Liverpool are unbeaten in 13 games after a 3-0 win over Marseille.
Arne Slot’s side made easy work of Marseille, controlling the match from start to finish.
It was a much-needed response following a string of underwhelming displays that have put Arne Slot’s position under the spotlight.
Speculation grew even louder when former player Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid, with many wondering if he could be in line for a return to Liverpool.
Covering the Marseille match for CBS, Thierry Henry swiftly dismissed the idea of Slot’s departure.
Thierry Henry’s honest view of Arne Slot’s ‘weird’ Liverpool tenure after Marseille win
Henry was then asked: “Xabi Alonso became available, you know, his exit from Real Madrid, and that kind of adds to this narrative of should they be looking to bring somebody else in to right the ship?”
The Frenchman went on to call Slot’s time at Anfield ‘weird’, admitting he thought the start would be even tougher – something that might have taken a bit of early pressure off.
“Well, that’s not usually, as you say, that’s not how Liverpool operate usually,” he began by saying.
“What’s annoying when you’re a manager is that when you’re at a big club, it’s always rumours that someone’s going to come up or if you’re Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp at one point, because what you’re bringing is the style of football, even though you’re not on a good run, pleases people.
“If you go back, I think it was COVID time when Liverpool were not winning after Klopp won the league, right? What was it? Six defeats in a row?
“No one complained and said that Jürgen Klopp should leave, because they were happy with the style of play.
“What’s happening with Liverpool for me, I was expecting that last year. It’s kind of weird. And if it did happen last year, the fans would have been more calm.
“Don’t you think they would have said, ‘oh, give him time to bring his team and his players.’
“I think that also, not only him, as you said, you have also the Sporting Director. But I do think that when a guy wins you the league, I’m not saying that he should get a pass, but you should be a tiny bit more, not relaxed because it’s Liverpool and the way it was before and the style of play of Jürgen Klopp, and that will buy you time.
“I don’t think that he’s under pressure with that one. But yeah, Xabi Alonso is available and he’s a Liverpool legend. He’s a Liverpool legend. So obviously people are going to talk, but I’m with Jamie. I do think that the guy is brutally honest, which I love at times. He never goes above or under what’s happening. He usually tells you the situations. And you would like to think that Mo Salah is back, that everything’s going to go back to normal. And some of the draws that they had since Mo Salah left, maybe if Mo Salah was there, he would have turned that into a win.”
Liverpool’s position on Arne Slot remains firm
Recent performances have not helped calm the frustration, as fans have grown increasingly unhappy with how Slot’s side has been playing.
The win over Marseille should take some of the pressure off the Dutchman, at least for now.
But if Liverpool turn in another poor performance against Bournemouth on Saturday, the criticism is likely to return just as quickly.
But after Burnley, it was made clear that Liverpool are still standing by Slot for now, regardless of what happens at the weekend.
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