FSG could be set for severe test of Liverpool faith if Arne Slot fears come true

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Liverpool are just one victory away from the Champions League but there could be more than just Europe on the line over the next fortnightIt perhaps best encapsulates a desperate season for Arne Slot that even when the Liverpool boss is proven right, there are occasions when he no doubt wishes he wasn't.Such has been the case with his team's laboured pursuit of booking a Champions League qualification berth which just two weeks ago was regarded as a formality by some.Not so Slot who, surely mindful of the erratic natu of his team, pointed to a difficult final four fixtures in which the Reds would need to gain sufficient points to secure the necessary top-five finish. Indeed, in the reverse fixtures earlier in the season, Liverpool had just one win and three defeats.Despite the loss at Manchester United, results elsewhere meant the required tally dropped from six to four points, which this weekend was reduced to three from the final two games following the disappointing draw at home to Chelsea.READ MORE: Joe Gomez lifts lid on Liverpool dressing room talks and responds to boos - 'it does hurt'READ MORE: Liverpool suffer more heartbreak as late goal ends Wembley dreamManchester City's defeat of Brentford later on Saturday meant European football was secured for Liverpool next season with the Reds guaranteed to finish no lower than seventh and now only under threat from Bournemouth and Brighton.Each would realistically need to win both their remaining games, Bournemouth entertaining Manchester City before finishing at Nottingham Forest, while Brighton are at Leeds United before ending at home to Manchester United.

The Seagulls appear the most likely to finish with a flourish, but would require Liverpool to end the season with successive defeats.Indeed, Aston Villa's surprise 2-2 draw at relegated Burnley on Sunday afternoon means that, barring a remarkable final day, Liverpool will seal both a Champions League slot and a top-four slot should they win at Villa Park on Friday evening.Few Reds fans, though, will have any great confidence in victory being assured, even if Unai Emery's side will understandably have minds distracted by the following Wednesday's Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul.Liverpool have won seven out of 18 away games in the Premier League this season but only one has come against a team presently in the top 10 - the dramatic 2-1 victory on their first-ever visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium last month.They stand ninth in the table based purely on away form behind not only Everton and Bournemouth but also relegation strugglers Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, who both avoided defeat at Anfield.Their total of eight away defeats is two more than the last two seasons put together, although it remains way off the worst record in a 38-game Premier League season of 11 that was achieved in 2004/05 and 2010/11.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageAnd you only have to go back a few years to the last season Liverpool lost eight times on the road, the 2022/23 campaign under Jurgen Klopp when they last missed out on Champions League qualification.Slot spoke before the game against Chelsea that the last three games wouldn't change the view of this season from supporters, an opinion he reiterated afterwards even if the bare minimum of a top-five finish is ultimately secured.

Nobody of a Red persuasion will want to dwell on this term for too long.But the transfer plans to which the Liverpool boss also hinted - claiming it will give his team a completely different outlook next season - are almost certain to in part be linked to retaining a place at Europe's top table.And while Slot still has the backing of Reds owners Fenway Sports Group, it stands to reason that faith will be severely tested should they fail to catch a ride on the Champions League gravy train.There are other permutations - if Villa take a Champions League spot by winning the Europa League and finish fifth then another berth would go to the team in sixth - but Liverpool can only control their own destiny.A win at Villa Park on Friday would be enough. But there would be little surprise should matters be taken down to the final day and the Anfield visit of Brentford with Jordan Henderson, Caoimhin Kelleher and company on what will already be an emotional occasion given the farewells for Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.If so, guts as well as guile will be under the microscope.