And yet, last season they looked to have got it so right.
So if something has gone disastrously wrong, you have to look at the recruitment, and whether the axis of Slot, Hughes and Edwards were either too hubristic in trying to do too much too soon or always knew this season was going to be transitional.
Support is one thing however who can have confidence in players who turn the wrong way all the time?
The number of ball watchers is so high we look like we have 3 less players on the pitch than Nottingham Forest when playing at home.
We need a manager that can instill some confidence in our squad.
Let’s stop with the idea that Arne Slot went on a £450m spending spree. We know that the recruitment is directed by senior figures above him in the hierarchy.
I take issue with the ‘has to’. He didn’t have to bin off half of the existing squad, it was his choice. He made his bed, and has now to sleep in it.
Calls for him to be sacked are of course far too premature, but I’m quite sure that fsg and Edwards are working overtime right now to identify the next man, in case that Slot doesn’t manage to steady the ship. What we see now is relegation form, Hodgson-level style. This can’t go on forever.
It seems that we got the best out of Slot during his first year with us (taking over a settled squad and getting the best out of it), and now we get the worst (failing to pick up all the puzzle-parts of a newly-formed squad, and trying to make sense out of them).
He looks out of his depth right now, but after all, we beat an excellent Real Madrid side just before the international break, and we seemed to have turned a corner then. All the people calling for his head would do well to remember that game. He didn’t look that much out of his depth then.
@TheSweetSilverSong, this site needs all levelheaded members. Otherwise, the fools will take over the asylum. As @RedOverTheWater said, take a deep breath, your beautiful violin maybe, and don’t let yourself frustrate by the frustration going around right now.
Anyway, we’ll always be here and wait for you to come back.
I understand the reasons for affording Slot grace, I really do. But this is not just struggling for form or inconsistent performance, which could be expected considering all of the new signings. What we’ve seen is relegation form, and this team is too talented to be putting out performances like we saw today.
By the same token, our back room guys don’t foist players upon the manager. This was a series changes made to replace players the manager didn’t want and to allow the team to evolve into the one he wanted us to be. Slot has as much a role in ripping this up as anyone