Liverpool manager Arne Slot was a notable absentee from the Northern Football Writers' Association awards ceremony on Sunday, following his team's humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest the previous afternoon.
A No-Show After a Heavy Defeat
The Dutch coach, who had been named Manager of the Year for his triumphant debut Premier League campaign with the Reds, opted not to attend the event. Instead, the club dispatched its ambassador, former player Gary McAllister, to collect the award on Slot's behalf.
The 47-year-old McAllister was reportedly contacted at half-time during Leeds United's match against Aston Villa and asked to step in. He conveyed the manager's apologies to the attendees, along with a brief message from Slot, who expressed being 'extremely proud' to have won the accolade.
A Team in Crisis
The no-show comes at a deeply troubling time for the Anfield club. Liverpool is currently mired in a difficult squad rebuild and a dramatic on-pitch decline, having lost eight of their last eleven matches.
The weekend's loss to Nottingham Forest was particularly galling, as it marked the first time since 1978 that Forest had secured back-to-back victories at Liverpool's home ground. In his post-match comments, Slot shouldered the blame for the team's current predicament.
'I want to emphasise that I am responsible for the current defeats,' Slot stated. 'One is responsible when you win, but also when you lose. I will never come up with enough excuses for us having the results we have. It is not enough and I am responsible for it.'
An Ironic Precedent and Fellow Sufferers
The awards ceremony carried a cruel irony for Premier League managers. The last high-profile boss to attend was Erik ten Hag, who received an award last year for winning the FA Cup with Manchester United. Mere days later, Ten Hag was sacked and replaced by Rubén Amorim.
Slot was not the only manager honoured on Sunday who had suffered a weekend defeat. Among the other award winners were Leeds' Daniel Farke and Newcastle's Eddie Howe, whose teams also lost their respective Premier League fixtures.
Despite the bleak run of form, Slot pointed to positives, noting the team's continued effort and dominance in chances created. However, he conceded that a critical lack of finishing and a vulnerability to counter-attacks are proving costly. 'We need to have that moment of energy, to score a goal,' he lamented, acknowledging the team is in a 'difficult situation.'
