Liverpool need to sack Arne Slot: Reluctant Reds must bite the bullet after Wolves debacle as Dutchman proves he's unable to salvage nightmare season

Some supporters still can't bring themselves to admit that Slot should be sacked - and that's perfectly understandable. He's one of only two men to have won a championship with Liverpool in the past 36 years - and he did it in his first season in charge.

There, thus, remains the feeling that Slot should be given more time - because he's earned more time. Unfortunately, that argument is emotional rather than rational, now almost solely based on the sensation that the supporters are indebted to the Dutchman for giving them one of the best days of their lives, and thus owe him their loyalty - at least until the end of the season.

The fans also take pride in the fact that Liverpool is not a 'sacking club'. At Anfield, managers have always been considered more important than the players - and are usually backed through tough times, in a manner entirely in keeping with the club's anthem, 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

However, a combination of tradition and past achievements simply shouldn't be sufficient to keep Slot in a job, given their present struggles are putting future success at risk, with the latest accounts revealing that Champions League qualification is of great importance to the club's economic stability after last summer's record-breaking outlay on transfer fees and wages.

Liverpool obviously don't want to turn into Manchester United, going from one radically different sporting project to another on an almost annual basis over the past 13 years. The Reds' recruitment team identified Slot as the ideal candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the helm and he wasted little time in justifying their decision by making some clever tactical tweaks to turn the same set of players that had finished third under his predecessor into Premier League champions.

Slot also deserves eternal credit for the way in which he handled the tragic death of Diogo Jota - a loss that remains impossible to quantify in terms of the effect it had on his devastated team-mates - while he's also had to deal with unfortunate and untimely injuries, most notably to the most expensive football in British football history, Alexander Isak, and a spectacular falling-out with his most important player, Mohamed Salah.

However, while there are undeniably a lot of explanations for the Reds' regression this season, they cannot be used as excuses for a team strengthened to the tune of nearly £450 million sitting fifth in the Premier League table, an embarrassing 16 points behind an average Arsenal team.

The word coming out of Anfield is that Slot will not be judged solely on results come the end of the season. The team's performances will also be a massive determining factor in his future. The problem for Slot, though, is that Liverpool's performances have been as poor as their results.

They didn't lose a league game between the end of November and the middle of January - but won only four during the least impressive 10-game undefeated run in top-flight history, with the Reds producing dismal displays against three newly promoted teams in Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley.

Much was made of their three-game winning streak going into Tuesday night's debacle. However, while Slot's side showed commendable fighting spirit in winning at the Stadium of Light, they pulled off a heist at the City Ground thanks to Alexis Mac Allister's 97th-minute winner, and even in the morale-boosting 5-2 victory over West Ham at Anfield last weekend, the visitors actually finished with a higher expected goals figure (1.86 to 1.84), with Liverpool's first three goals all coming from set-piece situations, and their final two from deflections.

Credit is certainly due for dramatically increasing Liverpool's threat at corners over the past couple of months but Slot has admitted himself that his team is still struggling to both create - and convert - chances in open play. The injury-enforced absence of Florian Wirtz is undeniably a major issue in that regard, but Liverpool's reliance on the German to unlock low blocks is alarming.

At Molineux, Slot alluded to a lack of penetration out wide while discussing the ineffective first-half display (not a single 'big chance' created) and Salah's first league goal in four months certainly didn't distract attention away from an underwhelming overall contribution, with the Egyptian failing to create a single chance all evening - not least because he butchered a brilliant breakaway to win the game.

As for Cody Gakpo, the Dutchman unfortunately personifies Liverpool's penchant for doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.

Club legend Steve Gerrard argued on TNT Sports that Rio Ngumoha now has to come into the side on the left wing, starting with Friday's FA Cup rematch with Wolves, but that was obvious after his cameo at the City Ground last Saturday week. 

In that sense, Slot really isn't doing himself any favours at the moment by persisting with players who do not deserve to be starting every game.

He's undoubtedly short on options in attack and that's not on him but his employers, who failed to sign a Luis Diaz replacement, either in the summer or during the winter window - an oversight that's being made to look so much worse by Antoine Semenyo's unsurprisingly instantaneous impact at Manchester City.

However, Slot was hired because of the way in which he managed to get the most out of the resources at his disposal. He did that at Feyenoord. And he did it during his first year at Liverpool. He's not doing it anymore, though.

Mistakes may have been made in the transfer market - and none bigger than missing out on Marc Guehi - but a squad of this strength just should not be behind Manchester United and Aston Villa in the table.

However, Liverpool are paying the inevitable price of regularly starting and finishing games poorly - and that's on the manager no matter what way you look at it. Either he's not impressing upon his players the importance of playing with intensity from the very first whistle - or they're simply no longer listening to him. 

The net result is that a team that has scored just five times in the opening half hour of 29 Premier League outings this season often ends up having to force the issue in the final 15 minutes, resulting in total loss of shape and composure, usually caused by the removal of one of the centre-backs (Ibrahima Konate).

It's certainly no coincidence that Liverpool have dropped points in injury time on seven occasions - and, in doing so, broken the record for most winning goals conceded from the 90th minute on.

It would be wrong to suggest that Slot has lost the dressing room. Aside from Salah, we've not heard any other public complaints from players - or even murmurings of dressing-room discontent.

However, there is a very visible sluggishness and lethargy about Liverpool that is deeply concerning. They have lost their edge and that is either down to mental or physical fatigue. Or maybe even both.

Van Dijk once again claimed at Molineux that this was "always going to be an up-and-down season for multiple reasons" - but the point is that Slot no longer looks capable of salvaging it.

Liverpool won't sack him, of course. Not now, at least; not with the Reds set to embark upon a crucial run of fixtures in the league and two cup competitions. The fans will also continue to cheer on the coach and his players - but in hope rather than expectancy that the situation will improve over the next couple of months.

Even Slot's staunchest supporters are having their faith in the Dutchman tested in a manner that they could not have possibly imagined less than a year ago. They, too, are sick of the same old story - and unless Slot can change the narrative, Liverpool will be left with no choice but to change their coach.