Will a Champions League loss to Inter be curtains for Slot at Liverpool?

It’s easy to see why voices around Anfield are growing louder. With a key Champions League group stage showdown against Inter Milan tonight, a defeat for Liverpool could well mark the beginning of the end for Arne Slot’s tenure as manager. The pressure is mounting – and with good reason.

Liverpool arrive in Milan reeling from a dismal run: just one win in their last six matches across all competitions, including a blow-out 1-4 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League two weeks ago.

Their form in the Premier League is scarcely better: a record of seven wins, two draws and six defeats places them eighth in the table, a run hardly befitting of reigning champions.

It stacks up to a disastrous season so far for Liverpool and second-year boss Slot. The club splashed out roughly £400 million on new signings over the summer, an investment that looked to not just secure a title defence but act as a statement of intent.

Instead, Liverpool have looked unbalanced, fragile at the back and sloppy in attack – and never more so than in a 3-3 draw with Leeds United this past Saturday. Having taken a two-goal lead, the champions surrendered it, then edged back ahead, only to concede yet again in stoppage time.

The fallout from that match has further exposed cracks behind the scenes. As reported this week, Mohamed Salah – the Reds’ talismanic Egyptian superstar – accused the club of “throwing me under the bus”, claiming his relationship with Slot is effectively broken and hinting that next weekend’s home game could be his last as a Red.

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Such public displays of discontent – from a club legend, no less – are toxic for dressing-room harmony and undermine the manager’s authority.

With so much invested this summer and so little return, the mood at Anfield is turning sour. Fans, pundits and, crucially, club hierarchies will be asking: what’s the point of a draw, or even a win, when the performances are so inconsistent, the attitude so fragile and the unity so publicly fractured?

Enter Inter on Tuesday night. The Italians head into the game brimming with confidence after their recent 4-0 hammering of Como, while Liverpool look like a team running on fumes. Considering they are already teetering on the edge, a heavy defeat or another limp performance could be all it takes for the board to conclude enough is enough.

In that moment, “project stability” will be tossed aside in favour of damage limitation.

For Arne Slot, who began the campaign as the manager entrusted with defending the Premier League crown, the margin for error has vanished. Lose at the San Siro and this could well be the moment when Liverpool decide to draw the curtains.

Full Champions League fixture list for Round 6

Tuesday, 9 December  

• Kairat Almaty vs Olympiacos
• Bayern Munich vs Sporting CP 
• Atalanta vs Chelsea
• Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt 
• Inter vs Liverpool 
• Monaco vs Galatasaray
• PSV Eindhoven vs Atletico Madrid
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Slavia Prague
• Union St. Gilloise vs Marseille 

Wednesday, 10 December 

• Qarabag FK vs Ajax
• Villareal vs FC København
• Athletic Club vs PSG
• Leverkusen vs Newcastle
• Benfica vs Napoli
• Dortmund vs Bodø/Glimt
• Club Brugge vs Arsenal
• Juventus vs Pafos FC
• Real Madrid vs Man City

How to watch the Champions League in the USA on DAZN 

Soccer fans in the US can watch selected Champions League matches as part of their DAZN subscription package, in Spanish language.

For each match week, DAZN will have exclusive coverage of the top three pick games, including the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, and PSG, in Spanish. Click here to see which games are available on DAZN.

An annual subscription costs $19.99 per month for 12 months and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.

CBS has coverage of every Champions League match in English language this season.  You can get more details and subscribe to CBS's Champions League coverage here.

Fans can watch extra Champions League games in Spanish on ViX. A selection of those matches are also available on UNIMÁS and TUDN.

How to watch the Champions League in New Zealand on DAZN 

Every Champions League game during the 2025-26 season is streamed in high-definition and comes as part of a DAZN subscription.

An annual subscription costs $14.99 per month for 12 months and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.

How to watch the Champions League in Canada on DAZN

Watch every game of the Champions League this season in Canada with a DAZN subscription. 

There are three subscription options, offering differing selections of sports in each. Access to every Champions League match is included in all three package offerings, ranging from $29.99 to $44.99 per month (for 12 months)