Liverpool’s season, which began with such promise, has unravelled at a troubling pace. Arne Slot’s position as Liverpool manager is now under serious scrutiny following a humiliating FA Cup exit at Manchester. What was meant to be a season of celebration — a fitting farewell for Mohamed Salah — risks becoming one defined by disappointment and missed opportunities.
A collapse that exposed deep structural flaws
The FA Cup defeat was not simply a bad day at the office. It was a brutal reminder of the fragilities that have plagued Liverpool throughout the 2025–26 campaign. Slot had hoped the international break would serve as a much-needed reset after the loss at Brighton a fortnight earlier, but any momentum gained evaporated within 92 minutes in Manchester.
The statistics from that afternoon painted a grim picture. Liverpool failed to score, and even Salah’s second-half penalty was saved — a miss that Slot himself described as a moment that “probably sums us up today and probably large parts of our season.” Those words, frank and deflating, speak volumes about the team’s collective struggles.
| Key issue | Impact on season |
|---|---|
| Injury problems | Disrupted squad depth and consistency |
| Disrupted pre-season | Poor team cohesion from the start |
| Unbalanced squad | Tactical limitations in key matches |
| Death of Diogo Jota | Emotional and technical blow to the squad |
| Salah penalty miss | Symbolic failure at a crucial moment |
Former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, did not mince his words. “To get embarrassed like they did today is going to stick with them,” he said. Dublin’s assessment echoed the frustration felt by supporters who had expected far more from a squad assembled to compete on all fronts.
Slot has pointed to a series of mitigating factors throughout the campaign. The tragic death of Diogo Jota, a severely disrupted pre-season, recurring injuries and a squad lacking balance have all contributed to the team’s inconsistency. Yet mitigating factors, however valid, do not erase results. The FA Cup exit halved the number of potential trophies on offer for Salah’s farewell season — a painful reality for everyone connected to the club.
The Paris test : Liverpool’s season on a knife-edge
With the FA Cup gone, attention turns immediately to the Champions League. Liverpool travel to Paris on Wednesday evening for a crucial European tie, and the stakes could hardly be higher. An abject defeat in the French capital could effectively end their hopes of progressing before the second leg even arrives.
Slot acknowledged the urgency with clarity. “We have to react to this defeat and this disappointing season,” he said. “There is a chance for us on Wednesday. We have shown today for only 35 minutes that we can compete.” Those 35 minutes of quality represent a thin thread of hope — but a thread nonetheless.
What concerns coaching staff and supporters alike is what followed those promising opening exchanges. A 20-minute defensive collapse exposed Liverpool’s vulnerability in a way that cannot simply be coached away overnight. Slot was direct : “If we defend like the 20 minutes afterwards, we will have a big problem. That is what we have to address.”
The scale of the challenge facing the Dutch manager is significant. He must galvanise a wounded squad, restore confidence and implement tactical improvements — all within the space of days. The following factors now define Liverpool’s remaining ambitions this season :
- Advancing past the Champions League tie against the Parisian side
- Rebuilding defensive solidity before Wednesday’s first leg
- Managing the psychological fallout from the FA Cup humiliation
- Securing a top-four finish to remain in European football next season
One potential positive came before the Manchester defeat. Alexander Isak’s return to training after more than three months out with injury had lifted spirits. The club-record signing’s availability, even partial, offers a boost in attack. But no single player can mask the systemic issues that have defined this campaign.
Slot’s future and what the next weeks will decide
The announcement that Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool in the summer dominated headlines going into the international break. While not unexpected, the confirmation carried emotional weight. It had the potential to unite players and fans around a shared purpose — giving a true legend the send-off his career deserves. Instead, that narrative has been complicated by a string of damaging results.
What happens next will likely shape how Slot’s tenure is ultimately judged. Failure to progress in Europe, combined with a potential fall outside the top four in the Premier League, would leave his position deeply vulnerable. The goodwill generated by last spring’s title triumph — those joyous scenes that now feel so distant — has largely evaporated.
Slot remains measured in public, but the pressure is intensifying with every passing week. Time is running out to demonstrate that this season is a temporary setback rather than a structural decline. A manager who arrived with genuine credentials and a clear footballing identity now finds himself in a fight to preserve both his reputation and Liverpool’s season.
The coming days will be defining. Paris awaits, and with it, a moment that could either reignite Liverpool’s campaign or confirm its collapse. Slot knows what is at stake. His players, despite everything, have shown glimpses of the quality required. Whether those glimpses translate into the performance needed on a European stage remains the central question of Liverpool’s turbulent 2025–26 season.
