Arne Slot confident he will not be sacked if Liverpool fail to qualify for UCL

Following the arrival of Slot in the 2024/2025 season, the Dutch manager led Liverpool to the Premier League title.

However, this season, they have failed to replicate their title-winning form and are not in the title race, with their recent loss to Manchester City adding to their woes.

Liverpool are in a precarious position, trailing Chelsea by four points and Manchester United by five in the race for a top-five finish ahead of a crucial midweek trip to Sunderland.

Slot expressed confidence that the club's hierarchy will consider the "circumstances" of a difficult season rather than just the results, pointing to the patience shown to his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp, as a precedent.

Addressing speculation about his future, Slot maintained that failing to secure a spot in Europe's top competition should not automatically trigger his dismissal.

"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."

After a significant summer transfer outlay, missing out on the Champions League would be considered a major setback. 

However, Slot believes owners Fenway Sports Group and sporting director Richard Hughes will take a broader view of the campaign. 

He referenced the 2022-23 season, when the club stood by Klopp despite finishing outside the top four, a decision that helped lay the groundwork for a 20th league title two years later under Slot's own management.