Liverpool found themselves in a place nobody in Anfield ever expected this early in the season, a place where uncertainty mixed with frustration, where patience mixed with fear, and where every small mistake now felt like a heavy stone tied to the future of the club. Arne Slot entered the season with hope and loud promises, with a fanbase ready to support him, with players who believed a new chapter was coming. But football is a strange world, and within a few months, everything had changed. The situation was no longer just about results on the pitch. It was deeper, more emotional, and more dangerous. It became a conversation about leadership, trust, dressing room harmony, and comments that travelled through media like wildfire. It became something that looked much bigger than one game or two dropped points. It became a cloud over Anfield, one that did not want to move even when the fans begged for sunshine.
Liverpool beat West Ham United 2-0 eight days earlier, a performance that seemed like a new beginning. Slot looked calm, the players looked confident, and the fans thought maybe things were finally turning around. But that short moment of hope disappeared quickly. The next two games changed the story again. The draw with Sunderland felt flat and lifeless, like the team left its heart somewhere else. The draw with Leeds United felt worse, because throwing away a 2-0 lead and conceding in the ninety sixth minute created a deeper kind of pain, a pain that reminded supporters of all the games where Liverpool could not finish, could not hold on, could not stay strong when it mattered most. The 3-3 draw became more than a score. It became a symbol of weakness, a sign that something was not right.
The table told a story that confused people even more. Liverpool were ninth, a position far below what the club expected, yet somehow only three points outside the top four. But the numbers did not comfort anyone. They still faced a difficult Champions League path, with tough away games waiting for them. They still carried the weight of recent poor performances, and fans felt something slipping away. The pressure built around Slot like a tightening circle. The media spoke, fans complained, and inside the dressing room there were whispers. Comments from Mohamed Salah did not help. His words caused a rift that grew louder with every passing day. When a senior player speaks publicly in a way that seems to challenge the manager, things change fast. Trust changes, relationships change, the atmosphere changes. For Liverpool, it created a new crisis, a crisis that made many inside the club worry that this chapter under Slot might end sooner than anyone expected.
Liverpool were preparing for massive games with Inter Milan and Brighton, games that could determine the direction of their season, but the conversations behind the scenes were no longer about tactics. They were about Slot’s future. Some people in the club believed he needed more time, that he needed support, that early struggles should not force a reaction too quickly. But others felt the situation was now dangerous. They felt Liverpool could lose control of the season if they waited too long. They felt the energy around the club was falling, the players were confused, and fans were losing belief. It is always difficult for a new manager when results do not follow his ideas. But when questions about leadership and trust appear around the same time, the pressure becomes something else entirely.
European football made it worse. Liverpool were close to the edge of elimination. They had already been humbled by PSV Eindhoven in a heavy 4-1 defeat. Losing like that in Europe always leaves scars. Now they needed to win at least two of their final three games to have hope of finishing in the top eight. Inter away, Marseille away, and another difficult game after that. The fans knew these matches could define their season. Slot knew. Even the board knew. Every moment now carried weight, every mistake carried consequences. In stressful times, clubs look around for possibilities, for options, for names who could stabilize things. That was how two names entered the story again, two names that made headlines and gave supporters something new to argue about.
Steven Gerrard became the first name. An icon, a legend, a man whose name echoed inside Anfield every weekend. Reports said he was under real consideration for an interim role if Slot was sacked. It was not just rumours created by emotional fans. It was discussed inside the club. Gerrard had been away from management since leaving Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. Before that he had a difficult time at Aston Villa, a time that damaged his managerial reputation. But he also had success at Rangers, where he won the Scottish Premiership in 2021. Every Liverpool supporter knew Gerrard loved the club deeply. Every Liverpool supporter knew Gerrard would bleed for the team, fight for the players, and defend the badge. But the question was not about passion. It was about whether Liverpool needed an emotional appointment at a difficult moment or whether they needed something built on stabilit
The second name was Oliver Glasner, the Crystal Palace manager. His name arrived in a different way. Not through sentiment or nostalgia, but through respect. Glasner had impressed many people across the league. Palace under him were not the Palace people used to know. They were aggressive, organized, brave. They looked like a team ready to challenge for something big despite having smaller resources. That alone made many at Liverpool pay attention. Glasner brought trophies too. He won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022. He guided Palace to their first ever FA Cup last season. Not many managers could boast achievements like that with limited tools. His contract was ending at the end of the season, which made him an even more realistic option.
Inside Liverpool, the debate became louder. Some argued Gerrard should return even for a short period, to bring emotional fire back to the team, to reconnect the fans with the players, to create a spark. They argued Gerrard could lift the dressing room, remind them of what wearing a Liverpool shirt meant. They believed the problem was motivation and belief, not tactics alone.
But others looked at the bigger picture. They warned that choosing Gerrard, even on an interim basis, carried risk. His managerial record was not strong enough to justify stepping into a collapsing situation. If it failed, it could damage Gerrard’s legacy. It could damage the team further. And it could leave Liverpool in a worse position. Some people inside the club felt Liverpool needed calmness, not emotion. They needed proven structure, not romantic appointments.
