The conditioning/fitness issue is a real concern. Even if a new Manager came in how can he rectify that with the time left in the season? A mate of mine said Carrick hasn’t done a ton at Utd but they run and press more and players are in their best positions. A new Manager could do the second part but we’d be fucked after 40 minutes instead of 60 like we are now. With a World Cup in the summer a new Head Coach is going to have his work cut out.
I thought it was quite a lot longer than that. I also disagree with it. The priority of Liverpool is always football success. There are important things in life that take priority over football, however its pathetic to use this as a excuse (which it has been to some extent). A co-worker dying is not unheard of, in fact a co-worker dying right next to you while you are actually on the job together is quite frequent and while there might be a slight drop off to morn, there is definitely not a lasting effect that directly impacts the profitability of the company. It should be absolutely no different in Football, unless you believe they are superior to your every day workers.
1 Like
The next best time to make the right decision is the present. If we get to the end of the season and don’t make top 4/5, will you stand by your feeling it’s too late to make a change?
Depends on the circumstances. Imo the circumstances no longer support a sacking, but definitely do support a sacking at the end of the season even if he wins the CL.
So make a decision in the present to retroactively change my mind after the desired result is not achieved?
Considering Liverpool got just two more point than the year before and shity and Arsenal got almost 20 points less than the year before it was pure luck on Slot’s part
1 Like
Did he actually say that?
If so that’s him laying the blame at them imo,and they won’t be happy about that.
I think with hindsight you can now stretch back into last season. There was a narrative that the drop off in performances in the tail end of the season was due to a combination of lack of rotation and from starting the celebrations early because we were winning at a canter.
However, from what we have seen this season it now looks more like it was the start of problems that have still not been resolved. For example,
Fitness/ energy levels of players dropped.
It also coincided with a switch in how teams set up against us - fewer were playing out from the back so as to evade our press and altered the way they pressed us, while also sending more runners at us when in possession.
I may be misremembering but where we starting to concede more from set pieces during that period too?
And, that’s before you consider the changes in personnel - Arne’s first summer, we had identified the key signing needed was a ball playing DM. We failed to sign one and the narrative was that this was because it was a fairly niche role and no-one suitable was available. We lucked out with Gravenburch but his skill set is fairly limited in that role, particularly his passing, - and we didn’t bring in a better cover option last summer. Yet, we’re still looking to play a more patient, progressive style.
Last season we could play on the front foot - we had a forward in Diaz who could take the attention of two or three defenders so creating space for other forwards. He also helped press teams and could hold the ball up so others could join him. We appear to have lost all of that.
Trent leaving meant that our option for getting the ball forward quickly through long passes from the back and accurately has also disappeared to some degree. With the slow progression, we’re heavily reliant on Wirtz to get the ball forward through shorter passes, and we seem to lack the movement from other players to take advantage of those passes.
5 Likes
There is that Cage piece that’s 4 minutes of Silence
1 Like
A while ago, with the poor run in form, my dad said that do not have high expectations, then you will be able to enjoy watching the matches.
This morning, while I am still strangely annoyed by yesterday match against the Spuds (who are the spuds now, eh?), I talked to my dad and he said, “I am not enjoying watching us play.” That statement really hurts especially with his earlier motto, he is not getting any enjoyment.
His death will have affected them as the death of a close friend or loved one affects us all but Diogo,s passing is not why they are playing bad,they where playing bad towards the end of last season.This is a continuation of that.
3 Likes
I think we have given Jota the highest honor of any player living or dead. If anything the team should be over delivering in his memory rather than under-delivering.
How do you know that?
This is what infuriates me about football fans.A total lack of humility!
You and I are not pro footballers. None of us has any iota of insight into that locker room. Yet you are so certain that you dismiss this from a current player, who has been in that same locker room!
1 Like
Not just that you are not in a position to say the above, you could never ever be!
What is more, how it affects you cannot be a basis of making such a judgement…
We have no way of knowing if it affects the players or not. And if it does, how it affects them…
I was talking about the lack of effort in our performance.
Free form Jazz is probably the best example but even then there is some reason to the chaos.
2 Likes
I think that is a completely different scenario. I quoted some stats at the time which backed up my memories. Looking back at all the occasions we won the league and particularly when we clinched it with games to spare, we hardly ever won another game. That includes under Shanks, Bob, Joe and Kenny.
1 Like
I listened to a podcast a while ago (the episode was called why can’t we let Liverpool grieve) where they interviewed a psychologist specialising in collective grief. He said Liverpool would struggle all year but the first shoots of recovery would be in spring.
1 Like
I don’t think Rambler is looking for an excuse. He is trying to make sense of what is going on. Grief will certainly be part of the storm of this season. The question is how much. I don’t think it’s pathetic to recognise this.
3 Likes
It is so obvious Jota’s death had a negative effect, in the least, the collective spirit would have been weakened.
Footballers are not some special breed of human just because they are worshiped by some. They live the same, hurt the same, so they live by the same emotional standards that the average human does, this is why I can make this statement. To blame performance on the death of a colleague is 100% pathetic and disgusting. I don’t think this is what Kelleher was trying to communicate.
1 Like