Arne Slot: Liverpool head coach admits this has been my toughest campaign 'by a mile' with champions needing 'perfection' to make Champions League
Liverpool sit in sixth place in the Premier League, five points adrift of Man Utd in fourth, after Sunday's 2-1 home loss to Man City; the champions travel to high-flying Sunderland on Wednesday night; follow live on the Sky Sports app; watch free highlights shortly after full-time
Tuesday 10 February 2026 14:20, UK
Arne Slot admits he is enduring by far the most challenging season of his managerial career as he attempts to secure Champions League football with Liverpool.
Sunday's eventful 2-1 loss to Manchester City at Anfield left the reigning Premier League champions in sixth place, five points adrift of Manchester United in fourth.
Slot has faced mounting speculation about his position less than two years after he made the move from Feyenoord to succeed Jurgen Klopp.
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"By a mile," said the Dutchman when asked if it was his most difficult campaign. "Because all the other seasons I've managed there were only positives, I don't think I've ever lost two games in a row [before].
"It's an exception this season for me, as it is for the players, the players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws.
"It is different with the season we're having now than all the other seasons I've managed where we always did something special - and there's still the possibility that we can do something special this season as well."
With United undergoing a revival under Michael Carrick and Aston Villa a further three points ahead, Slot knows the challenge of breaking into the top four is getting more difficult by the week.
He said: "To close the gap of four, five points to third, fourth, fifth, that means you have to win a lot, and that's not what we've done this season. That's why that has to be better and we have to come close to perfection.
"Margins are indeed very small. Seven minutes before the end, we thought we were five points behind City, and five minutes later, we were 11 points behind.
"If we don't have Champions League football, it's definitely not been an acceptable season. When I arrived here we could only sign Federico Chiesa, and that was after a Europa League season, so that does have an enormous impact in the way this club is run."
Liverpool will try to bounce back at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday against Sunderland, who boast the only unbeaten home record in the league.
And they will have to do so without Dominik Szoboszlai following his controversial late red card against City for pulling back Erling Haaland.
The decision was widely criticised, with Rayan Cherki's long-range effort rolling into the net but subsequently disallowed because of the tussle between Szoboszlai and Haaland.
Slot remains magnanimous, though, saying: "My feelings haven't changed. The moment I saw he got a red card I was disappointed not to have him against Sunderland but, on the other hand, I think the referee did what he had to do.
"That's not what we like if we love football but it's the rule book and referees are there to follow the rule book."
Szoboszlai has been filling in at right-back and, with Joe Gomez only set to return to training on Tuesday, Slot is likely to turn to Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo.
The Liverpool boss expects his side to pick themselves up, adding: "I have to give a lot of credit to my players because we've had so many setbacks, so many times we didn't get what we deserve, but three days later they showed up again and brought in a good performance."
'A long way back' - Carra expects Liverpool to miss out on CL spots
Jamie Carragher expects Liverpool to miss out on Champions League qualification through the Premier League.
The Sky Sports pundit said it is now "a long way back" for Arne Slot's side to finish in the top five, following their 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester City on Super Sunday.
Were they to lose at Sunderland on Wednesday, they could slip as low as ninth.
When asked if he reckons Liverpool will make the Premier League's qualifying places for the Champions League - which is set to be expanded from four positions to five again this season - Carragher replied: "No. Right now I don't.
"They would have to have a huge upturn in form. And the ones above them are in great form.
When you look at the league for Liverpool, it looks like a long way to get into the top five Champions League positions. There's a gap now. You can make that up but Liverpool will have to do well in the two cup competitions to save the season.
"The manager has another decision to make on the front four.
"If Liverpool continue the way they are, with a front four and the games end to end, I just don't see how they can make the Champions League positions.
"But no matter what Arne Slot does, the make-up of this squad and team isn't right. It never looks stable, they are never in control.
"There is a long road ahead for Liverpool to make the Champions League places."
Neville: Composure and experience key to Liverpool achieving CL spots
Carragher's fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was more positive on Liverpool's top-five prospects - but said they must show mental resilience to bounce back from this defeat to City.
"They're now four points behind the top five," he said on The Gary Neville Podcast. "That's not a big gap at all, and there's a long way to go, and they'll have to play most of the teams above them, so they've still got loads of opportunities.
"But there's a question mark over Liverpool. There is a question mark as to whether they will finish in the Champions League places. I still think they will, but what they have to do is box that up very quickly, and chuck it in a corner, and forget about it.
"There'll be some who say it's happening far too often, conceding goals late on. There'll be those who say something's wrong, something's fundamentally wrong, structurally wrong. But I think they just need to try and compose themselves if they can. They need to pull themselves together.
"They've got a lot of experience with Alisson, Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Ryan Gravenberch. They've got lots of players who know what to do.
"Can they hold it together? Can they get back on the bike?
"They go to Sunderland next. That is awkward. Go and win there if you really want to tell everybody that you're still going to be in the Champions League. Go and win at Sunderland, which will be a tough place to go. Win there emphatically, be professional, keep a clean sheet, and that's where everyone needs to look now for Liverpool.
"It'll be tough in there and there'll be a dressing room that'll be really low."
