Game OVER for Arne Slot as Liverpool head coach throws in the towel

Arne Slot won the Premier League title at the first time of asking in the 2024/25 season - an extraordinary achievement.

Many might argue that the bedrock of success was established by predecessor Jurgen Klopp - with Slot using effectively the same squad of players that the German had available to him in his last season in charge.

The time has now come for Slot - and sporting director Richard Hughes - to put their own stamp on the squad. Major changes were made over the summer - with around £200m worth of outgoings and £450m worth of new players coming through the door.

The club broke the British transfer record twice - for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak - and spent heavily on other players too.

Those transfers haven’t yet worked out - Hugo Ekitike aside - as Slot attempts to find the best form in his new players as well as those already on the books.

Arne Slot's worrying Liverpool admission

Liverpool have put up a poor title defence in truth - 12 points off Arsenal's lead at the halfway stage - despite beating the Gunners in their one head-to-head.

Slot has steadied the ship results-wise in recent weeks - going eight matches unbeaten in all competitions - but the performances have remained unconvincing.

And the head coach has effectively thrown in the towel on the Premier League title race - claiming that two teams in Arsenal and Manchester City are now too far ahead.

“Realistically I think there are two teams who are quite far away from us and we should not look at those two at this moment in time,” he told the press ahead of the Fulham game.

Arne Slot throws in the towel

That is a shocking admission for any Liverpool manager presiding over a champion team - made all the more noteworthy because Slot has already said he was almost happy to be knocked out of the EFL Cup.

Much of the summer transfer business focussed on finding a solution for the so-called “low block”. Opposition teams have figured Liverpool out - leaving them in possession of the ball knowing that they cannot penetrate easily in behind.

Signings like Wirtz and Frimpong in particular were supposed to offer a solution in Slot’s new system but so far the plan has malfunctioned.

“But for the first 19 games it has been a constant battle,” Slot said.

“Sometimes a bit lucky, sometimes a bit unlucky. For me it is also clear and obvious that we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have, and that is not new for us this season.

“The players keep on trying, they bring the ball towards the wingers, they make inside runs, they play and move, they do all the things.

“But sometimes you need a kind of magic to unlock a game or a set piece and if that happens then all of a sudden everything looks much nicer, but that is not our season until now.”

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What are Liverpool playing for?

This is a worrying signal from Slot. He expects his players to solve the game’s problems themselves rather than giving them a plan to achieve it.

The big issue is there’s precious little “magic” in these Liverpool players - as very few of them seem to be in possession of that game-changing quality.

And as for set-pieces - it tells you everything that the club were happy to sanction the departure of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs earlier this week.

Slot has effectively admitted Liverpool are going nowhere; the question remains - what exactly are they playing for if not the Premier League title and the other cups either?

He has got 19 more matches to prove he can provide the spark to get the best out of these players once again. Otherwise it could be game over for the title-winning manager.