Peter Crouch gives verdict on Arne Slot's Liverpool future with Xabi Alonso point

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is under pressure to improve results and performances at Anfield, and Peter Crouch has weighed in on his thoughts on the current situation

TNT Sports pundit and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has offered his opinion(Image: Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch says he expects Arne Slot to be in charge of the club at the start of next season — though the availability of Xabi Alonso means the speculation will continue.

Slot won the Premier League title under a year ago but has overseen a difficult campaign this time around. After a summer of big signings and major changes to the Reds' roster, they have struggled for consistency.

While there has been chatter about Slot losing his job, the Liverpool hierarchy has stuck with its man so far. Now, the challenge for the Dutchman is to get back into the Champions League and offer some more hope that next season can be different.

"I think that Slot will want to stay, of course, but whether or not he does is another matter," Crouch told Paddy Power.

"That’s something for next season but I think they'll stick with him. It all depends, you know, you've got Xabi Alonso available now, that's something that comes into the equation. I think that'll always be whispering in the background until he gets another job."

As it stands, Liverpool is sixth in the Premier League, behind Chelsea on goal difference. The pair are three points behind Manchester United and Aston Villa, who are level on 51.

This weekend, Chelsea has Newcastle while Manchester United and Aston Villa face off at Old Trafford on Sunday, in the kick-off immediately before Liverpool hosts Spurs.

Arne Slot during a Liverpool press conference(Image: Liverpool FC // YouTube)

"I think the bar at Liverpool is always high," Slot said in his press conference on Friday. "It has always been high and will always be high. And that’s only a good thing.

"We’re a top club, where the bar should be set high by the people around us, but we will set the bar just as high. Yeah, indeed, last season where we were able to achieve one of the things we wanted to achieve.

"That was winning a league, close to winning the League Cup, which we lost in the final against Newcastle. This season of course we’re unable to win the league again, but we’re still in two cups, Champions League and the FA Cup, where we are competing.

"I think if Tottenham would be the number one in the league at the moment, every fan would expect us at home to win. And that is if we play against Man City, that’s when we play against Arsenal, that’s every game this club plays at home: we’re expected to win.

"That has nothing to do with the form of the other team or where they are in the league or the quality they have. We can win our 1,500th [league] game at home, so expectations come from history and history has shown that this club has been able to win a lot of games, let alone home games.

"So, it doesn’t matter who we play, who we face, expectations are always sky-high at this club, and that’s what we are embracing because that also means, as I said before, that this club is able to win things. That’s what we’ve done in the past few years and in history as well."

Liverpool.com says: Slot is under pressure to get results, but there is no reason that he can't be the right man in the future. Between now and the end of the season, he needs to provide some hints of that being the case in terms of improved results and more exciting performances with a clear style of play.