Arne Slot says he won't be sacked if Liverpool miss out on Champions League qualification

Slot has addressed speculation regarding his future at Anfield, maintaining that missing out on Europe’s elite competition should not automatically lead to his dismissal. Liverpool currently find themselves in a precarious position in the Premier League table, trailing Chelsea by four points and Manchester United by five in the race for a top-five finish ahead of a crucial trip to Sunderland on Wednesday night.

Given the club's massive spending splurge in the transfer market last summer, failure to qualify would be seen as a disaster. However, Slot believes the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, and sporting director Richard Hughes will take a holistic view of the campaign. He pointed to the 2022-23 season under Jurgen Klopp, where the club kept faith with the German despite finishing outside the top four, a decision that laid the foundations for a 20th league title two years later under Slot’s own command.

"That is again a difficult question for me to answer because I don’t decide on my future," Slot said when asked if his job was on the line. "The only thing I do know is that it happened before, recently, and it didn’t affect the future of that manager. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, of course.

"In general, [with] managers, especially at this club — maybe somewhere else it is mainly, but not only, about results — they also look at the progress the players make, the progress the team makes, the circumstances are sometimes taken into account."

The season began under a cloud of tragedy following the death of forward Diogo Jota last July, an event that rocked the squad and set a sombre tone for the campaign. On the pitch, the Dutchman has faced a relentless injury crisis, with star striker Alexander Isak suffering a broken leg, leaving the attack blunt and unable to rotate.

Furthermore, the form of established stars has deserted them. Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo have all suffered significant dips in performance, compounding the "teething troubles" of the many new signings brought in during the heavy summer spending spree. These factors have contributed to a dismal run of form that has seen Liverpool win just six of their past 20 league matches.

Slot admitted that this has been the "most difficult season" of his coaching career "by a mile," but he remains convinced that he is working for a club that values process over knee-jerk reactions. "That is not at all clubs, but I think I am working at a club that does look at those things," he added.

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The scrutiny on Liverpool’s struggles has been intensified by the success of former players. The decision to sell Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5 million last July has come back to haunt the Reds. While Liverpool have struggled for goals in Isak's absence, Diaz has racked up 18 goals and 14 assists in Germany.

Slot defended the sale, citing the club's strict adherence to a sustainable business model, even if it makes them an "exception" among the Premier League elite. He also argued that the conversation would be different had his record signing remained fit.

"It is maybe more fair to say that if ­Alex [Isak] had been fit would we have spoken about this as well?" Slot argued. "Luis Díaz is another example of how this club is run. If this club gets for a 28-year-old an offer like that, then, because it is built on sustainability, it chooses to sell a player. We are an exception in the Premier League, especially at the top of the Premier League for that."

Slot’s immediate concern is navigating a treacherous fixture against a Sunderland side that remains unbeaten at home this season. The manager’s resources are stretched to the breaking point, with effectively only 22 players available for selection.

The suspension of Dominik Szoboszlai, following his red card against Manchester City, adds to a growing absentee list that includes right-backs Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong. With Joe Gomez only just returning to training, Slot is expected to field either Wataru Endo or Curtis Jones in a makeshift defensive role, having seemingly ruled out 22-year-old Calvin Ramsay as not being ready for the first team.

A win is imperative to keep the pressure on Chelsea and United, but with a makeshift defence and a misfiring attack, Slot knows that the "circumstances" he hopes will save his job are currently conspiring to make his task on the pitch harder than ever.