fronts, this did not go down well. And instead of spending the time praising what was a much better performance from his team, Slot spent a chunk of Wednesday’s post-match press conference explaining his comments.
“Maybe I can come back to something I said yesterday. I used the word might, but apparently not everybody is listening properly to what I say,” he said before launching into a monologue about what he really meant.
Slot also delivered an ‘I told you so’ moment on Jeremie Frimpong’s injury, suggesting that fans who were not happy with the Dutchman’s lack of game time were perhaps now realising why he had to be careful with his minutes.
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More than what Slot actually said, though, his tone and manner were the most interesting. It was very suggestive of a manager who is perhaps no longer worried about upsetting the club’s fanbase as he knows he will not be there for too much longer.
Slot’s demeanour is starting to shift
Even when Liverpool have lost games badly this season Slot has still remained fairly neutral and even positive during lines of questioning.
However, Wednesday was a clear shift from that. The former Feyenoord boss looked frustrated and on the verge of snapping without any provocation.
Of course, everyone is allowed a bad day and maybe that is all this was. But to be so annoyed and even confrontational after such a convincing win? That does not bode well for Slot’s future at Anfield.
The current thinking is that Liverpool do not want to make a managerial change mid-season, and in that case Slot will see out the season at the very least.
It is unlikely that Liverpool will have communicated this directly to the Dutch coach if that is the case, but he may sense the tides shifted and his control slipping away. Certainly, if his post-match comments here are anything to go by, we could be in for some roller-coaster press conferences as Slot takes the shackles off.
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