Slot should have done a Glasnser and kicked off about the sale of Diaz.
Jack who you hounded out of the forum made the point the handling of the wide areas was negligence and its right. A club of our status relying on a 18 year old and Chiesa who simply isn’t trusted as option is poor.
I think people forget the 4th goal against Bournemouth does he score that if “the legs” are gone.
Jack wasn’t hounded out by anyone , he showed himself the door.
The calls for Slot to go came before he finally decided to drop Mo, so nothing changes now he’s finally been left with no option to do so, not interested whether he’s dropped Mo because of form or because he has an issue with him, and I’m certainly not using Mo being upset at being dropped as a reason for wanting Slot out.
I think the Guehi thing had been negotiated well in advance, but Palace acted, unexpectedly, in bad faith. We also bought another centre back, but he had a season ending injury in his first game.
Add to that, we bought two full backs. Kerkez is taking time to settle, but Frimpong has had a succession of injuries which couldn’t have been predicted given his near perfect recent history.
I think you are absolutely right about the defenders, but we did try to sign a whole new back four.
Until what happened last night, I would’ve agreed with you. But, in addition to tactics not working, Mo coming out so publicly kind of indicates that he’s not the only one with grievances. Slot. Then if you start seeing the bizarre non-starts for players even when the regulars are absolutely stinking out the joint, now you can see that there’s some real discontent in the dressing room. And the fact that Dom said the phrase what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room, that alone indicates to me that Slot is losing the players.
It’s not odd for those of us who look beyond the surface of results and being x number of points off x position. People like myself believe we’ve been playing poorly since the PSG game last year. Naturally, I put it down to being ahead in the league, and with Arsenal drawing every time, it felt like we were just going through the motions towards title number 20. The Jota tragedy has added a dimension to things that perhaps makes it more complicated, but we continued playing poorly this season, but got through with late wins. Then those late victories stopped, and we began losing games. The constant theme has been poor performances and structure, a lack of press, patterns of play.
There’s a train of thought that the longer a manager has with the players, eventually, they move on from the ideas they had from the previous manager and play like the new manager wants. So for two thirds of last season, we were operating on Klopp’s principles, but the longer Slot’s worked with the players, the worse we’ve looked.
I’ve pointed out above that Moores and Parry sacked Houllier after he got us Champions League football, because we were putting up poor performances, and were just directionless. I caveated that with us being poor the season before, but the point stands that the club has form in making changes even if we appear to do well i.e. achieving UCL football.
For me, it’s all about performances and seeing intensity, clear play that opens up opponents rather than set pieces and moments of magic - I believe we’ve just become Moments FC.
I’m also on the side that even if we make top 4, if we play poorly and just rely on moments to win games here and there whilst achieving a top 4 finish, if we have a chance to upgrade with Luis Enrique, Xabi Alonso, or Julian Nagelsmann, then I think we should do it. Harsh, yes, but I haven’t seen enough on the pitch or what’s been said in interviews and pressers to convince me that Slot’s the man to change this. It’d be far easier for us all if he did turn this around.
I may not have a fancy level one badge but I’ve just tied shoelaces as a coach today in my twins u10 cricket game. I’ve coached the side to 3 wins on the bounce and I think I can bring my tactical nous cross sport. Drills like caterpillar catch, running the first hard and ‘yes, no or wait, every ball’ could be just the ticket to turn things around.
Plus I’ve wanted to bench Mo for even longer than Arne and I’m sure I could piss off a couple of players (Macca) quick smart by dropping them.
We’d been dicking around for a while trying to get him for £5 million less than they wanted. Obviously £5 million isn’t to be sniffed at but we probably could have signed Guehi for £40 million much earlier in the window. It was a gamble we took that didn’t pay off. While we did sign another centre back, he’s an unproven 18 year old. Of course he’s been unfortunate with his injury but even if he hadn’t got injured, it would probably have been quite the risk throwing him in the team when we’re struggling already.
While I don’t necessarily disagree with the notion that Slot has to be sacked at all costs (that said, I’d be calling for it if there was a good replacement available at the moment) or that Slot is giving off an aura of a distant personality, Gakpo and Konate don’t really have viable alternatives in our squad, Trent had made his decision to leave before Slot’s appointment, while none of Elliott, Nunez or Chiesa showed any real quality last season, at least not consistently.
