20 managers we could have appointed were not winning the league last season. And at no point last May was anyone suggesting so. And nor did Klopp win it with that squad the year before.
Lot of revisionism going on now to play down the achievements of last season.
For a start our second loss in the league came in April. That’s a hell of a long time to ride the wave of the previous manager if he wasn’t really up to the job.
And he oversaw us winning the CL league phase. Won all the games until the final dead rubber. Only lost to the eventual winners on penalties. And made it to the league cup final too. 20 managers also doing that first season at a new club?
When it comes to individuals, he took a player Klopp had previously seemed to be unconvinced by, slotted him into one of the troublesome spots in the team and watched as he won PL young player of the season. Oh and Salah broke the record for G/A in a single season, won PL of the season, PFA Player of the season and FWA Player of the season.
It probably goes down as one of the top five, if not top three seasons for the club in the last 35 years. To say 20 other managers could have done that is just disingenuous, especially as the team he inherited finished third the season before and failed to get past the last 16 of the Europa League. They were good but not even the best squad Klopp had assembled.
5 home games between now and the end of the season. Discontent is rife throughout the fanbase. Protests already arranged against the rise in ticket prices.
The potential for things to get really toxic is high. If FSG have already decided he’s staying and they’ve told him as much they might end up really regretting it.
I think any noises from the club about Slot have to be taken in the context that the season is still on, and we are still in the CL - by the skin of our teeth and will likely exit, and we are still fighting for a CL spot, and finishing 5th seems about 50-50 at this point, and it could get worse.
Bottom line, while Slot is in his job, expect nothing but support, at least in words.
When we part company it will be swift and decisive.
In fairness to Curtis, he’s hardly a player who hasn’t ‘properly planted a flag in the first team’. I know he divides fans but he’s a proper player and, IMO, a really important member of the squad.
I do hate the flash car thing though - Firminho had lots of poses with various - as I think it’s such an unhelpful reminder that these boys generally have NFI how to spend their money and really don’t need it. Really would be a fan of the players having a culture of quiet wealth and investing most of their wages into index funds and real property etc - it would mean that less of them ‘needed’ to do the media circuit and also they would be able to eschew dubai etc and play for their local club once their PL days were over. May also encourage more to find interesting ways to give back to the community.
Inclined to think this is the correct approach, we have a good bunch of players who have been badly managed, look at times out of their depth,doubt they are but Slot may well be.
To me, bring in a new manager, hopefully Alonso,and while some tweaking is probably needed, lets see how the lads go with a new manager before thinking about a wholesale clear out..that is unnecessary and would be counter productive in the short to medium term.
We all know there are good players there, plenty,lets get the best out of them first, before hoisting general panic!
If you look at the matchday progression from 2023 vs 2024, there isn’t a meaningful shift in underlying performance level, it’s broadly the same trajectory.
The biggest determinant was our competitors, while we still performed to a good level, Arsenal and City were poor. City getting 17 points less than the season before and Arsenal getting 15 points less.
Klopp had multiple seasons where Liverpool hit 90+ points in a stronger league context. Hitting 84 points, was a fantastic achievement, but in most seasons you would not even guarantee second. So, I don’t see a step-change in level, more a maintenance of an already high baseline.
I think objectively going from Klopp to Slot, is like going from Firmino to Nunez. Numbers wise they may appear similar, but they are a class apart. Klopp was arguably the best manager in world. Most football fans would agree along with Pep Guardiola. I am not sure there are many fans that would Slot in that category, or even the one below (e.g. with Ancelotti, Enrique, Simeone, Flick etc)
The club took quite a big risk hiring Slot, in the first season it appeared to pay off. This season that decision to take a relatively unknown manager has backfired.
Yes, you have stated and restated that viewpoint. And maybe you are correct. Maybe this season is a bump in the road if the Arne Slot at Liverpool success story. We beat PSG on Tuesday, winning run till end of season. Four or five quality signings and an assault on four trophies next season.
My personal view is that they are honouring his success by leaving him in place till May or June. They might believe we have enough to be in the top five, they might think City and Chelsea will be out of Europe next season for various reasons.
If he is here next season, I will support the club, players and manager. Like we are doing now. Waiting for the tide to turn, albeit whilst being critical of our current situation.
A poor start to next season would see him sacked in October at the latest. The odds on him going in the summer are bolstered by that thought. FSG won’t want another Rodgers.
It’s just not true. 20 managers we could have hired weren’t winning the league last season with a squad Klopp failed to win the league or Europa with.
It’s fine to think the job has gotten too big for him but you can’t take away what he achieved. The 26 game unbeaten run between Forest in game week 4 and Fulham in game week 31 won us the league. That’s not just regression of others or riding a Klopp wave.
Yes he wasn’t facing a City machine like some of those Klopp did but that’s not on Slot and shouldn’t take away from what he achieved. You’re talking like we were this all conquering side that just needed someone to not interfere with things and wait for a title to land in his lap. That’s simply not the case.
Xabi won a big league title, made Europe League final and then finished second in the following season. That’s much better that what Slot had done so far.
Yeah, definitely. If they really consider to continue the journey with Slot, the best thing to do would be to give him a new contract right now, as a clear message towards the players (it’s clear that some have now lost their faith in what he’s trying to achieve), and also towards the fans.
But it would be a risky thing to do. The fans are their customers too, so they simply have to take into account their opinion, or risk to be the target of their wrath at some point, and lose money as a result. That’s why I think that Slot is gone this summer. The risk to remain loyal to him is too risky right now. The only thing that can save Slot now is to win the CL. Ending up in the top five, and thus earning a CL place for next season, won’t be enough to get the fans onboard again.
