Former Red Neil Mellor reacts to the shocking sacking of Arne Slot. With Andoni Iraola linked to Anfield and what this means for Liverpool’s future.
This time last year, Liverpool were enjoying their Premier League title success, after parading the title around the city.
Links to Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz were having fans believe they could do it all over again next year, though today the club has not looked so divided in years, with mistakes across the board.
Something had to change to put belief back into the fanbase that this club is still one that can challenge for major honours. Therefore, the decision was made to sack Arne Slot from his position as head coach on Saturday afternoon, which came as a shock to many despite the challenging campaign.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have been ruthless in the past when it comes to managers not meeting their expectations, making the Dutch head coach the fourth boss they have sacked since taking control of the club. Plenty of pundits have had their say on the matter, including some former Reds players.
Neil Mellor ‘thanks’ Arne Slot
As the news broke that the Dutch head coach was sacked, Neil Mellor spoke on Sky Sports, where his first message to the 47-year-old was to thank him for what he did for the club. He said, “What I would say is a massive thank you to Arne Slot for delivering the Premier League title in his first season. All Liverpool fans knew that it was always going to be difficult after Jurgen Klopp.
“I think it’s important not to underestimate how good of an achievement that was, a lot of people out there will say ‘That was a Jurgen Klopp team’… Arne had to come in, and he had to convince these players like your (Mohamed) Salah, like your (Virgil) Van Dijk, Trent (Alexander-Arnold), Alisson. I’m the man who can still deliver quality for Liverpool.
“He convinced the players in his first season, very early on, that he was the man to take over from Jurgen, and it was a brilliant season for all Liverpool fans that were certainly at Anfield for the Spurs game when the title was confirmed.”
However, this season has been completely unlike the magic they experienced the season prior, with a lack of structure and sharpness to their system, which allowed sides to break them down more easily, resulting in the Merseyside outfit losing 12 Premier League matches. The 43-year-old admits that without particular criteria, they would have failed.
“Liverpool almost limped over the line and are fortunate, you’d have to say, that fifth place was good enough for a Champions League place, so they got away with one there when it was clear to me as well when speaking to Liverpool fans as the season came to a close that the mood had changed.”
Reports towards the end of the season suggested that if they qualified for Europe’s elite competition, there would be no threat for the head coach, though with booes from the supporters and a lack of faith in the direction the Dutchman was taking the club, it became near impossible for the board to ignore their actions.
With that, Mellor believes that it could light a spark in the fanbase that is very much needed after how they have performed this season. “Maybe it’s a lift that a lot of fans wanted, maybe talk of new signings coming in, which the mood will improve, and whoever is going to be the new manager, I’m sure it will bring a bit of excitement with that.”
Liverpool focus on replacement
The name of the lips of the majority of reporters is former Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard helped the Cherries qualify for European football for the first time in the club’s history on the final day of the season, and his attacking philosophy played a key role in their immediate rise up the league table. The former Liverpool player mentioned him as a genuine possible replacement
“Iraola’s obviously done a brilliant job at Bournemouth, you have to say that he has a real likeable personality, his identity as a team, despite losing key players.
“There will be other names mentioned, the likes of (Thomas) Tuchel, (Julian) Nagelsmann, who are both at the World Cup, (Luis) Enrique …. without a doubt, he is regarded as one of the top coaches in World football at the moment. Jürgen (Klopp)… there’s loads of names.
The decision will have to come to a conclusion quickly, as they need a significant turnaround after last season’s disconnect, as a proper pre-season where new faces are embedded into the squad under a new system will be of great benefit for what they are looking to build.
