Liverpool

The reaction from Liverpool fans to the Arne Slot news thus far has not exactly been universal excitement.

In a way, that is to be expected. Such is the void that Jurgen Klopp is leaving behind, it would be hard for Reds to be together in being overwhelmingly optimistic about what comes next.

However, having firmly placed our eggs in the Xabi Alonso basket initially and then mentally pivoting towards Sporting’s Ruben Amorim - after some time and persuading - it is no wonder that seeing neither take to the dugout is an idea that is hard to warm towards.

And, indeed, it now seems likely to fall to the manager of the second-best team in the Netherlands!

Look at it this way though Liverpool fans. If Amorim was the right man for the job based on his character, temperament, taking a non-fancied club to a league title and overseeing European and domestic cup runs, then Slot also ticks all those boxes.

Without getting all “Sam Allardici” about it - though the name may not come across as quite as flashy as the previous two favourites, Michael Edwards has been nothing if not smart and particular about decisions made towards recruitment at Liverpool up until now.

Whoever the next name is through the door deserves universal support.

Josh is from The Anfield Wrap, external

A View from the Terrace meet figures from Scotland captain and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson's past, who recall his journey up the football ranks.

Watch A View from the Terrace on the BBC Scotland channel and iPlayer from 22:30 BST

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Jurgen Klopp says his will not "wave the flight flag" on this season yet, but he admitted no one is happy with the position Liverpool find themselves in.

Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League have been significantly damaged by defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton, while Manchester City and Arsenal continue to gain points.

"Nobody here is happy at all," said Klopp. "When we are this close [to the end of the season] we are very disappointed.

"I am not in the mood to give up or wave the white flag. We just have to look after ourselves. We deserve to be where we are so we have to use it. I want us to not feel the pressure.

"We have to learn from it in the short term and the boys have to learn from it long term. Experience you can not buy, you can only make it yourself."

The Reds sit in third on 74 points, three behind leaders Arsenal and two from Manchester City, who also have a game in hand.

"They [Arsenal and Manchester City] will see it as a two horse race because they do not expect to lose two games from now on," said Klopp.

"I do not expect them to either. I do not think it will happen, but if it does then we will be there and that starts with winning games again.

"There are four games to go and 12 points to get. If you ask me then I want them all."

Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at West Ham.

Here are the key lines from the Liverpool boss:

• Klopp said he is not involved in the process of who succeeds him as manager but he is encouraged by why he knows of reported frontrunner Arne Slot saying, "It all sounds really good." He went on to praise the Feyenoord boss' style of play and reputation for being "a good guy."

• He said he "cannot remember ever being so disappointed and frustrated after a game" as he was following Wednesday's Merseyside defeat to Everton.

• On the defeat: "We were not there. We lost all the decisive battles and that was really bad. I did not see anything of what we want to be against Everton."

• He says it is a quick turnaround and they "have to be positive" and "show a reaction" against West Ham.

• On whether Liverpool's title hopes are over: "They [Arsenal and Manchester City] will see it as a two-horse race now as they don’t expect to lose two games from now on. I don’t expect them too either. I don’t think it will happen, but if it does, then we will be there and that starts with winning games again."

• Diogo Jota and Conor Bradley will not be available but are both "progressing well."

• On goal droughts for Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah: "Strikers not scoring is tricky but they have to go through these things and it is a striker;s life. It says nothing about their quality. You have to go through it and I have to try and help them."

• He said West Ham boss David Moyes has done "a ridiculously good job" and has a "very talented team."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences

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Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes Arne Slot will have been "well analysed" by Liverpool before becoming their leading candidate.

The Reds are now set to talk to Feyenoord about the possibility of Slot joining the club following Jurgen Klopp's departure in the summer.

Despite the emergence of the 45-year-old coming as a surprise to many, Fabregas feels the Liverpool hierarchy will have looked at both his numbers and his personality.

"You want to know absolutely every detail with managers - this is the same thing," he told the Planet Premier League podcast.

