Comparison stats need to align on both sides otherwise it’s misleading, how does anyone reading through that know they’ve played equal minutes when it doesn’t say?
Trent’s 2 biggest weaknesses are and have always been his lack of robustness in the duels and his over eagerness to lose the ball, usually by forcing it as he has no interest in build up play.
Completely disagree with this. I think it’s been repeated enough all over by now that those are his instructions, that he’s permitted to take risks with it. Often you just see him play it back and forth with Salah, Konaté, van Dijk, or the midfielder on his side.
Otherwise why would there be so much talk about how Salah’s been so ineffective when Alexander-Arnold isn’t playing?
Or, maybe he rotates more, we have a fresher team, and we don’t lose a final against lesser opposition, or we make it past PSG. It’s speculation all the same and an equally daft argument to say that rotation would have resulted in fewer wins and a smaller gap. And it’s not even about rotation per se. Slot preferred to play an unfit Gakpo rather than Chiesa. He didn’t give him, Elliott and Endo minutes in games that were decided a long time before the final whistle and could have rested some of his hard-working first eleven.
I get that for whatever reason he doesn’t trust them, even though all 3 have proven their worth. But he never gave them a chance to earn his trust and that’s just brutally unfair any way you look at it.
I think he’s rather aware of it, having mentioned it a few times. He put it down not so much to lack of trust but rather lack of training time with the rest of the team though, for Elliott and Chiesa at least. Not sure how much I buy that explanation given how many players have reintegrated into the team after longer injuries, and how Elliott and Endō were around for pre-season.
But this is the issue - we don’t live in a Universe where Slot rotated more, and gave more minutes to Chiesa and Elliott. So we have no idea how it went. Maybe we’re twenty points ahead of Arsenal? Maybe it’s two. Maybe we knocked out PSG? Maybe we didn’t?
The only universe we are living in is this one, where Slot’s management has us 13 points clear with six to go. I think criticising him in that context is incredibly harsh.
We also need to put things in context. Yes we have obviously tired/slowed down since the turn of the year, some of that is down to playing a lot more matches than usual with the new CL format, the ridiculous amount of internationals, the league cup, etc.
When we came up against PSG they were flying, things had really clicked for them, and it was always going to be tough. Same with Newcastle in the cup final, they’re the form team in the league and have a lot of great players, they also weren’t burdened by European games etc.
Slot has far surpassed any reasonable expectations this season. If you’d offered a season like this to the Liverpool fanbase ten years ago we’d have bitten your arm off for it, but now we have people moaning that Slot hasn’t rotated enough and it’s cost us - while we’re about to win the league at a canter.
People want to give their heads a shake.
Just maybe, the philosophy of AS has been to flog the main core of guys to build up their stamina for the coming seasons… next season he will add his own blend of additions to his favoured choices…
Those not involved much this season… might be vulnerable to take a walk on the jettison springboard..!
I’ve seen this argument being made time and again. I don’t exactly disagree but also, too much is being made of it. It’s not as if he walked in a club in disarray with a squad full of dross. He inherited a team that was on its way to do exactly what it has done this season. Who knows, had injuries not taken such a toll, he might have inherited a team that had already won the league. Now, Slot was wise enough to keep things ticking and add a few touches of his own, which is great and smart management on his part, but frankly the hard stuff lies ahead for him.
How he evolves and shapes the team going forward will be the defining factor for him. He may be weeks away from delivering a title in his first season, which is unheard of, but he hasn’t fully convinced me. Not yet anyway.
What will it take to convince you?
He will win the PL this season. In his first season…
Arteta hasn’t.
Howe hasn’t.
Amorin hasn’t.
He won it after buying one player.
Next season he will have more control over who is available
He might win the league or CL then.
Will you be impressed then?
FIFY 
Now you have me thinking he just did it to boast:
“Look at me, I am so good I can win the league easily. I can even afford to buy a single player that doesn’t even play, and I’ll have him injured to prove you it’s not just words”.
Some context: we finished with 82 points in the league last season, which would have won us the league this season too. We went two rounds further in the FA Cup, and got to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, which is no easy feat.
Arne has done well, but he’s not unquestionable.
What makes you think so? I thought our transfer strategy this season was agreed on by all parties involved.
Because he will have a say in incomings and outgoings during the summer.
Hence, more control over players available to him.
Edit
He needed to see what the squad was like this season, to understand who he wants around next year.
Nah
You fixed it for you.
I am of the belief that Chiesa will be a good player for us.
Doesn’t mean its to do with tiredness.
Rodgers would have won a title in 13/14, save for a slip. He was untouchable for the vast majority of Liverpool supporters until the next years showed that he was several levels below the required one. Klopp on the other hand, reached a couple of finals in his first months, got us in the CL after his first full season and went from strength to strength. The same criteria apply to Slot.
There has to be consistent progress and evolution, he has to keep us challenging for honours, year in, year out. A title in his first season is a fantastic achievement but it’s no guarantee for the future.
[quote=“Quicksand, post:136, topic:4853”]I am
of the belief that Chiesa will be a good player for us.
[/quote]
Who has said otherwise?
What’s your point?
You do realise it was Slot who didn’t use him, don’t you?
That’s what I meant. It’s not that he didn’t have any say this summer, it’s more that it makes little sense for him to make any moves when he barely knew the squad, one that managed to get 82 points. If we had a proper pre-season without any international football, things might have been different.
You do realise other factors were at play re Chiesa…
Use your imagination.
