The Etihad away end at full-time was quite a sight, and it said a lot. The emptying began 57 minutes in, after Manchester City went 4-0 up against Liverpool. Just 20 minutes earlier, it had been 0-0. This was a total collapse, and the biggest margin of defeat of the Arne Slot era. The players crumbled mentally. The Liverpool fanbase’s faith in Slot has completely crumbled too. The standards have fallen so far in just 12 months.

The first 35 minutes at the Etihad were actually positive for the defending Premier League champions. But the fragility of this squad returned once Haaland scored from the penalty spot. From then on it was an utterly miserable afternoon. And it was one that proved one thing: Slot’s tenure HAS to end. He cannot be the manager at the start of next season.

There is little chance he departs before the two-legged tie with PSG is complete; otherwise, he would already have been axed. But this Liverpool team requires a divine miracle to beat PSG in the quarter-finals. If it gets a top-five Premier League finish, it will only be because their rivals have faltered.

There is such a massive disconnect between the manager and the fans right now. The belief in his football has completely evaporated. It was a familiar case of missed chances and dire decisions at City, and the Liverpool manager can partly feel let down by his players. They are not free of blame whatsoever, and several must be shown the door this summer.

Yet the talent on the pitch does not correlate to the results this team is producing. That XI at the Etihad should not be losing 4-0 to City 11 vs 11. Nor should Liverpool have been obliterated by PSV and Nottingham Forest at Anfield, beaten by Wolves, lost to Ruben Amorim‘s Manchester United or have failed to beat any of the bottom three at Anfield. The players are a part of the problem, but not the biggest problem.

It is an imbalanced squad. One with some players past their prime. It is a squad lacking certain player profiles which it had last season. But there is still enough ability so that rank performances like this should not be the norm. Alexander Isak and Alisson aside, the starting line-up at City was virtually full strength. You wouldn’t have known from the performance. The coaching is to blame.

Under Slot, this team is now absolutely rank average. They are on pace for a 60-point season. Only once in the last 14 years have they sunk that low. The last time they managed less than 60, Rio Ngumoha was three years old.

Liverpool have lost 15 games this season. Not since 2014-15 have they lost more, when Brendan Rodgers’ side suffered 18, including a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City. Something similar may come for this group in the next few weeks, and they will match, if not surpass, that 18-defeat total.

Away from home, Liverpool still have to face PSG, Everton, Man United and Aston Villa. They will do well not to lose all four handsomely. They are dreadful defensively, despite the personnel largely being the same as last season. They are so susceptible to breaking under pressure and adversity, despite having players who have won tonnes of trophies for the club.

In attack, they are often flat, slow or wasteful. Sometimes all three at once. With younger direct wingers, would they be better? Had they signed Marc Guehi as competition for Ibrahima Konate, would they have conceded fewer goals? Yes, to both. But the team’s style of play would remain the same and their lack of intensity is a gigantic problem. It is sucking the life out of the crowd.

Going into next season with Slot in charge would now amount to gross negligence on the part of Fenway Sports Group. He has given the fans no reason to be optimistic about next season. The performances Liverpool are serving up remain painfully similar to those they conjured up in September and October. They have not been a consistently good team for over a year.

It will almost definitely be another summer of huge change at Anfield. Their squad needs a lot of it. But the most crucial change must come in the dugout. If Slot stays in charge, Liverpool will repeat 2015-16 – except Jurgen Klopp won’t come to save them in mid-October this time.