Slot Presents New Excuses: 2 Reasons Liverpool Dropped to 6th in Premier League and Risk UCL Exit After Losing to Galatasaray
On 14 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Arne Slot, Liverpool’s manager, gave a recent interview ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season's 30th match, hosting Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, 15 Mar.
Liverpool’s performance differs from last season, when Arne Slot led the team to the Premier League title in his first year succeeding Jürgen Klopp. Now, they are out of title contention, focusing on the UEFA Champions League, having lost the first leg against Galatasaray in the round of 16, and face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Currently, Liverpool stands 6th in the Premier League table, behind Manchester United (3rd), Aston Villa (4th), and Chelsea (5th), risking missing out on a UEFA Champions League spot next season.
Asked about reasons for Liverpool’s weaker performance compared to last season, Arne Slot attributed it to injuries, especially to Alexander Isak, their record £125 million forward, and missed scoring opportunities.
Liverpool’s manager elaborated, "The league table has always fairly reflected our performance, as it did last season. So it wouldn’t be fair now to say the table doesn’t accurately represent how we’ve played."
"I feel that if things had been more normal, we would have earned more points. But given our form this season, claiming we can compete with Arsenal isn’t realistic—they have played much better than us."
"I have said 150 times in press conferences how many more chances we have created than other teams. Do you think it would make a difference if we had one of the league’s top strikers (Isak) playing all season over the past 3, 4 or 5 years?"
"I believe that goal had a huge impact on our performance because you saw that game (dominating but conceding to Galatasaray on Tuesday). In almost every game, a single goal affects how the team plays."
"We played better than Galatasaray for 20 minutes, then conceded a goal and momentum shifted. In a low-scoring sport like football—not basketball with scores like 100-98—goals are very significant."
"And without Alex, our biggest signing, despite bringing in many well-known players, he has had the greatest impact. Look at the number of goals we’ve scored this season compared to all clubs—it’s very low by our team’s standards and also low compared to our forwards generally."
"Over Liverpool’s past 10 years, looking at our forwards, you can see significant development. Certainly, losing one key striker we signed specifically to score goals due to injury has had a major impact."
