Arne Slot - Head Coach

[rab]

@Redbj

no, its four centrebacks all with short and medium term issues.

but the overriding point is…people are suggesting its ‘not all on Hughes’…which is both true AND not an excuse…

…hes paid to manage these exact situations, and no matter the justifications and extenuating circumstances…the situation is fucked…

hence…‘he who wears the crown’

But in another post you say the CB situation could be a two year phased approach?

What do you think he should have done differently because from where I’m sat we tried to mitigate one of the ‘medium’ term issues by swapping Gomez for Guehi and addressed the very short term issues if van Dijk’s expiring contract. All whilst replacing two centre forwards and two full backs which were far more pressing needs in the summer.

I don’t see the form and injuries being as much on him as it is on Slot. And again, there’s a finite amount of business that can be done in one window, an amount we probably exceeded with what we did.

Now, if you want to point at the Diaz shaped hole on the left wing I’m well with you.

[Redbj]

the dream would be if they could co exist…with Isak releiving the scoreboard pressure of Ekitike having to score in every game…

Isak has a more killer instanct than Ekitike at this stage of his career… if he was on the end or attacking balls in the box that Ekitike has been this season we might have a few more points…which is not a slight on Ekitike…more a recognition of where he is in his career…

Ekitike and Wirtz playing in and around Isak, with the pressure of scoring on Ekitike reduced so he can ‘enjoy’ his football…the lack of width being exploited by Frimpong and Kerkez…feels very crowded, but Wirtz and Ekitike seem to love playing in crowded areas…

just spit balling…

[JustHitMyHead]

Many of the problems facing this club are beyond Slot’s control at the moment.

And by that I mean, Salah’s form falling off a cliff, VVD’s continued decline, the loss of TAA, the lack of CB cover… the lack of a proper replacement for Diaz… the injuries.

Let’s face it… if Salah were in the same form as last year we would still be challenging.

A new manager coming in would still have to face all that.

I still think Slot has the “potential” to be a top manager rather than just a good one. And I don’t think many things are his fault - but at the same time, there have been many mistakes.

And perhaps too many mistakes during the learning process have already made the situation untenable. It does happen that, even if he now knows how to fix the issues… because people are human and there is no way to just press reset and rebuild confidence that there may be no choice but to make a switch at the top.

I hope it doesn’t come to that but it looks like the players are no longer responding. I don’t buy the stories that he has lost the dressing room… but I also don’t think he is able to fill them with the confidence they had before.

[Redbj]

@rab

But in another post you say the CB situation could be a two year phased approach?

yes. yes i did.

i see that as being consistent with my post, I.E theres issues with all four centre backs, but im not so Niave that we can have 4 centres backs without ay question marks over them…at least one though…

but i digress…it wasnt the overriding arc..

as for the Diaz shaped whole…its probably not worth the discussion… its obvious and hard to watch a player who i think is a decent human being struggle the way Gakpo has…

[The-Red-Chaparral]

Very harsh to be having a go at Virgil, he has to play every minute of every game last season and this with Konate so out of form beside him and trying to bed in new LB and RB.

[Zoran]

Yeah, but then you also have off the ball phases, how that would all work.

I mean we know that the best positions or zones where they operate the best are pretty much central. Let’s also not forget that we have a performing Szobo this season (and I think he reacted brilliantly, because he probably felt under threat with the signing of Wirtz, there are reasons why we did it…).

That is all much easier said than accomplished in a functional team.

We already had to camouflage Salah’s defensive game before last summer, then we added two important strikers for a massive combined fee, had Szobo, added Wirtz and you still need to have a quality midfield… that is a lot. These are serious tactical questions. We can say “quality players, depth, let them play”. But it’s not easy.

We’ve seen a lot of examples where it didn’t work.

I hope it does here, but it doesn’t even bother me that much because Liverpool comes first to me. Whether we’re successful with Ekitike, Isak or someone else, I don’t care.

I remember when Mourinho decided to flip to a diamond in 2006 on the back of winning two titles. Trying to fit in both Lampard and Ballack, both Drogba and Shevchenko. Great players, even more proven players, depth, but we know how it ended.

There are many examples that don’t involve the diamond, but simply throwing a bit too many big moves at once. Real when they had the idea of playing with Modric, Kroos, Bale, James, Ronaldo and Benzema. Great players, depth, but it didn’t work.

[The-Red-Chaparral]

Is the fraud still here.

[jaffod]

@JustHitMyHead

Many of the problems facing this club are beyond Slot’s control at the moment.

And by that I mean, Salah’s form falling off a cliff, VVD’s continued decline, the loss of TAA, the lack of CB cover… the lack of a proper replacement for Diaz… the injuries.

I don’t think there has been much of a physical decline with VVD, I think it’s more a mentality issue in that he thinks he’s above the nitty-gritty, put your body on the line stuff.