"Of course, the style of play is important and then their personality is important. The character and how he deals with things. Has he had problems with clubs before? How does he handle pressure?

"All of these details are well taken care of and very well analysed. I think it's fair because nowadays you invest a lot of money in players and coaches of your future [and there is] the pressure of the fans. So you need to make sure, or you at least want to make sure that you are taking the best decision possible."

It is the first time in nine years the Reds have had to look for a new manager and outgoing Klopp is currently the longest serving manager in the league.

"From the last couple of years, maybe more the last five years, Liverpool have been one of the clubs that have invested in a very, very smart way - in players and in stuff like the culture, the training ground," added Fabregas.

"I'm not surprised and I think that if they've chosen him [Slot], there must be a reason behind it that I'm sure it would be a positive one."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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In an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, external, Anthony Gordon revealed how meditation helps him to cope with the pressure of playing football. He also talked about how seeing Liverpool's Mohamed Salah talk about visualisation helped him take more interest in it.

"Meditating is more of a coping mechanism to help with pressures of playing and just allows me to react from a higher place than my own emotions as playing emotionally doesn’t help me," said Gorddon.

"My preparation starts two days before the game. I do a lot of meditation and visualisation, so if a chance comes to me in the game, its like I already lived it. It helps me trust in my ability, so when the opportunity comes in the game I don’t overthink it.

"My confidence comes from my preparation. I don’t know where it comes from as no one around me is like that, I love learning stuff and I took a liking to psychology. Some footballers like to play instinctively, but I love the mindset of getting myself into that space before getting into that position. I have seen seen [Mohamed] Salah talk about it and that’s where I took more of a interest in it, as he is a machine and a winner and you wouldn’t go wrong following what he does."

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Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan joined the Football Daily Podcast to discuss what Feyenoord manager Arne Slot could bring to Liverpool should he be given the job this summer.

The Reds are in talks to appoint the Dutchman as a replacement for Jurgen Klopp, who will depart at the end of the season.

Slot led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title and this season they have won the Dutch Cup and are second in the league.

So will they let him go?

"Feyenoord understand they can no longer stand in his way of leaving," said Van der Kraan. "But they want some form of compensation because it is the best manager they have had in many years.

"This man has brought such entertaining, almost sexy, football to the Dutch league. He is a manager that Liverpool fans can look forward too and I am just hoping that he can make it through the high level of expectation.

"I really want this manager to make an impact because too many Dutch managers have not had the grip of Premier League football. Being brilliant in Holland is great for Dutch fans, and yes we like to play in football, but to be a real success in England you have to really step it up.

"I just wish Arne Slot had experienced English football as a player because those that have seem to understand the intensity better."

Although unproven in the Premier League, Van der Kraan believes he has the key attributes to succeed in England.

"Liverpool fans should be confident because Slot does not lack any confidence and he will play the way he wants," he said. "He has a super attacking style and it is very similar to that of Pep Guardiola.

"He will not adapt against any opposition. Slot is like Guardiola and it is attack, attack, attack. He demands so much from his players."

"He has a personality where he knows he can carry a club because he has done that with smaller clubs and Feyenoord.

"He is charismatic and if Liverpool have done their homework and studied him, then they will know he is so similar to Klopp. He is full of energy and that is good for the Liverpool team because the players will not see much difference."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw believes Arne Slot's style of play "will suit" Liverpool if he is to join the club.

The Reds are set to open talks with Feyenoord over their manager Slot succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss.

The 45-year-old has had both league and domestic cup success with the Eredivisie side is known for a high intensity, attacking style of play.

"If it is possible, he will try to press high and all the players know what to do. I think he plays in an attractive way and it's nice to watch for the supporters," Van der Gouw told BBC World Service Sport Today.

"It's difficult to compare [with Liverpool's current style of play] as he has his own style.

"But you can also say they try to play with the same intensity, with a lot of energy and I think that would suit Liverpool as well. The team is always working hard."