Yes, I’d prefer it if Slot was the guy who puts an arm around their shoulder when the going gets tough but there’s only so much he can coax out of those players and he has to make do with the uneven squad that he has at his disposal. In hindsight, our transfer activity was geared towards the team being rebuilt around the centre (Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Ekitike), rather than wings like the last season (or Klopp’s best seasons), which puts less onus on Salah’s and Gakpo’s qualities.
Perhaps no one expected Salah’s form to drop off so steeply - maybe the plan all along was to sell him next summer after securing CL qualification, and to plan ahead of Konate’s departure by signing Guehi?
Slot had what you’d call bizarre non-starts for players last season. No one complained much and we were widely seen as the best team in Europe up until the PSG game.
Were we as exciting as klopps teams? No. But we did still play some bloody good football, got to the final of one Cup competition and won the league. That gives Slot some credit in the bank in my eyes and certainly more respect than he’s getting from people.
Maybe a controversial take but I’m fed up of Jota’s death still being brought up as a reason this squad is underperforming. Everytime I see an article about Liverpool’s poor season they’ll sneak in there that this squad is still grieving their teammate. I think it’s actually a bit disrespectful to Jota that he’s essentially being penned in as an excuse.
You make some great points @Vangart, but the main difference between our families and professional football clubs is that we keep it in the family, not speaking to the press.
Whatever can of worms there is at the club right now, this has opened it up to the public gaze, and the media and all of the haters will be indulging in a feeding frenzy.
Szobo very pointedly said after the game that things should stay in the changing room, but now this is out and under the spotlight. However offended Mo has felt, how poorly it may seem he’s been treated (and I do agree that others also need benching), it’s just disappointing that he has spoken out.
He’s not the only one grieving for his friend or trying to deal with that as this season unravels, but right now the club, the staff, manager and players need to be pulling together in the same direction, not falling apart and pointing fingers.
Meanwhile…
That’s VVD on Salah’s side!
Don’t even need a manager/coach The players can decide themselves who should be playing (and how I suppose).
I’ll say it again - Edwards and/or Hughes need to step in publicly now. Total seperate issue from whether or not Slot should stay. You can’t turn this club into a star circus.
I’m well aware of houllier’s team performances. They were soul destroying to watch at times. That had been the case for years, pretty much from the moment he joined. He was just effective at getting results sometimes and his treble season was great fun to experience but overall we never looked like ever having any chance of winning the league or challenging man utd.
Slot’s nothing like houllier. Not as a person or as a manager. But he won the league, got to the final of a cup competition and his team were widely remarked to be the best in Europe up until they lost to psg. Slot’s certainly not as charismatic as Klopp, but he’s widely renowned for his man management abilities. Perhaps it’s because we have more Prima Donnas in our side with bigger egos.
What I would say is if there are players such as Salah now who are causing division in the dressing room then I think they’ll ultimately need kicking out of the club. Szoboszlai said it best yesterday of what goes on in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room. Salah paid no attention to that and if other players are going to do the same, then it’s them in the wrong.
Unfortunately this is were Slot and Van Dijk now have a lot more unnecessary pressure heaped on them because salah’s actions will displease a number in the dressing room and they both now have to field bullshit from journalists who are trying to create a story.
Maybe slot won’t be able to turn it round. But I think he deserves the chance to. If nothing else who on earth would we get in now if Slot were sacked. I think people are dreaming if Klopp would take us on. He doesn’t miss it and doesn’t want it and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d be really pissed off for sacking slot. Enrique isn’t going to join this season that’s for sure and there’s no way nagellsmann is going to leave Germany in a world Cup year. Maybe we’d convince Iraola or Emery but I don’t think they’d be the long term answer.
Those quotes are from 4-5 days ago.
Reading them, he could have been saying he needs him (Mo) around as a message to Mo to not have a meltdown, which he now has.
Mo has really disappointed me speaking to the media…throwing under the bus is exactly what hes done to Slot.
Van Dijk said that earlier in the week before Salah gave his stupid interview. I dont know obviously but personally I don’t think Van Dijk, as captain of the club, will have been best pleased by what Salah has done.
Thats a big relief re Virg comments!