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Perhaps they were trying to convince themselves; The Kop attempted some reassurance that ‘every little thing is gonna be alright…’ by singing Bob Marley as Liverpool’s miserable 2025/26 season came to a close.
Having watched two players depart who played key roles in transforming Liverpool into a team that won every major honour possible in the past nine years, there was more than a little sense of the end of an era at Anfield.
Half of the squad that was left for Arne Slot just two years ago has now departed, while a handful more are expected to follow Mo Salah and Andy Robertson for the exit this summer, too.
Liverpool’s season was a complete failure
Kopites who lived through the 1990s could be forgiven for being concerned that this is reminiscent of Graeme Souness’ time in charge, when the Scot moved on most of Kenny Dalglish’s title-winning-but-ageing squad in quick succession, before being sacked himself and an era of mediocrity followed.
That certainly appears to be the concern for Salah, who has voiced his concerns publicly as the curtain closed on his nine incredible years.
Liverpool limped to the end of the season, a 1-1 draw with Brentford that secured Champions League football for next season but did very little to provide confidence that things are going in the right direction; failing to win any of the final four games of the season.
In fact, in the last 14 games in all competitions, there were just four wins for the Merseysiders.
Let’s be clear, Liverpool’s season, mitigating circumstances or not, has been an absolute failure. 60 points and fifth place is not an achievement by any means.
Last season, 60 points would have seen you finish ninth and no European football whatsoever.
The season before, you’d be seventh but again no European qualification. Three seasons ago; ninth again.
Indeed, 60 points is the lowest total to achieve Champions League qualification since 2003/04 - when Gerard Houllier mutually parted ways with Liverpool in the most amicable managerial departure in Premier League history, complete with a photoshoot on the Anfield pitch.
Slot has said that he is confident he can win back the support of fans next season, but even here as the season ended, much of the discourse among fans as they left the stadium was the Dutchman’s manner post-match.
Perhaps it was well-intentioned, giving the departing players their moment, but as Slot sat looking rather surly on the bench rather than joining in with the post-match lap of appreciation, it didn’t go unnoticed.
Likely, it was his contemplative mood and nothing intended negatively, but for supporters it again showed a lack of connection and understanding on the head coach’s behalf. The walk-around is, after all, for both parties to show mutual appreciation and thanks for the past season.
It was Slot’s opportunity to show thanks and appreciation to the fans who endured their lowest win percentage in a decade, winning just 17 league games. Instead, he sat isolated, on his own.
Meanwhile, Salah showed his understanding of the club and its supporters, telling Sky Sports: “They [the fans] don’t care that much about the result as long as you sweat and give your blood here, they’ll love you forever.”
What Salah is saying is the importance to Liverpool’s support of showing up, of giving everything; to walk through a storm - which Liverpool undoubtedly have had to following Diogo Jota’s death in pre-season - but to do it together.
Slot says injuries sum up the season - but he must be accountable, too
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot assessed: “If you asked me one word to describe this season, I would describe that with the word ‘injury’.”
On the face of it, it’s a fair frustration, but this is the same manager who, back in October, said of his squad size: ”This is a decision we have made together, I completely believe in this, because if you have 25 [players] it’s very hard to manage your squad.”
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say you prefer to work with a small squad, then spend almost the entirety of the season bemoaning injuries, players adapting to playing midweek and weekend, the strength of available options from the bench, and conceding late goals consistently.
With the expanded Champions League and intensity of the Premier League, larger squads are required, surely even more so if you go into the season knowing that new signings aren’t capable of playing midweek and weekend for 90 minutes. So why was the decision made to leave Liverpool’s squad so short?
“I like my squad so much,” said Slot in October. “But we don’t have 25 or 26 [players], so if we end up with two, three or four injuries, 15 or 16 players, where Rio and Trey are two of these 15 or 16, then need to play almost all the minutes and then things can become complicated.”
Trey Nyoni, the highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder who earned his debut under Jurgen Klopp aged 16, ended the season with just 21 minutes of league football.
Federico Chiesa, who has been marginalised for another season, played 318 league minutes. Wataru Endo just 170.
Kieran Morrison, the Under-21s captain and player of the season, was a sub on 13 occasions but called upon from the bench just once - for the final five minutes of an FA Cup win at Wolves.
So Liverpool’s squad was effectively much smaller than it could have been, and in part due to Slot's faith in some of them. And that’s before you look at the farcical situation regarding Harvey Elliott and the lack of an agreement to take him back to Anfield in January when the Reds were crying out for players of quality from the bench for the entire second half of the season.
Slot’s cup exits won’t wash
Slot has been keen to point out that the FA Cup and Champions League exits, each being 4-0 losses, were to eventual FA Cup winners Man City, and PSG, who haven’t lost a two-legged European tie in two seasons now.
But that won’t wash with a fan base that have high standards and want to be competing for major honours.
Indeed, it doesn’t sit well with captain Virgil van Dijk, Robertson, Salah and Curtis Jones, who have all voiced the season being below the standards required of Liverpool Football Club.
“Being in Liverpool, winning something for Liverpool and winning games is the best thing that could happen to you all,” declared Salah in a final message to the Liverpool squad on his last day at the AXA Training Centre.
Slot, while admitting that qualifying for the Champions League is "our lowest base,” said that, referring to Chelsea and Tottenham, “big clubs are not able to qualify for Champions League or Europe [this season].”
Some supporters will see this as further evidence of a disconnect, even a lowering of expectations. Liverpool should be challenging for the biggest honours, anything less is failure - even if you exit to the eventual winners, but especially if that exit is 4-0 and amidst a run of four defeats in five games.
Liverpool’s longest unbeaten run this season was 13 games, immediately following arguably the lowest point of the season, a 4-1 defeat at home to PSV.
But even that unbeaten run itself masked huge deficiencies and poor results; drawing against Leeds (twice), Burnley and Fulham. The seven wins in the 13 games included against Barnsley in the FA Cup and a West Ham that was eventually relegated.
More ‘transition’ and an uncertain future
Much is unclear at Anfield this summer, from Slot’s future itself with one year remaining on his contract, plus the club’s decision makers, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, who each also have the same terms expiring next summer.
Of the squad this season, up to nine first-team players could depart; Salah, Robertson, Ibrahima Konate (out of contract), Chiesa, Endo, Curtis Jones (wanted by Inter Milan and with only a year left on his contract, highly expected to leave), Alisson (wanted by Juventus), Joe Gomez (another with one year left) and Alexis Mac Allister could be sold for the right price.
Liverpool go into next season with their current top goalscorer for the club as Cody Gakpo. Centre-back Virgil van Dijk has the second-most goals for the club.
Slot has admitted it will be another summer of a little transition, but not as “drastic” as last summer. But with so many set to leave, it looks like a lot of surgery is required, to say the least.
Kopites sang not to ‘worry about a thing,’ but plenty will be spending their summer worrying about the future of the club.