Despite having spent all his footballing career in the Netherlands, Van der Gouw does not feel Slot will be affected by the pressure of managing a Premier League club like Liverpool.

"Liverpool is a massive club with a lot of supporters who are very good, but he's coming from Feyenoord and the supporters from Feyenoord are so fanatic," he added.

"He deals with it very well, so I expect he will do the same thing with the supporters from Liverpool."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Here is a selection of the key facts and figures before West Ham United host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday (12:00 BST kick-off).

• West Ham have lost 12 of their past 14 Premier League games against Liverpool, with both exceptions in this run coming at home (1-1 in February 2019, 3-2 in November 2021).

• The Reds have already beaten the Hammers 3-1 in the league and 5-1 in the Carabao Cup so far this season. This is the 11th campaign in which the two sides have faced each other three or more times, but Liverpool have never managed to beat them three times.

• West Ham have won just one of their past eight league home games (D5 L2), beating Brentford 4-2 in February. They lost against Fulham last time out but have not been beaten in consecutive home league games since a run of three in November/December 2022.

• Mohamed Salah has scored 11 goals for Liverpool against West Ham, only netting more against Manchester United (14) in his Reds career.

• Jarrod Bowen has scored in both meetings with Liverpool so far this season – the only Hammers player to score in three different games against the Reds in a campaign is Geoff Hurst in 1964-65.

Losing derby matches is tough to take. It is even more difficult to come to terms with when it becomes something that rarely happens. When you then factor in the harm it does to your Premier League title ambitions, it becomes a cocktail for catastrophe.

As expected, Liverpool had large periods of the game where they dominated the possession. They created some really good opportunities, notably for Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in the first half, but both chances were squandered.

Once again Mohamed Salah looked a shadow of the player who has been the scourge of Premier League defenders for such a long time. He is not lacking in terms of appetite, but his ability to change games in an instant has gone missing. Perhaps the injury he suffered during the Africa Cup of Nations proved more difficult to overcome than we imagined.

Diaz was as hungry as ever to contribute but you could perhaps tell it was not to be his night when he struck the post with a magnificent curling shot in the second half. By then, the damage had been done and Everton were 2-0 in front.

The defeat for Liverpool owed much to their inability to cope with Everton’s aerial prowess at set pieces. Their dominance of the far post was almost total, yet Liverpool failed to alter a tactical plan that was not working.

For Darwin Nunez, it was another night where he failed to make the most of chances afforded to him.

Earlier on in the campaign Liverpool were scoring goals from all over the pitch. Missing chances did not really matter, but now when the goals from elsewhere have dried up, it really does. Nunez needs to bring more composure to his finishing and he has to be more clinical.

While the defeat comes as a devastating blow to Liverpool’s title ambitions, it is worth remembering that at the start of the season, very few Reds fans saw their team as realistic title contenders. Given the seismic changes to the squad during the summer, this still has to be viewed as a season of progress and one that still ended with silverware in the trophy cabinet.

The onus on the players now is to make sure the season does not drift away. They have to get back on track and rediscover their desire and determination. Their season is not over yet. It cannot be.

They still have to battle for every point, starting at London Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rarely looks a beaten man - but he looked close to it after his side suffered a harrowing night in defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.

Klopp apologised to Liverpool's fans and admitted the performance in an electric atmosphere had simply not been good enough.

Liverpool are still only three points behind leaders Arsenal but The Gunners have a vastly superior goal difference while Manchester City are only a point behind with two games in hand.

Klopp looked shell-shocked in his technical area as Everton fans subjected their old rivals to taunts of "You Lost The League At Goodison Park" near the end of their first Merseyside derby win at home since October 2010.

And Klopp had to reflect on a Liverpool display that was desperately poor in both penalty areas, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate suffering in defence while their attack misfired once more.

Darwin Nunez is now reaching the stage where he can now longer be forgiven for his wayward finishing because he causes "chaos". It is currently only wayward finishing that makes him stand out, not any chaos he may cause.

