Gerrard Takes Aim at Slot’s Comments After Liverpool Beat Marseille

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard has given his verdict on Arne Slot following the Reds’ convincing 3–0 Champions League victory over Marseille.

On Wednesday night, Liverpool secured just their second win of 2026 with an assured performance against the Ligue 1 outfit at the Stade Vélodrome. The result arrived at a crucial time, with pressure growing on Slot after a run of underwhelming Premier League displays against Leeds United, Fulham and Burnley.

That scrutiny intensified further after Real Madrid’s decision to part ways with former manager and Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso, who has since been linked as a potential successor to Slot.

After the win in France, Gerrard weighed in on the situation, offering his assessment of Slot’s handling of the mounting speculation. Liverpool’s most recent league outing saw them held to a 1–1 draw by Burnley at Anfield on January 17, marking their sixth draw in a 13-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.

Despite being reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool currently sit fourth in the table, closer in points to 16th-placed Leeds than to leaders Arsenal, who hold a 14-point advantage. In Europe, however, the Reds are fourth in the Champions League standings, with a home win over Qarabag FK next week set to secure a top-four finish.

Speaking after the Marseille victory, Gerrard praised Slot for standing firm under pressure and delivering a vital result, insisting the manager deserved greater recognition.

“I’m really pleased for him,” Gerrard said on TNT Sports. “It’s never easy when you’re under that kind of scrutiny. His tactics were spot on tonight, and he deserves a lot of credit.”

However, Gerrard also urged Slot to move away from repeatedly referencing low-block setups as a challenge.
“He needs to stop talking about low blocks,” he added. “Teams have been sitting deep against Liverpool since I was playing — that’s nothing new.”
The former captain then encouraged Slot and the squad to use the Marseille win as a springboard for greater consistency in the league.

“There’s no doubt about Liverpool’s ability to handle big atmospheres,” Gerrard continued. “This squad has players who’ve won the league, won the Champions League and competed at the very highest level.

“Now it’s about consistency. That’s the standard at Liverpool. They need to reset, recover properly and take this same mindset into the Bournemouth game — and if they do that, they’ll have no problems there.”