Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant believes Arne Slot is fortunate to have clung onto his job at Anfield, after suggesting the Dutchman would have been sacked if he did not have credit in his bank from guiding the club to last season\u2019s Premier League title.<\/p>\n
Rumours have been swirling over Slot<\/a>\u2019s Liverpool future in recent weeks, with the Dutchman installed as the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack<\/a> prior to his side\u2019s much-needed win against Newcastle on Saturday.<\/p>\n Slot faces an uphill battle to guide Liverpool<\/a> back into next season\u2019s Champions League via a top four or possibly fifth-place finish in England\u2019s top flight, with Pennant telling TEAMtalk that the Dutchman needs to find consistency quickly to avoid the threat of the axe.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might seem harsh that he is one of the favourites to get the sack after he won the title last season, but that\u2019s the way it is when you are Liverpool manager,\u201d began Pennant, speaking exclusively to TEAMtalk with BetSelect.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you win the league, you have to be up there the following season and trying to defend it, but the performances have not been good enough.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if it wasn\u2019t for him winning the league, I think he would have been sacked by now. That\u2019s put a bit of money in the bank for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe drop off is huge from last season. They are currently outside of the top five places for a Champions League spot. That\u2019s not good enough for Liverpool Football Club.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have been losing at home, drawing against Burnley at Anfield, and those kinds of performances should not be happening after Liverpool spent all that money last summer.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google <\/a>to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Pennant on how Liverpool could secure Champions League glory<\/p>\n Slot was criticised for his comments following Liverpool\u2019s 6-0 Champions League win against Qarabag last week, as he suggested it should not be forgotten that the club was playing in the Europa League a couple of seasons ago.<\/p>\n Critics questioned why Slot used that route to defend himself after he guided Liverpool into the last-16 of this season\u2019s Champions League, with Pennant suggesting it was a sign of the pressure he is feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have won the Premier League, you think that everyone should be in your corner, but you can see how football is just a results business,\u201d stated Pennant.<\/p>\n \u201cIf results are not coming and the performances are as bad as they have been at times this season, the fans will start to slowly turn and the critics will come out of the woodwork.<\/p>\n \u201cSlot can feel the negative energy and it gets to a point where a manager will say enough is enough. He is feeling it a little bit. He\u2019s under the microscope and I think he got a little bit frustrated when he made those comments.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennant went on to suggest Liverpool\u2019s most likely route to success this season will come in the Champions League, with Premier League teams appearing to have devised a blueprint to stop Slot\u2019s side by deploying defensive tactics and defending deep.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir best chance of winning silverware this season is the Champions League,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe top European teams are not going to Anfield trying together a draw and that might be why Liverpool\u2019s results have been better in Europe this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a team lower down the Premier League gets a draw against Liverpool, that\u2019s a good point, but the Champions League is all about winning. Sitting back and soaking up pressure is not how top European teams play and they leave gaps and space for Liverpool to exploit.\u201d<\/p>\n Slot\u2019s side face a crucial game against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, with games against Sunderland, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham to follow this month.<\/p>\n If Liverpool are not in a top four position by the end of February, the pressure is certain to ramp up around Slot and his players once again.<\/p>\n However, despite those doubts on the Dutchman\u2019s future, a top Liverpool source has offered FOUR reasons why Liverpool WON\u2019T sack Slot<\/a> \u2013 and it\u2019s hard to argue against them.<\/p>\n Liverpool round-up: Carragher promises Gary Neville pain; Upamecano contingency plan<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a\u00a0recent Liverpool signing has been favourably compared to two Man City icons and all-time greats of the Prem, and the Reds ace has the perfect opportunity to shove Gary Neville\u2019s past criticism \u2018down his throat\u2019<\/a> next weekend, according to Jamie Carragher.<\/p>\n In other news,\u00a0Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham were informed on deadline day that long\u2011term target Dayot Upamecano\u00a0has agreed fresh terms and will remain at Bayern Munich, TEAMtalk can confirm, and now the Reds\u00a0have a contingency plan in place<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finally,\u00a0Liverpool have already envisioned what their centre-back pairing will be after Virgil van Dijk leaves, with\u00a0Jeremy Jacquet to line up alongside an even younger partner<\/a>.<\/p>\n