Erne Slot causes stir? Fans reacted with surprise to his jab at Klopp after leading Liverpool into the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 automatically.
On 29 Jan 2026 GMT+7, although Liverpool showed a dominant performance, thrashing Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield to secure a place in the Champions League Round of 16, the topic discussed after the game was not the lopsided score. Instead, it was the remarks of Erne Slot that left many fans feeling puzzled.
The Dutch coach said, "This is what you aim for from the start of the Champions League season: to finish in the top 8, as it allows you to skip a round. So, we are happy to have advanced directly to the Round of 16, especially considering that two years ago, we played in the Europa League and were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Atalanta."
Some Liverpool fans felt that Slot was indirectly referring to or mocking the era of Jürgen Klopp, viewing the mention of the Atalanta loss as diminishing the achievements of the former coach who led the team to great successes.
One fan said, "This is clearly a dig at Klopp."
Another tweeted, "Klopp didn’t just build a team; he built confidence. Slot is acting as if the game against Atalanta sets the standard for the previous era. It’s disrespectful."
Another fan added, "Slot is clearly devaluing Jürgen Klopp by bringing up the Atalanta match."
However, some fans defended Slot, with one stating, "I might be the only one who thinks Slot spoke reasonably. The Atalanta game was truly a low point in Klopp’s era, and it showed the team needed a major rebuild."