Mohamed Salah is also going through the most indifferent spell of finishing of his Liverpool career, guilty of more misses at Everton.

The title race is not over but Liverpool's run of two losses and a draw in their past four league games has left them relying heavily on unlikely results elsewhere.

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Liverpool's front line faced scrutiny following their 2-0 defeat by Everton on Wednesday, which left the Reds three points off league leaders Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp's side had 23 shots, seven on target, but failed to put any of them past Jordan Pickford.

A graphic from Wednesday's Match of the Day showed all three of Liverpool's forwards ranking inside the top 10 for big chances missed this season.

"It's not Liverpool-like," former Manchester City defender Micah Richards told Match of the Day. "They've got so much quality and normally in these games they put away these big opportunities.

"Especially Darwin Nunez. He has missed 26 big chances and only scored 11 goals. You can say that other players have missed big chances, but they are also scoring more goals.

"I think Liverpool will be ruing that."

Watch highlights and analysis on BBC iPlayer

We asked for your views on Everton's 2-0 win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

Here are some of your answers:

Karen: Season over as far as I am concerned. Their passion has fizzled out. Always making it so difficult by conceding early goals. This team achieves such a high percentage of possession but too many chances are wasted. Too many drawn fixtures and too many losses against teams in games that should be a comfortable win. We have so much quality, but little substance.

Claude: Well it is all over now. No chance Liverpool will win the league this season. Poor performance from the boys. There was no desire or focus in how to win. Poor performance in front of goal. Typical situation we have seen too often. Need an overhaul of the squad in the summer and a manager who won’t accept failure. Bring in [Ruben] Amorim.

Matthew: Liverpool looked done when they scraped a win against Sheffield United. Over achieved with this squad. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez both need to go and better replacements found. Salah has been a club legend but time seems to have caught up with him. Nunez is just not good enough.

Hemanth: The fatigue of going behind in almost every game throughout the season and then playing catch up has well and truly caught up with us. The defence will need to be strengthened during the summer. Will be a sad, sad way to give a send off to Klopp.

Graeme: In 60 years of watching Liverpool, I cannot remember ever seeing them play with so little sparkle. They lost possession frequently. They seem indecisive in front of goal and Salah and Nunez seem to be really struggling up front. Something is seriously wrong in the camp. They seem disjointed and out of ideas.

Ben: The title race is now a two-horse race. Yet again Liverpool promise, yet again they fall away. Klopp said he no longer has the energy to do the job - clearly neither do the players. A big clear out in summer is needed starting with Nunez and [Cody] Gakpo. It may be the end for Salah as well. New defenders will also be needed. One win in four is not acceptable.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Wednesday night's four Premier League fixtures as well as the goals from Tuesday's game.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

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On the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown has been considering why Liverpool's form has tailed off in recent weeks.

"At the start of this season, I felt their transition came quicker than expected," said Brown. "I did not think they would be fighting near the top of the Premier League.

"But I would have thought they would have been okay against Everton because of the fight and desire that comes with a derby game.

"Has the Atalanta result derailed them? Or is because Jurgen Klopp is leaving at the end of the season?"

However, ex-Nottingham Forest and Republic of Ireland winger Andy Reid was unconvinced Klopp's impending exit is to blame.

"It would be easy to point the finger at Klopp's departure, but I am not sure it has had much of an impact," he said.

"I am just still surprised by the timing of it because they are building a core team with a great base of players. It will be interesting to see who takes it on and what they will do.

"Historically when big players have left it is really difficult for clubs to pull themselves back."

So if it is not Klopp's departure on the minds, why have Liverpool stumbled in recent weeks?

Ex-Everton defender Conor Coady believes it is down to an inconsistent starting eleven.

"Liverpool still change a lot of players. I know they have had injuries but you do not know who will be playing in key positions game-to-game.

"Arsenal and Manchester City have nailed down their team at the business end of the season which can only be a good thing."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds