Arne Slot has not been heard from publicly since the day of his Liverpool sacking at the end of May as he plots his next move.
The Dutchman had reportedly been fully expecting to be in charge at Anfield for the start of the 2026/27 season, and may still be coming to terms with his unexpected unemployment.
In the meantime, there is at least plenty of on-pitch distraction for Slot to get stuck into, as the festival of football that is the World Cup continues apace in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
How does Andoni Iraola get the Netherlands version of Cody Gakpo for Liverpool?
This is not the same player 😭
But after seeing several of his Liverpool players, including Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch, turn up in brilliant form after disappointing seasons, Slot could be forgiven for turning the television off.
Liverpool players suddenly find form
Had Gakpo, who scored two goals for the Netherlands on Saturday, been in that kind of goal-scoring form under Slot, it is not a stretch to say that the 47-year-old may still be in a job.
Gakpo became a regular starter last season, but was regularly a lightning rod for criticism as he struggled to find any kind of rhythm. Given his form, Slot may have expected to see his countryman turn up for the World Cup looking sheepish, but Gakpo has transformed into a stone-cold killer.
It is a similar situation for Isak, if on a smaller scale, with Liverpool’s record signing sitting joint-top of the goal contribution charts as things stand. Slot could have done with a bit of that from the Swede when he got on the pitch for the Reds. Instead, Isak lumbered around lacking sharpness and any kind of creative spark.
Meanwhile, Gravenberch has excelled for the Netherlands having looked fairly hapless all season long. Better, more commanding performances from the 24-year-old would also have gone a long way to keeping Slot employed on Merseyside.
Arguably the worst of the lot during the campaign, Alexis Mac Allister also played much better than he had for much of the campaign as Argentina flew past Algeria last week. Though this sudden uptick in previously struggling players does not reflect especially well on him, Slot may be wondering where these players have been for the past 10 months.
Slot could not get the best out of Liverpool players
From many supporters’ points of view, the answer for players like Gakpo looking like chalk and cheese with their performances for club and country is simple: it was all down to Slot.
The Premier League-winning coach has a poor reputation among the Liverpool fanbase after the mess that was the 25/26 season, and the fact that several of his most underperforming players now look like real stars is simply more ammunition for those who believe Slot’s team stopped playing for him.
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In reality, the answers are much more nuanced, and can be down to team set-up, confidence and simply the excitement of playing at a World Cup for their countries.
However, whatever the reasons, what is now becoming clear is that the problem at Liverpool was not simply down to the players being poor.
He has every right to be annoyed about the explosion in form from Gakpo and Isak in particular, but the fact is that Slot could not get the best out of the Liverpool players at his disposal.
The former Feyenoord boss will have his own ideas and reasons for why that was, but as he searches for what they are, he has justifiable reason to be annoyed at seeing those who let him down last season racking up 11 goal contributions after less than two rounds of World Cup fixtures.
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