I don’t even know what team selection I want. It’s miserable. I doubt Slot will change more than max 2 players, maybe 3 at most.
I just want us to play with more drive and gusto. Just a bit more pathos and much higher intensity.
I dream of us half-saving the season with an FA cup win, but mostly I just want to see more intensity, higher tempo and penetration. I would like to see us attack at speed, be entertained for once. We did know how to do that not that long ago. I am a bit tired of this, but I remain hopeful, but very, very cautious.
That having been said, I do think we will win this (but probably in an ugly manner tbh.)
But I long to be entertained by Liverpool, I really do. Then a loss doesn’t feel half as bad.
I don’t think we will lose against them again, but if shit happens and we do… the gas ring on the stove will really get turned up to highest setting under Slot’s arse..! Just saying is all
For me this is an opportunity to find form, a way to play, find a spark - anything that may give a bit of lift going into the next league game. I don’t mind the moody, tense grind type of a game as long as we can look back at it on Saturday say yeah, we played better and we can build on that…
Frustrated physically is never good. Particularly if it becomes vengeful. We don’t need this under any circumstances.
The game would benefit if both teams put their last game behind them. Have an honest ‘new’ approach. The last thing we need is silly injuries.
Floran Wirtz trained yesterday so has made the “next step in his rehab” and could be available “for a few minutes in the best scenario” on Friday. Slot added he has no other fresh injury concerns after Tuesday’s league defeat at Molineux.
On potential rotation he said: “We have a few [options for changes] but we don’t have 11. I always have options to bring in and players we can bring in and let them start. Not for the first time this season, three days after a game where we have dropped points. I’ve seen us do quite a lot this season, we have to be better than we were last time.”
More on Tuesday’s defeat: “A game which was not so difficult to analyse. A lot of ball possession without being able to create many chances, not for the first time this season. Enough chances to win the game but we didn’t convert it into goals. The first attack they had led to a goal. It was hard to take but we’re one day away from another really important game for us. We know we have to be better tomorrow.”
Slot was asked about the Reds’ record of conceding late goals this season, including on Tuesday: “It’s a real concern if you lose and if you lose many times in the same manner it’s even more a concern. The way we concede goals in the last minute is not always similar. Some of these goals are not from big chances. You always try to prevent the other team getting big chances.”
On the importance of the FA Cup: “We always find every trophy we can win very important. Champions League qualification is massive as we all know but tomorrow the FA Cup is on the line and that is a massive game for us.”
Where has he seen progression in recent weeks?: “You see individual players getting better and better but progress has had setbacks because of injuries. We had to adjust to the Florian Wirtz injury, that has happened to us a lot this season. At times this season we conceded a lot of goals and counter-attacks but I see improvement there. Bringing from all the ball possession into chances we have seen some improvement.”
On Cody Gakpo, whose only goal in his last nine came in last weekend’s win over West Ham: “We are not in terms of chance creation last in the league. We’re not doing that bad. We’re also the team with most ball possession so you’d expect us to create more. Cody and Mo [Salah] we expect and they expect from themselves to score more. But attacking isn’t just down to Cody and Mo in the same way defending isn’t just down to Virgil and Ibou. Let’s create even more and the goals will come.”
I think we’ll win this game comfortably, largely as a reaction to Tuesday night, and that will piss me off no end because a) Tuesday should have been the one we threw everything at and b) I would not have minded losing this if we’d taken the points in the last game.
I was going to post the exact same comment. If I haven’t something better to do, I’ll give it a look, but the motivation to do that is quite low to be honest…
Let’s hope for the best nonetheless. Any positive result can help us right now.
As @Limiescouse noted, watching these weekend evening games from this time zone is quite disruptive. I ended up being quite productive on Tuesday in going through my backlog of low-concentration work, and I am not really motivated to create the time necessary to watch 90 minutes of sideway passes.
@koptician had this nice gallow’s humour earlier, so to go with that: Look on the bright side, we have the chance to truly make another fan base who are struggling in the shit, truly happy!
Real humanitarian work.
Should be unecessary to say that I really, really wish we will win the FA Cup; since it is a trophy which actually is possible for us
