Slot out of answers, Arteta out of sight

ROBERTO Di Matteo, Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti, Kenny Dalglish, Zinedine Zidane, and Jupp Heynckes are some of the managers who inherited strong squads and went on to win major titles.

In fact, several of them not only built on the success left behind by their predecessors but also carved out legacies of their own.​

Di Matteo won the Champions League with Andre Villas-Boas’ squad, while Mancini’s first Premier League title with Manchester City was built on the foundations laid by Mark Hughes.

So when Arne Slot won the Premier League in his debut season at Liverpool, many believed he could follow the same path — building on Juergen Klopp’s groundwork and achieving even greater success.

Some even imagined he might emulate legends like Bob Paisley or Dalglish, especially after spending close to half a billion pounds in the summer.

Twelve games later, Liverpool have suffered yet another defeat — this time a humiliating 3–0 loss at Anfield to Nottingham Forest.

This followed another 3–0 defeat to Manchester City before the international break. Liverpool have now lost six of their last seven games.

That is relegation form – Derby County relegation form, and the real question is how long Fenway Sports Group (FSG) will allow Slot to continue because, based on the 90 minutes against Sean Dyche’s Forest, he looked completely out of his depth.​

Losing is part of football, but not like this. Liverpool were clueless, disorganised and lacking fight, and this reflects back on the manager.

There is a genuine possibility that Slot has already lost the dressing room, and the issues did not begin this season.

The current Liverpool squad have been in decline since March 2024, following their clinching of the Premier League title.​

Forget Klopp’s “mentality monsters.” This group is mentally fragile. Go one goal down, and the players collapse.

Leaders like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are not stepping up and appear to be surviving on their past reputation.

Any other player would have been benched by now, but Slot appears to have favourites, which include the club’s two highest-paid players.

Let’s not forget also Cody Gakpo, who apparently cannot function with Milos Kerkez behind him. Twelve games in, and Slot still cannot figure it out. This is on the manager entirely.​

This was supposed to be the “easy” stretch of fixtures from week 12 onward, but nothing is easy in the Premier League.

Lose to West Ham and Sunderland, and the pitchforks will come out. At this rate, John Henry might be the one driving Slot to the airport.​

Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, missed a chance to close the gap on Arsenal as the real Newcastle finally turned up.

The first half was entertaining but goalless, before Harvey Barnes completely changed the game in a 10-minute spell and exposed City’s defence.​

It is back to the drawing board for Guardiola. He cannot rely on Erling Haaland alone to keep them in the title race.

City remain inconsistent, and the next run of matches will tell us whether they are genuine contenders or still a work in progress.

Chelsea, on the other hand, might be unconventional, but they are very much in the title picture.

Credit to Enzo Maresca for using every tool available in his squad. He has a defined philosophy but adapts effectively depending on the opponent.

Their 2–0 win away at Burnley puts them closer to Arsenal, and if they keep this momentum, we might be heading for a red-versus-blue shootout in London.

With Cole Palmer returning, Chelsea could become even more dangerous.​

Everything was too ‘Eze’ for Arsenal in the first North London Derby of this Premier League season.

The last unbeaten away team have finally fallen, as Mikel Arteta’s side dismantled Thomas Frank’s back five with ease.

The lead is now six points for the Gunners, and a win against Chelsea next week could make Arsenal the clear favourites for the title.​

Credit to Arteta for not reverting to his usual defensive pragmatism.

His decision to start Eberechi Eze was fully rewarded because Eze delivered a hattrick, the first of his career.

This is the same player who turned down a move to Spurs just to play for Arsenal.​

Personally, the star of the show was Leandro Trossard. He is an intelligent footballer who executes his role perfectly. A high football IQ player who knows exactly how to break down defensive structures.

Once the opposition is tired, Arteta can simply bring on Gabriel Martinelli to punish them further.​

From here, it could be a cakewalk for Arsenal, with both Liverpool and Manchester City still searching for consistency.

At this rate, Arsenal do not even need to win every week to lift the Premier League trophy. The real battle might now be for the Champions League spots because no team look capable of matching the Gunners’ consistency.​

This is the most balanced squad in the league, supported by an incredibly mean defence – it may take an act of God to stop them now.