That was where Glasner’s name held stronger weight. He represented experience. He represented modern ideas. He represented a manager who could adapt quickly and handle pressure. He knew how to guide teams through tough stages and how to win trophies even when expectations were low. He was the safe option, the logical option, the strategic option. And that made many decision makers inside Liverpool feel that if Slot was removed, Glasner would be the man to stabilise everything.
But nothing was simple. Because even though fans were angry, even though performances were shaky, even though pressure surrounded Slot, the club had not yet made a final decision. Sacking a manager comes with consequences, emotional and financial. It changes the rhythm of a season. Some executives believed Slot deserved more time to fix the dressing room, that Salah’s comments were a temporary storm, not a lasting problem. They believed Slot needed support, not replacement. They believed the team needed patience, not panic. Liverpool had seen many eras where quick decisions created more problems.
The problem was that the pressure did not stop. Every conversation among fans on social media spoke about Slot. Every radio show mentioned his job. Every article compared the current Liverpool to Klopp’s Liverpool. And with every new draw and every new missed chance, the noise grew louder. Players tried to defend their manager publicly, but even their comments felt forced. Something was broken. Something was not flowing naturally. The spark that Liverpool needed never appeared.
Behind the scenes, some players were uncomfortable. They felt the tactics were not clicking. They felt the roles were unclear. Others felt the manager had lost a part of the squad, especially after Salah’s comments. Footballers sense when a manager is under pressure. They feel the tension. They hear the rumours. They watch how the club behaves. All these things affect morale. And at Liverpool, the uncertainty became a large shadow.
While the club debated what to do, the press pushed more stories. Some claimed Slot had lost half the dressing room. Some said Salah’s comments were a sign of deeper issues. Some suggested the relationship between the two had completely broken down. Slot denied these rumours. Salah stayed silent after the initial comments. But silence in football often speaks louder than words.
As fans processed all this, the idea of Gerrard returning began to divide them. Some felt excited. They imagined him walking out of the tunnel again, leading the team, shouting instructions. They felt his presence alone could change things. Others felt nervous. They knew football was not run by emotion. They knew Gerrard’s time at Villa was a warning. They knew the Premier League punished managers who lacked strong tactical structure. Liverpool could not afford a risk like that, not with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance.
Those who supported Glasner felt Liverpool needed a manager who could handle pressure immediately. Glasner had been doing that at Palace. He faced European games and domestic games at the same time and still kept them in the top four conversation. His methods were organized. His teams were compact. His approach fit what Liverpool needed right now. And with his contract ending soon, negotiating his arrival would not be impossible.
The truth was that Liverpool were now in a dangerous moment. A moment where one wrong step could damage the season. A moment where one poor decision could break confidence further. Slot himself felt the tension. His interviews grew shorter. His face looked tighter. He spoke about patience, about building something, about staying calm. But he also knew managers in football often lose battles they never chose. One comment from a star player, one bad result, one shift in atmosphere, and suddenly their future becomes uncertain.
Fans waited for a decision. The board waited for the next two games. The players waited to see what direction the club would take. Nobody wanted to say it loudly, but everyone felt the same thing. If Liverpool lost the upcoming Champions League games, Slot’s time might end. If they struggled again in the league, the club might pull the trigger. The uncertainty was heavy.
But if the club acted, the choice between Gerrard and Glasner would not simply be about who fans loved more. It would be about who could handle the chaos. Who could bring structure back. Who could turn panic into progress. Gerrard would bring fire and emotional connection. Glasner would bring method, modern ideas, and stability. Liverpool needed to avoid the mistake of choosing based on heart instead of logic. They needed to avoid gambling in a season where too much was already unsettled.
Even those who wanted Gerrard understood the risk. They knew he might struggle again. They knew a short term emotional boost might fade quickly. They knew Liverpool needed more than passion. They needed direction, discipline, and a manager who could guide them through a tough European run and a messy league table.
And so everyone in Liverpool, from the boardroom to the terraces, watched the situation unfold. Slot still had time, but not much. Salah’s rift still affected everything. And the names Gerrard and Glasner hung in the air like two doors Liverpool could choose. One door was emotional, dangerous, unpredictable. The other was steady, proven, tactical.
If Liverpool made a decision soon, many believed Glasner would be the safer choice. A manager who had shown he could overachieve with limited resources. A manager who had won trophies. A manager who understood structure. A manager who could bring calm to a stormy season. Gerrard would always be a legend, always beloved, always respected. But legends do not always make the right managers, especially in fragile moments like this.
As the club moved towards their next matches, tension refused to drop. Liverpool needed wins, unity, and belief. They needed to calm the noise. But until results improved, Slot would continue to walk a thin line. Every minute mattered. Every game mattered. Every decision mattered. And the shadow of Gerrard and Glasner would follow him until the club finally made a choice, a choice that could define the rest of Liverpool’s season.
