Alan Shearer warns Arne Slot of 'massive pressure' as firing question answered

Alan Shearer has suggested that the chatter about Arne Slot potentially facing dismissal is "an overreaction" - but conceded that he will be under "massive pressure" if Liverpool fails to triumph over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Slot has been on the receiving end of a wave of criticism following his decision to make sweeping changes for the Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace. The Dutch manager retained only one player from the Premier League loss at Brentford – Milos Kerkez – giving most of his senior players a rest and opting not to even include them in the matchday squad for the last 16 tie.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike were all given a breather and didn't even secure a spot on the bench.

The decision didn't yield the desired results, as the Reds were thrashed 3-0 at home by a relentless Palace side. Ismaila Sarr scored two goals in the first half for Oliver Glasner's team, before Yeremy Pino sealed the victory late on. The result marked Liverpool's sixth loss in seven matches across all competitions.

Reflecting on Slot's choice to make such drastic changes and leave out his star players, Shearer believes it's a massive gamble and the Liverpool boss will only know if it was the right decision if his team manages to beat Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Should the Reds suffer another defeat, that would mark the end of their realistic hopes of being involved in the Premier League title race, according to Shearer. "In terms of Arne Slot losing his job – yes, without a doubt it's an overreaction. He did a great job last year," he expressed to Betfair.

"I know he came into a very good football club with some excellent players, and they didn't add a lot to it, hardly anything, really. But he still did a great job last year, and obviously Liverpool are really struggling now. I wouldn't say crisis just yet - but they're in a very sticky situation. We might have to use the word crisis if Villa beat them at Anfield on Saturday.

"For now, I'd say it's a sticky situation rather than a full-blown crisis. I thought it was a huge gamble that backfired against Palace. Having said that, if they win on Saturday and again on Tuesday, then from his point of view it could prove to be the right decision - because the Carabao Cup would have been low on the priority list.

"But when you're a club already struggling and desperately in need of a result, it's risky to put out that sort of side and those substitutes. If you lose narrowly, say 1–0 to a dodgy decision - fine. But when you're battered at home and Palace fans are singing 'Can we play you every week?', that's damaging.

"We won't know the full extent of the fallout until after Saturday evening's result. It's put more pressure on the players who'll come back in for the Villa game at Anfield. If they win, he'll say it was the right decision - but they have to win now after that selection.

"If they lose on Saturday, I don't see them in the title race. If they win, build confidence, they've still got the quality to go on a big run. Saturday evening is huge - another defeat, and I think they're out of it."

Following the match, Slot expressed concern about his squad depth, despite Liverpool spending around $600 million on new signings over the summer. He argued the Reds lack the same resources as Chelsea - citing Brazilian wonderkid Estevao as an example - and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Yet Shearer remains unconvinced by this explanation. "Slot is not going to get any sympathy from me for saying his squad is too thin, nor should he with the team he had last season," Shearer continued.

"I know they sold one or two, and obviously there was the tragedy that happened in the summer as well. But when you've spent nearly £450 million, you won't get any sympathy about the size of your squad or lack of depth.

"He had good players available that he chose not to play against Palace. It looks like a gamble that's backfired - but he can put it right on Saturday. The problem is, it piles on more pressure, and that team already had plenty of that.

"What would concern me most is how easily Liverpool have been rolled over lately - the lack of aggression, they haven't competed anywhere near enough. They haven't done that, and they've been punished - all eyes are on Saturday evening at Anfield.

"You need leaders. You need players to put in performances and show some character. When things are going well, it's easy to play your game, but when your backs against the wall, that's when you find out who really wants the ball. Liverpool need to show that on Saturday night."