On TAN? Sorry, but I think that’s nonsense. I appreciate the point you are trying to make, and certainly agree Chiesa has become a bit of a totemic proxy for how we feel about Slot, but part of the reason I’m finding this place so difficult at the minute is more measured opinions of the team are being completely misrepresented and framed as a staunch, unreasonable defence of Slot.
Not a single person here whom you could say is trying to be a bit more understanding of the situation with him is ‘defending him to the hilt’’. Everyone who you probably have in mind in that statement has had criticisms of him, things he has done that are baffling, and probably wouldn’t rate his performance this season as more than a very fucking generous 2/10.
I spend a lot of time here, and I’m racking my brains and I cannot think of a single person ‘defending him to the hilt’.
For my own part, I don’t know how many more times I can say that I don’t know if he can turn this round and I don’t know if he has the skill set to get out of this funk. I am really concerned that he (with Hughes) has built a team for a direction of travel the game has gone in the opposite direction to. I am struggling to really understand what the team is trying to do tactically, and his subs never seem to make us stronger. I’m not convinced that the players are really responding to him, despite talking a good game on the matter. I’m concerned he has no track record of overcoming adversity like this. No matter how many times I caveat my posts with this stuff, there is always someone ready to totally misrepresent me, and accuse me of defending the indefensible, excusing mediocrity or some such.
I suppose that’s the nature of the internet - opinions get pushed to the extremes until we’re all hurling insults at each other from entrenched positions we never held in the first place. But I would have never expected you to do that pushing.
On Chiesa, In another thread you accused me of being full blooded in my criticism of Chiesa. Allow me to be clear what I think of the lad, as I think this is another area you’ve misrepresented me.
He isn’t as good as his supporters claim, and I’ve never been that impressed. Must of last season he didn’t look fit, and his first touch leaves a lot to be desired. That said I appreciate his effort and his industry, and would be totally fine to see him get a few starts. I’d be at least interested to see him on the left ahead of Gakpo. He does at least look like he cares, which is something. But there is still the nagging sense that his best moment for LFC have been cameo’s. Whenever he has started games, I don’t think he has been very good. Flashes of quality, but nothing that makes starting him a no brainer and makes Slot look like a twat for not playing him.