Emile Heskey says Arne Slot and his Liverpool squad must “stand up and be counted” as they enter a decisive phase in their push for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Heskey, who scored 22 goals during the club’s 2001 cup treble, believes Slot still deserves full backing after delivering the Premier League title last season.
Liverpool have come under pressure in Slot’s second year, having lost eight league matches – double last season’s tally – and now sit sixth behind Chelsea and Manchester United.
With fifth place likely enough for Champions League qualification, Emile Heskey has urged the Reds to produce a strong run-in and backed Slot to guide the team through a difficult campaign at Anfield.
“I think they should stick with Slot,” Heskey told aceoods.com. “You’ve got to remember we were all saying how good the in-game changes were and we lauded him for it.
“Making changes at half-time, pulling players off the pitch, taking risks, making tough decisions and [the changes] coming off. We can’t all of a sudden jump on someone’s back when they have a dip. There’s got to be consistency and stick with him.
“But he needs to know he’s under pressure and he’s at a club where it’s not if we win, it’s we’ve got to win trophies. When I was at the club it was you couldn’t lose two games on the spin, having come from Leicester where you lose five.
“In that environment you can’t lose two on the bounce and they’re telling you that. That is pressure and you’ve got to be able to deal with that pressure.
“There have been seasons in the past where competing for the Premier League title was normal and if it wasn’t for a fantastic Manchester City team they would have won more. They know how to do it, so now’s the time to stand up and be counted.
“Slot knows he has to win trophies and regardless of whether you’re at Liverpool, Leeds or West Ham, you’re ten games away from being sacked. It’s sad to say but it’s common knowledge that teams are trigger happy.”
Heskey added: “Whenever you look at results, you generally look back at what has been spent and what has been allocated to the squad.
“What does the squad look like? And you judge off that and if you judge off those metrics then it’s not been good.
“The reality is that Liverpool should be challenging for the title. But then you look at the likes of Wirtz and Ekitike and Isak who have just come into the club and it’s difficult to make a difference straight away. It’s not an excuse for them because this is their job.
“It’s their job to perform. I know they will all come good but it has been a very tough watch at this moment in time seeing them underperform.”
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