Aftermath of defeat to PSG, fans demand sack of Liverpool coach, Slot
Liverpool fans have demanded the immediate sack of their coach, Anne Slot following 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The result at the Parc des Princes has sparked a significant backlash from fans and pundits, with some calling the manager’s defensive tactical choices a sackable offence.
Slot has been heavily criticised for deploying a back-five system for the first time in years, a move described by former defender Jamie Carragher as massively wrong tactically.
Carragher told Sky Sports that the gulf in class was startling and compared watching Liverpool to seeing a lower division team.
The match itself saw PSG take control early through a deflected strike from Désiré Doué in the 11th minute, before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with a solo effort in the second half
According to This Is Anfield, the Reds failed to register a single shot on target throughout the game and were fortunate that VAR overturned a late penalty decision against them.
Further controversy followed Slot’s decision to leave Mohamed Salah on the bench, choosing instead to bring on teenager Trey Nyoni as a late substitute.
Off the pitch, the pressure on the Dutchman is mounting amid reports that Slot may have already offered to resign at the end of the season.
While the BBC reports there is currently no official indication from the club that Slot will be dismissed, insiders suggest Fenway Sports Group is concerned about a ‘toxic’ atmosphere developing among the fanbase.
Former Liverpool player Jermaine Pennant described the performance on Inside Liverpool as having no effort and no pressing, warning that the team’s identity has become unrecognisable.
“I was a Liverpool fan way before I became a pro footballer. As someone who genuinely cares and watches every single game… This is a disaster. Slot, you won the league last year with a style of play and DNA of Liverpool that Klopp built. This team is now close to unrecognisable…”
Living Liverpool: “Arne Slot spent the whole season complaining that teams don’t want to play football and waiting for set pieces and throw-ins. Until he faces a team that wants to play football, and become everything he complained about.”
Anfield Fix: “For the past year Slot has moaned about how PL teams don’t want to play football and always references PSG as an example of a team which plays football ‘the right way’. Now he has the chance to play PSG again and he comes out with a back 5, parks the bus and plays like Tony Pulis.”
Laurie: “Never thought I’d see the day where we have a title winning manager that the majority of the fanbase actually despises. That alone speaks volumes.”
Liverpool now face a must-win second leg at Anfield on April 14, with Slot maintaining that the power of a European night under the lights is their best hope for a comeback.
