Arne Slot needs a Liverpool performance against Chelsea – so Rio Ngumoha move is a must

Arne Slot needs Liverpool to put on a show against Chelsea on Saturday, so the Reds boss has to unleash Rio Ngumoha

13:04, 06 May 2026Updated 13:57, 06 May 2026

Just under ten years ago, Liverpool entertained Chelsea in their last Premier League home game of the season.

Thanks to a Christian Benteke goal in added time – aided by an error from goalkeeper Asmir Begovic – Jurgen Klopp’s team salvaged a point.

They would then go on to play out another 1-1 draw at West Brom in their final Premier League match, finishing the season in eighth place, with 60 points and a goal difference of 10.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool currently has a goal difference of 12 and 58 points. This weekend, they welcome Chelsea for their penultimate game of the season at Anfield.

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With a six-point gap to sixth-placed Bournemouth, a top-five finish for Liverpool is still a long odds-on shot.

But the match against Chelsea – currently among the worst teams in the competition – has taken on huge significance for Slot. He needs a performance. He needs a result.

Since that 60-point season ten years ago, Liverpool’s worst Premier League campaign – points-wise – was in 2022-23 when Klopp’s side finished fifth with 67 and a goal difference of 28. They scored 75 Premier League goals that season. This Liverpool team has 59 this season.

If Slot’s team wins its last three Premier League matches, it will finish with 67 points.

In theory, Slot could not wish for more hapless opponents on Saturday, Chelsea having lost their last six Premier League games. But that almost increases the pressure.

Right now, you get the feeling that most Liverpool fans are resigned to having Slot in charge for the first game of next season. They accept the situation but are not necessarily happy with it. And an air of resignation is almost worse than an air of discontent.

Slot does not just need a victory – he needs something to lift the crowd. And that is why it seems inconceivable that he will not start Rio Ngumoha.

Give the youngster a bit of confidence by guaranteeing him a start in the last three matches, no matter what mistakes he might make in a game. The lad is the future. He represents hope for a vibrant future.

And Slot needs to give the supporters some hope of a vibrant future. I have always been of the opinion that winning the Premier League in his first season at Anfield should immediately give him enough credit to be allowed a drop-off and enough credit for him to start the third year of his contract. But Slot cannot afford to end the Premier League season with a whimper.

In 2015-16, Klopp only took over when Liverpool were in tenth place after eight games. And the disappointment of an eventual eighth-placed finish was tempered by runs to the EFL Cup final and the Europa League final, even though they lost in both.

In fact, Klopp found himself in the opposite situation to Slot. He seemed to have unequivocal support and was given a new six-year contract.

Slot’s contract expires at the end of next season and you would expect negotiations over a new one to take place in the summer.

But if that seems unlikely now, it will seem unthinkable if his team lose to Chelsea at Anfield.

The season is winding down but the pressure is still very much on Arne Slot.