Arne Slot - Head Coach

That’s what I told you, our main shape is still mostly 4-4-2 (4-2-3-1, whatever you want to call it). We still play more often with a #10 than with a single pivot #6.

I don’t know what the exact plan was, I’m also interested in it.

But one thing I know is that not all players who are bought, even for big money, need to be on the pitch and immediately. The balance of the team comes first.

We haven’t had a clear Salah backup for years now, even under Klopp we had different players replacing him at different times (like we would have now). Luckily, we didn’t need to it very often.

Wirtz is an between the lines type of player who doesn’t need to be only a #10 for him to be himself. For me, our best double-pivot partnership is still Gravenberch and Mac. Quality and style wise I mean, form can change it.

The move to get both Ekitike and Isak does bother me, I don’t know how that will play out. But again, what’s worse than that is letting the price paid define how you build the team. I don’t care if it’s either of them on the bench so far if we haven’t proved they can work together.

I told what I think the plan was with Frimpong and Kerkez and that bothers me even more than getting both Ekitike and Isak. Very weird choices of very wild players considering how Slot wants to build from behind and control/dominate games.

It’s not possible to go back totally to last season’s stuff.
It’s not possible to go totally towards new future stuff.

And what I’m almost 100% sure is that no diamond is on our plan.

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Also, one that fits the personnel. This whole fluid-switching thing that pSG does works for them because they have a lot of truly multifunctional players who can perform different roles at a high level. We don’t have that. A lot of our players are quite specialised and, just as importantly, flourish when we maintain a particular structure.

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So I’ve said that we need to be compact (and I mean from back to front, front to back) and there’s also something in individual battles. It’s a question for them all, not only Slot, about the choices we’ve made. Right now, the focus is more on the pitch because surely, he should be getting more out of this squad.

For example, when we already signed Wirtz (I wasvery happy with that one) and Ekitike, but the news broke that we still want Isak, out of all the excitement, one of the first counter-questions (or doubts) I had was how we were going to press? At least initially, before it all potentially beds in. And who knows if it full will before next pre-season. And who knows if Slot survives until then.

Our benchmark to reach this summer was PSG’s football. That means pressing even better than we did last season and controlling/dominating/creating more than we did in the second half of last season, when it became a bit harder to break teams down.

We’ve dropped a level or two below that.

I think we can separate it perfectly.

It actually is a bit intriguing (and not clear enough) how getting both of them works going forward.

But once the window is closed and it’s down to purely coaching/training and playing football, we have to make decisions that are isolated from the prices paid.

everyone does. it was shit. obvious reasons.

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I feel the PSG game showed AS we had a ‘catch-up’ job to do if we were ever to rule in Europe again. Whether this sobering defeat brought a huge bearing on the personnel we bought in the summer, one can only guess… but if it has, assembling a squad suited for the CL (PSG in particular), has it come at the cost of being unsuitable for the slog of the PL…

It’s not clicking right now. Mainly due to poor tactics and player performances. So, unless everyone pull their act together; players and manager, the rot will persist.
The manager need to sort out his team and game plan.
The players need to put their egoes aside and play like a proper team.

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PSG can get away with this because the league in France is shit. Liverpool need to build a team that competes in the PL, which should result in a team that competes in CL.

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The fortunate thing for Slot is that there’s no obvious choice to replace him, otherwise the feeling among the fanbase might’ve turned very quickly. However, I do believe Edwards & Hughes would’ve started the process of sounding out possible replacements (likely interim options) before the international break in the event things did get worse.

The most frustrating thing is Slot literally has the solution at his fingertips. Go back to a high intensity game, press in packs, push us up the pitch, get our full-backs stretching the play, end the Dom experiment at RB, have Salah and Gakpo play between full-back and centre-back, but he’s doing the opposite, and it’s been like this since we were knocked out by PSG in the UCL. Get back to the direct and aggressive approach that served us well for two-thirds of last season, and in glimpses in the Frankfurt and Real Madrid games this season.

There are the tactical elements, and there’s the Jota stuff, which is likely lingering over the players who played with him.

If Richard Hughes asked our leadership group what they think the issues are, and they point the finger at Slot, then it’s game over for him. If not, then there’s still hope, but it’s also going to need a nudge in the right direction from the likes of Hughes, to ask the questions about our turgid play, and why we’re seemingly continuing with this slow mess, with then turns into a kamikaze Donut FC approach the moment we fall behind. Unfortunately, as fans, we’re not privy to the behind-the-scenes stuff, so we don’t know what the plan was in the summer, and whether Slot’s anywhere near it, but I’d be hoping for a review right now, with Slot, Hughes, Edwards and Gordon, and questions asked about where this new look LFC is going, because we cannot go on with this ‘if he wins this game,’ he keeps his job, or ‘if he loses this game, he’s done’. It’ll go on and on all season, and it’s just not healthy.

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Klopp liked his wide forwards more on the inside, Slot prefers his sides to get width from wingers. Maybe not both, since he didn’t have a case like Salah in his career, but that’s his principle.

What’s weird is that knowing that, we’ve brought in full backs that are more for attacking high and wide, especially Frimpong. Kerkez looks a bit limited overall to me, regardless if he’s tucked in or higher and wide.

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20 goals conceded in 12 matches so far.This is 2 less than Leeds who are in 18th place.I don’t see how Slot turns this around tbh.The thing is that we have been poor for a while.It is not just the last 2 months.

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And 30 in 19 games in all competitions.

I’m glad he hasn’t died or something… I’m posting this mate at a barbecue rumour for pure entertainment

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That seems plausible enough, even if the source might be suspect. FSG not having infinite patience but not panicking either fits their modus operandi, and what the club does in the January transfer window might depend very much on their sense of the managerial situation.

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https://x.com/indykaila/status/1992367604657160254?s=20

indy saying the same thing…

it must be true then! :wink:

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Full backing…until January.

Does whomever wrote that know it’s December already next week?

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We always have Kenny ready to takeover as interim and pull one genius (Suarez) and one complete stupidity (Carroll) on January deadline day.

:joy:

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Sorry but I think thats total nonsense. The next 3 games are West ham, Sunderland and Leeds. If the worst comes to the worst and we have Forest type results there is no way on this earth he could survive.

Gives them the rest of December to convince Klopp or someone else

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Another well thought out counter argument. Ive been here a long time so my point means more.