Nice to see nothing’s changed in all this time I was gone.
Still people panicking at every single opportunity.
Let me just point out that everyone seemingly agrees we’re completely lost, don’t know what we’re doing, etc. yet on our current PPG for this season we’re on par to equal City from last season.
We’re literally 1 point behind City, 4 points behind Arsenal (having beaten them already), and apart from losing to this United team, we haven’t otherwise done that much different compared to the corresponding fixtures from last season.
If this is our slump, then we’re in a ridiculously good position for a slump. The simple fact is that if all the shots that hit the woodwork (not to mention that Gakpo header) went in against United, we’d be talking about a lucky but deserved win against them. Fact is, United were lucky to come out with 3 points. We need to improve on things, no doubt, but acting as though this is some massive catastrophe is overblown.
My point is that I’ve seen a lot of drama, that acts as though we completely can’t play football at all, that pretends like we were comprehensively outplayed by United or Chelsea.
It makes it out as though we’ve deserved to lose every single game so far this season, as though our record so far this season hasn’t been 7 consecutive wins (no mean feat) before the 4 consecutive losses.
We weren’t sparkling prior to the losses; we haven’t been dire since them. We need to stop giving up silly goals, we need to work on positioning, Salah needs to figure out what on earth is up with his shooting, and we’ll be better again.
We also always struggle a bit after an international break and Manure took advantage, dirty buggers.
Losing to them at home though you have to expect some reaction.
Also we need to talk about something. If everyone was Mascot we’d be bored to death by now!
There is an element of truth to that, but I think it is also correct that when a side like us starts the season not living up to expectations with the quality and buttoned upness of the performances then it is expected that the reaction to that gets more negative the more it goes on even if we’re not actually getting worse. But I do think it is more than that and that we have got worse over the last month or so. Sometimes it does have to get worse before a new approach clicks, but sometimes something gets worse because the solutions you are using to try to fix something are not working either.
I’m not calling for Arne’s head or anything like that, but I think we need to be honest about there being a real challenge ahead of him now
I actually think the criticism has been measured and fair. We’ve spent 400 million on a title winning team and have just lost 4 on the bounce, it’d be weird and almost cultish not to acknowledge how poor we’ve been recently.
There is also the problem that prior to those four losses, we had a stretch of wins where the side looked shaky, and prior to that a fairly unconvincing period at the back end of the PL campaign. I leave aside the matches after the title was secured, but it has been quite a while since we have played like a genuinely strong team.
It is puzzling and unsettling that Slot seemed to get his team to make adjustments seamlessly in early on in 24/25, but has not seemed to be able to deliver that performance level since.
There were lessons to be learned tonight. Let’s hope Arne learned them and takes the appropriate action in the next league match.
Salah and Macca should not be starters on present form.
Chiesa offers more than Mo right now.
Ekitike is in better form than Isak.
Dom has to be in midfield. He’s on fire and a credit to his shirt number.
That’s how to use Wirtz.
Arteta is almost six years at Arsenal, without a PL to his name.
Slot has one, in one year.
His “transition” year is now, building his own team.
We really should allow this new Liverpool team time to settle, blend and become a coherent force.
Losing four in a row is dreadful.
And in honesty the previous few were mediocre performances for the most part, despite winning.
But we need to afford time and patience to Slot. He surely deserves that much?
Don’t know why we need to even compare ourselves with Arsenal, simply a different case, timing and story. Arteta survived a poor period at the start of one of his seasons. From then on, they improved and are now trying to make the last step. I personally think in that period, they did the right decision by sticking with him (it won’t last forever and he also might wish to try something new, if they keep failing to win).
In the overall landscape that is LFC… losing 4games on the trot might just become a footnote in the (hopefully), successful seasons to come.
We have got ourselves into the longed for position, of being able to go out and buy the best. Given that, these players don’t turn shit overnight. Neither will they know the tactics required of them overnight, their teammates, the city, in some cases the country.
None of the newbies have been here 6months yet…
It is said patience is a virtue. With the way we have played in some games recently, it is a virtue that is being truly tested. Then all of a sudden, some of the interlinking play in the Frankfurt game last night, became the green shoot moments we have been anticipating…
IMO, when we hit the summit of the PL again this season; and we will; there is no way we will be ousted again… This team, and squad nucleus is in it for the long haul at Anfield. I for one, as a fan, can only see good times ahead..
We looked better yesterday because Frankfurt played the right way and didnt just put the ball in the air the entire time
I know this isn’t what he is saying, but there have already been several games this season where Slot has taken shit for these sorts of comments that are being interpreted negatively. They are being presented as an ugly form of snobbery, or even entitlement, and he just keeps adding fuel to that fire.
I appreciate his willingness to talk openly about the things he saw in the game. But a big part of management at this level of managing perceptions and not inviting any unnecessary pressure. Especially when you are not in a good run of results.
Looking back, Klopp did the same thing at the beginning and triggered similar reactions. Slot simply doesn’t know any better, as it’s normal to talk like that in other leagues. In England, however, people are very sensitive about this, and the question is whether Slot will simply remain Slot and, as a Dutchman, speak his mind, or whether he’ll adapt. We’ll have to wait and see.
The comparison is Slot and Arteta, and the level of patience shown to them as managers of potential title winning clubs.
Arteta nil in six.
Slot one in one.
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