[Redbj]

no doubt there are issues, but they could opperate in the defensive phase as a unit…i dont think the three of them are as bad as pressing as this season would have you belive…

i also dont think Wirtz and Ekitike have an aversion to playing behind the ball…the current set up makes them look a bit of fish out of water when they do.

but i digress, im just playing the game of trying to fit them in the same line up… that was the challenge i thought?..i also, would prefer a successful team over seeing three players link well together…i dont think that needs to be pointed out.

edit…i just re read the convo…i suppose i just ran off with the idea of how to fit them alltogether…which i find an interesting task to do…but yes…its more important to get the team playing well… ive seen people just pop Ekitike out on the left in these hypotheticals, which i think would be a mistake

[sgs]

Yet Palace agreed the deal and made the farewell video…And 5 months later they still only have the young CB signed in the summer..

You’re not making sense..

[CanuckoLFC]

Multiple social media accounts have posted that there was another meeting took place with Slot. The meeting was handled by Edwards. Decision made but the outcome has not been announced (typical of click bait, and more typical of click bait from one of the account is that it could be tomorrow, or it could be 3 weeks. Hahaha)

[Bonus]

@Kopstar

@Bonus

@ILLOK

If a good centre back is available, why wouldn’t we sign them? We potentially need 3.

where do we stand with FFP limits?
(not really directed at you, but does anyone know?)

we spent quite a bit in the summer 2025?

do we have breathing space to buy more players and still be within the FFP limits?

We can spend another £70m to £100m (depending on the Elliott situation) with no problem.

a couple of CB’s who can play straight away for around £70M to £100M in todays inflated transfer market which we helped inflated by signing Isak and Wirtz for huge fees,

great…

[Zoran]

I’ve seen Isak spearhead the attack of Newcastle in a pressing approach, albeit somewhat inconsistent because they’re not “there” yet, that’s true. But he arrived totally unfit.

Ekitike arrived fit and ready, but pressing and defensive game are aspects he will have to improve. Half of Slot’s first talk with Ekitike was about his defensive aspect of the game and what’s needed here in order to be the team’s first defender.

Wirtz is not a pressing monster, but I’ve seen him being able to bite, albeit in a somewhat lesser league.

And even then, if they’re all fit and ready and know how to press in an organized way, it all needs to make sense in all phases of the game.

So with all moves we’ve made last summer, it was hard to imagine what our more often starting XI would be and in what way it would function.

And even potentially without Salah from this summer onwards, my questions will remain.

[redfanman]

@sgs

Yet Palace agreed the deal and made the farewell video…And 5 months later they still only have the young CB signed in the summer..

As I said in my earlier response, Parish said they didn’t want to lose him for nothing this summer.

Circumstances are clearly different now compared to what they were as the window closed last summer.

Having already seen out the first half of the season, they now believe themselves to have navigated enough of the season to feel they can survive the rest of the season without being relegated using their current CBs and/or whoever else they have lined up this window to bring in, and whether or not the manager stays.

[Limiescouse]

@redfanman

Having already seen out the first half of the season, they now believe themselves to have navigated enough of the season to feel they can survive the rest of the season without being relegated using their current CBs and/or whoever else they have lined up this window to bring in, and whether or not the manager stays.

yeah, the manager told him in October he’s leaving at the end of the season regardless and so Parish is done trying to mollify him

[sgs]

Which puts the lie on the statement that they didn’t have enough time to secure a replacement.
Parrish pulled the deal to appease his manager.
It is what it is…

[Sportbilly1966]

How many times do we have to discuss Guehi, he is a city player you can’t change the past, just have to learn from it!

[JustHitMyHead]

Could just be me, but it seems more like his reaction time is slower this season; which results in rash / poor last minute decision making at times.

Still a great defender but I think the decline is setting in.

[jaffod]

@JustHitMyHead

Still a great defender but I think the decline is setting in.

It’s bound to be, he’s getting on and he’s got plenty of miles on the clock.

That said I think we could get a couple of good seasons out of him after this one, maybe the last one in a reduced role, but the VVD we’re seeing this season (and further back tbh) is way off his best and his demeanour suggests to me he thinks he can get away with it without putting his body in where it hurts. That VVD should be moved on if it doesn’t change. Almost unthinkable I know.
Others have suggested it’s the result of having the likes of Konate next to him and having to organise the new lads, plus getting poor protection from the midfield. All that might be the case.
That’s why we need to change the manager, not just because of poor results and performances but a fresh pair of eyes are needed…someone who’ll demand more.

[Mascot]

@The-Red-Chaparral

Is the fraud still here.

He won a league title. Have some fucking respect.

I’m not defending him. I’m not fighting his corner. I think it’s going to be hard for him to stay, and (as I said on Saturday night) I think it’s getting to the point where you change the manager because something needs to change and it’s the only thing you can change.

But for fucks sake, can we have a little bit of class about us as this plays out. Does it need to be so personal? Is it not enough for a man to lose his job? Do we need to insult him as well.