More pointless stats without context.
Includes a CL dead rubber, a league cup semi final leg where we comfortably won the tie, a CL game we drew but lost on pens and a Community Shield loss on pens and a couple games after we won the league. Yes, we won a league in 2025, how many of the 22 managed that?
Oh and calendar year stats mean fuck all.
Today’s camera appeared to be a bit further than usual, which allowed me to see the positions of the players better. Our boys were standing around and waiting for balls to go to them, instead of running to retrieve then move to attack mode. The transition phases were essentially non-existent. I can see why we just do not win the second ball the way we play, such as defense headed the ball away from danger, but no one from mid field had any urgency to retrieve…This appeared from the back, the middle and the front.
My dad kept on saying this is not the Liverpool’s way of playing football. My response was, “Correct, this is not the Liverpool’s way…but it is this coach’s way.”
Thanks mate. It’s not that I think he’s going a stellar job - I just know this football lark is ultimately something I do for pleasure and If I don’t find some enjoyment in it, then I’d just give up. Life is too short to spend four hours a week doing something you hate.
At the same time there is absolutely nothing I can do to influence whether Slot stays or goes, so I just don’t see any point in spending the time I’ve got to think about Liverpool getting into a rage about the Head Coach. I’d rather have a conversation about what is going wrong than just kick off about him.
And I say head coach pointedly, because I think a lot of lads here are making the mistake of thinking he is the final word on everything that happens at the club from a sporting perspective. He isn’t coaching well, I think that’s clear, but I don’t think he is being helped by the people above him.
If Klopp had gone into a season with two centre backs, a third choice he can’t play because he will get injured, and a fourth choice who is 18, there would have been riots. Similarly can you imagine if Klopp had had his second most prolific source of goals sold and not replaced, would we have heard the end of it?
There is a lot going wrong at Liverpool right now, not all of it is Slot’s fault. The recruitment has left us severely unbalanced and lacking in quality Slot can draw on.
Slot is not the Sporting Director and he has less power than any manager at our club has had. It was a choice to start the season short on centre backs, and short on attackers. It was a choice to have Endo and Chiesa - two players it couldn’t be more obvious Slot doesn’t want taking up two foreign spots. It was a choice to get drawn into a transfer saga that would render a 125m unfit for the season. I don’t think these were Slot’s choices. Therein lies the problem. He turns to his bench and there is nothing there for him. There are players there that he clearly doesn’t want or rate (in most cases rightly, in my opinion).
If Slot get sacked, then fine. But Hughes should be gone as well. Leading a summer strategy where we spend half a billion and ended up short all over the pitch looks very arrogant to me.
My take is that some of these issues are outside the control of the club and SD.
For instance, it could never have been the strategy to have the CD in the shape it is. Guehi was outside their control, as was Leoni’s injury…
The closest would be Diaz, but even then, you can see a reason to not seek a direct replacement when you have the players we signed, and an exciting 17y/o.
In many ways, this is a reprise of Klopp’s season from hell…
That’s what I went into the season thinking, and I can see the logic, but…
If Rio is part of our attacking group, then 17 or not, he has to get time on the pitch. Slot clearly - whether that’s for the players protection or not - does not want to give him him any significant minutes. If Hughes is not signing a Diaz replacement because Rio, while Slot think he can’t use him because he is too young, that is a massive disconnect in our strategy.
Same with Chiesa, except replace the word ‘young’ with ‘shit’.
AFCON seems to have come as a surprise to the club as well.
at the end of August the club decided to spend 125m on a lad who had been on strike and hadn’t played a game of football for months. The club are signing that player in the full knowledge that he was coming severely lacking match fitness and would not be able to contribute for months.
yep, all good points and they provide…a lifeline? …of hope that Slot can turn this around.
but taking everything into account, theres still some amazingly talented footballers out there on any given match day.
Slots mention today about the players avaliable or something, was a alarm bell for me, i usually rate Slot with his handling of the media, but to mention today, after the performance given, and the talent on the park, that he had to somehow ‘make do’ …its an issue to me.
on the face of it, given the season that is unfolding not just for us, but across the league in general, a point against Fulham, away, in this moment, isnt really that bad a result.
its the manner in which it has come about…urggh…we are so boring to watch…im going past analysis of the last goal as any given player can make a mistake on any given day, (see Gabriel yesterday) …it was the collective 90 minutes…
id actually love to know the collective distance stats on one of our match days (both teams) as opposed to say, a newcastle game or something…
any game we are involved in just seems so passionless…like watching a ninety minute rondo
I listened to him speak about Rio and if one’s to take it at his word, he’s protecting the player.
I too wish he would give him more time than Chiesa…
Isak was a long term target. They obviously devided the long term value meant they were willing to take the short term pain.
Out transfer business was based in part on certain strategic assumptions that did not pan out.
But its also clear that it was unfinished, which is what’s boxed in the manager and limited his options.
This is in part why I’m amused by all these Slot out fans…
ive kinda backed off on this subject as i know i can be suspect to overating youth players, but yeah… for all the clamour Chiesa gets for game time (i dont think hes shit, i think he provides something for the last 15 on game days) …i would just be playing this kid instead.
get him minutes. get him playing. i was pissed off vs Leeds that when he finally got minutes he was playing in an area crowded by Gakpo, Himself and Kerkez.
one match a while back Slot was Lamenting the lack of width… ( it hink Frimpong was still injured) but he had Rio just sitting there…its not like we have a prime Mane or Diaz keeping him out of the team, or keeping him from minutes…we litterally have Wirtz who is only good for 70 odd most games on the left…
just play the kid. the seasons a washout anyway.
thats me holding back by the way…
I think he was more nuanced than that. Spoke at the same time about having 11 very good footballers…
They downed tools for their last 3 managers and lots of leaks coming out of the dressing room. Also, everything Ragnick said was right
After we scored the equaliser!
The mid block has it’s uses but it then gives the opposition confidence and then they can put pressure on us get set pieces higher up and we eventually cough up a goal and very rarely through good play.
and 50% is the low side, I recognise when the missus is angry all the time and even more so when she’s quiet.
Kerkez not helping defensively?
Our issues aren’t down the left and one v one he has done very well all season.
If you said he can’t cross I would agree with you.
On that, do any of our players work on the basics i.e. crossing as we are so weak on it and the same goes for taking corners, our corner takers should be practising more as what I see in games looks like they never have done any.
Its not the mid block that’s the problem but the integrity of the execution. The key being finding the right triggers.
Agreed and forcing play to a weak play, which should be easy, especially with stats and who we should force play to, teams let Ibou have possession then look to press.
We need the same philosophy, I know it was a thing under Jurgen.
The amount of times our defenders have a free header and never look to direct it to a player is beyond me.
The other side of it is Macca who was very adept at 'squeezing ’ the passing lanes but has been off kelter this season
Is that also because he isn’t allowed to or isn’t being backed up?
Also, the back up to our front players pressing seems unconvincing or worse, not practised.
We use to press with a front 4, now I am lost at times is it 2 or 3? just no obvious pattern and that is what is disconcerting.
Yes, opinions are divided and there have been various studies with an array of results, but 50% is the minimum.