Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces intensifying scrutiny after his team suffered their ninth defeat in just twelve games, a dramatic downturn for the club that won the Premier League title only six months ago.
A Season Unravelling at Anfield
The crisis deepened with a 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, a result that manager Arne Slot himself described as a "shock for everyone". This disappointing performance was closely followed by a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, indicating a team in decline rather than one capable of bouncing back from setbacks.
Slot has now been forced to publicly address questions about his job security, a situation that would have been unimaginable when the season began. "If any manager around the world loses football games, let alone so many as we've lost, it's quite normal that people have an opinion about that," Slot conceded in a recent press conference.
Zidane Emerges as a Potential Successor
As speculation grows, one high-profile name is being linked with a potential move to Anfield: Zinedine Zidane. The former Real Madrid boss has been out of management since leaving the Spanish giants four years ago, but his record of winning three consecutive Champions League titles marks him as an elite-level coach.
Despite a common narrative that his success in Madrid was more about man-management than tactical genius, this was an idea firmly rejected by former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. Ahead of the 2018 Champions League final, Klopp offered a glowing assessment of Zidane's abilities.
"If a lot of people think Zinedine Zidane has not a lot of tactical knowledge and then people think the same about me that would be really funny," Klopp said. "For me, Zinedine Zidane is one of the best five players of all time... I have to accept that he is as brilliant as he was as a player. This group of players work like a clock from Switzerland. I saw his team playing a lot of times and it is just fantastic football."
Overcoming the Obstacles for a Premier League Move
While Zidane represents a tantalising option, a potential move to Liverpool is not without its complications. The 53-year-old Frenchman has long been considered a future candidate for the France national team manager role, a position that may become available after the upcoming World Cup.
Furthermore, Zidane has previously expressed reservations about managing in England due to the language barrier. In a 2022 interview, he stated, "I understand English but I don't fully master it... I know there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently."
However, he left the door open for a future move, adding, "Never say never. Especially when you are a coach today. If I go back to a club, it is to win." Whether his command of English has improved in the intervening years remains a key question for the Liverpool hierarchy.
For now, the immediate focus remains on Arne Slot and his ability to orchestrate a swift turnaround. With Klopp's past endorsement and a proven track record of success at the highest level, Zidane's availability looms as a significant factor in the ongoing evaluation of Slot's troubled tenure at Anfield.
