Kenny Dalglish weighs in on Arne Slot criticism and what Liverpool needs next - 'That's a problem'

Sir Kenny Dalglish has called for more patience around Liverpool's season, insisting the 3-0 Brighton FA Cup win can become the blueprint to follow for Arne Slot's side

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Sir Kenny Dalglish has urged for greater patience regarding Liverpool's disappointing campaign, suggesting the 3-0 victory over Brighton in the FA Cup last week can serve as the template moving forward.

Arne Slot's team has suffered eight Premier League defeats, leaving them battling for a spot in next season's Champions League, with the Reds entering the weekend's fixtures two points adrift of Chelsea in fifth, and three behind Manchester United, who presently hold fourth place.

Consequently, head coach Slot has faced scrutiny over his position at various points this term, especially around late November when his side endured its ninth loss in 12 matches across a two-month spell.

The legendary Dalglish, who is considered one of the most iconic figures in the club's history, maintains that greater support is required.

And he highlighted the display against Brighton last weekend as a benchmark for the squad to emulate for the rest of the season as it bids to get back on track.

"It's always easier to criticize someone than it is to praise them," Dalglish told The Athletic. "There's a lot less patience these days and that's a problem. If you don't have patience, it's unlikely you'll have success.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

"Nothing just grows overnight. Nobody has ever walked into a club and won a trophy straight away. Everyone has an opinion but things could be a bit more constructive at times.

"The way we were brought up, it was all about the next game. Don't look any further ahead than that. Liverpool's last game was excellent. If we can put on performances like that most weeks, we'll have a lot of pluses."

Liverpool is back in action when it takes on Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The Reds have had a full week to prepare after beating Brighton in the FA Cup last weekend.

"Now, compared to a few weeks ago, I don't think a lot has changed," Slot insisted earlier this week. "I think from the last 19 games, we've lost twice and twice we've lost in [added] time and, in my opinion, twice we did not deserve to lose both of those games.

"We didn't need [Wolves drawing with Arsenal] to know how difficult it is to win a Premier League game. We've experienced this [in] this season already a lot of times and I think all the teams experienced this. That's what made the Premier League nicer this season and last season — that it's much more competitive than probably two, three, four, five, six years ago.

"We've improved compared to three or four months ago. I would even include the Bournemouth game because, apart from the goals we conceded, we had total control with dominance, we had a lot of chances — and the same could be said in the second half about [Manchester] City.

"We're in a much better place now than we were months ago and there are two very simple reasons for that. [There are more reasons] but the most simple two are how fit we are now compared with three or four months ago, and the second one is that we are much better in set-pieces at the moment."