Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has called for patience regarding Arne Slot’s future in the Anfield hot-seat, when speaking on Sky Sports after the Reds’ demoralising 3-2 defeat against Manchester United.
The under-fire Dutchman could have placed himself firmly in the Liverpool history books if he had secured a win on the Reds’ travels to Old Trafford.
Indeed, if he had steered Liverpool to a fourth straight Premier League victory, not only would Slot have virtually secured Liverpool’s status in the Champions League for the next season, but he also would have become the first Reds manager in history to win his first two meetings at Old Trafford.
Instead, after re-entering the good books with wins against Fulham, Everton, and Crystal Palace, he has become public enemy number one, once more, as the Merseyside giants fell to an action-packed 3-2 defeat on their brisk trip to Manchester.
With 19 defeats now next to his name for the season, with a concerning 71 goals given up in all competitions, too, the ex-Feyenoord head coach continues to skate on thin ice in the Anfield dug-out.
The credit he has in his bank is also waning, with a Premier League title triumph during his debut campaign now feeling like an age ago, when weighed up next to the constant misery on display, in the here and now.
Despite this defeat on the road in Manchester fuelling more talk that the Dutchman should be relieved of his duties, ex-Reds striker Daniel Sturridge would leap to the 44-year-old’s defence when analysing the loss post-match on Sky Sports.
Sturridge’s post-match comments
Sturridge has morphed into being an outspoken pundit on Sky Sports this season, when he was once a beloved striker at Anfield.
Indeed, the now-retired marksman would bag an impressive 68 goals for the Reds from 160 total appearances, so his comments on Slot will hold weight.
He wasn’t didn’t just leap to his defence immediately, though, as he did call out the lack of Liverpool’s identity currently, under the unpopular head coach.
He said: “It is worrying. For me, what’s concerning is the consistency of the counterattacks they’re conceding. No-one really in the midfield or the attack is stopping the play higher up on the pitch.
“The identity is not there. They need to build a team that is in Arne’s identity but right now I’m not quite sure what that is.
“We knew with Jurgen. With Arne, we’ve seen a possession-based team who are slightly more methodical. When you look at the statistics of the team this year, the stats are way down across the board.
“You want phases of play. Right now, there’s not any phases of play for Liverpool. It’s quite one-on-one.”
Still, even with their clear identity being missed right now, while Klopp’s past Liverpool teams always had a distinct way of playing, Sturridge does believe the Dutchman deserves more time to right the wrongs of this disastrous season.
He said: “They can get Champions League football, regroup, decide on the framework, decide on the players who are with you. You’ve got to give the man a chance to implement the philosophy. You’ve got to give the man time.”
Ultimately, with how poor this season has been at times, clinching a spot in the Champions League would perhaps be enough for Liverpool fans to hold off on calling for Slot’s head too viciously.
With plenty of unfortunate injury issues also working in his favour, it does appear as if the former Feyenoord head coach will be given more time, like Sturridge suggests, to make the Reds title challengers again, with a win up next against Chelsea crucial to momentarily appease the Anfield masses.
