Liverpool banter 3

 

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21 Oct 2025 16:47:44
Four straight defeats have produced the expected optics and the incorrect conclusions.

Internally they are listed not as losses, but as alignment steps; the RELATERA board still reads FORWARDS!, but grows evermore faint.

This is not a wobble; it is an appointment kept. With the summer's upheaval, transition was always the price of doing the right thing. We were going to rebuild anyway; the only rational moment is at altitude - while the badge still reads "Champions" and the pen is in your hand. The schematic specifies low-contact, high-confusion pressure: a press that doesn't seize the object so much as obliges it to forget what it was doing. You saw it last year: the hands never touched the vase, and yet the vase moved. It will move again; that is the diagram.

Two fixtures (Palace, Galatasaray) deviated from diagram; acknowledge this. The others reached the required x-Allen-turns but failed at the final seating of the dowel. That is not system collapse. That is wood swelling in a damp room.

Personnel? Regrets exist where they always exist - in the space between a console and the person who could have faced it. The HAVSTA remains unclaimed. The conservatory remains softly humming. Emotional geometry issues persist.

If you rewatch, do it with the diagram in front of you: screws gathered, brace weighed, cross-beam aligned, torque applied in quarter turns. There is no scenario in which you abandon the build at this stage because the first drawer stuck on the trial run. You sand. You continue. The frame stands when the frame stands.

{Ed025's Note - good read that FORNAX, didn,t understand a bloody word of it but im sure you are right mate.. :)

21 Oct 2025 17:36:35
Spot on, FORNAX.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 17:52:24
Invaluable insight as always Fornax, lightens the mood somewhat šŸ‘.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 18:06:02
The more we lose, The more your posts make sense to me.

It’s easier to understand than some of Arne Slots starting Line Ups.

Agree6

21 Oct 2025 18:24:51
We as fans are being forced to eat the rotten egg of a particularly angry tactical goose. I don’t like it, but I’ll have to go along with it. Rating? Trenta percenta.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 18:51:17
Why does this feel like Eric Cantona's speech?

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 19:18:04
Let me Chat GPT this one. Couldn't agree more FORNAX. Question tho. reading your post why do i get this vision that you are sitting atop a mountain in Tibet with your legs crossed, eyes closed and holding your head to the sky?

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 19:57:06
A bit like reading the Rosetta Stone but I got the IKEA references.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 20:16:30
FORNAX - Thank youy for this wisdom, did yoiu channel it from mother Mary?
It makes total sense to me. I hope Arne and Hughes read it.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 20:41:29
Keep them coming Fornax, weird but amusing, something different following the doom of Man Utd defeat.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 23:26:16
Class that, FORNAX.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 14:04:36
Are the Akira or Carra posts inferring that the board are forcing Slots team selection or did I misunderstand?
If it is true it is very worrying, like something you'd see in Spain or at Utd.

21 Oct 2025 14:37:32
Well, we were already told that when Slot was hired, his position would be Head Coach, and not Manager. So I'm assuming that he had far less input into transfers as Klopp did by the end of Klopp's tenure. But even Klopp took time to accumulate more and more power and authority within the organization. You could tell easily by the increasing confidence he used to speak with during interviews and pressies, over time.

But I agree with you that if "they" are not asking Slot for his opinion, or at least some input, into outgoings and incomings then it's a little shortsighted. Clearly, there are differences in the way Klopp and Slot like to play football, and that has to be factored into player selections.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 15:49:37
Surely a good coach should be able to coach good players and work on formation and tactics etc? I mean that’s what he’s hired to do.
It’s not as if Liverpool have just went out and purchased a load of duffers.


The club just spent Ā£100s of millions on new talent so he ain’t hard done by .
Anyway, pretty sure Slot would have a little input at the very least.

Agree7

21 Oct 2025 15:51:02
It wasn't a Carra post, was it?
I thought it was about Jamie Carragher. All I've seen him say is that we don't have enough defensively minded players and he's right.
I said the same last season but we won the League! But the players we brought in in the summer are not known for winning the ball back, are they? Even with TAA leaving you could argue that we are weaker defensively than last season because one of the midfielders has probably played more there than the two right backs we thought we had.

Akira was talking about the folly in giving big contracts to van Dijk and Salah. Our captain and top scorer. The majority of folk on here wanted all three players that were out of contract in the summer to stay. I certainly did.
Akira is also using the benefit of hindsight about these contacts that are still in their early stages.
Where does hindsight come into it?
I'd be interested to know who the external third party that advised the club not to sign them is, too.

Agree4

21 Oct 2025 15:52:31
I think you may have misunderstood. If the board were forcing team selection I doubt we would had the player that they had just spent £115m on sat on the bench for the last 2 games.

If anything Akira made it sound like it was senior players causing trouble. He suggested that Slot was having to play Salah despite his woeful form but I think that was more because we don't have another RW rathe than board pressure but I may be wrong.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 16:23:37
I would assume a quarter of a billion pounds worth of talent in Wirtz and Isak would be expected by everyone at the club to be first names on the team sheet bar injury.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 16:39:17
From Akira, 20 October. The last line reads to me that if we continue losing the board will have to let Slot pick 'his' first team, does it not?

I have to say in hindsight infact to his credit arne slot would have been right as he advised bidding farewell to vvd and salah last year when asked about his opinion but club decided to negotiate mega contracts. And hence the moaning.
Its almost impossible for the coach to put vvd and salah on the bench in fact he does not even have an option in players to replace either.
But if results continue board will have to accept the fact and stop the moaning and let slot decide on his first team.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 16:59:45
We wouldn't have won the League last season without van Dijk and Salah but Slot wanted to bid them farewell? I'm not having that.
I reckon that those that are unhappy about van Dijk and Salah re-signing are associated with other clubs.
And how reliable is Akira's hindsight after just eight League games?

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 17:18:38
I doubt any manager would work under them circumstances. Pen pushers telling you what players to play. Even worse if we are to think he had no input into players being bought and sold. If that was the case why not let Hughes manage the team.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 17:58:10
Maybe that's why he was signed as our Coach and not our Manager?

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 18:23:39
I don’t know - go back to the way Mo was reacting on social media to the sales of Nunez and Diaz (in particular the fans appearing pleased at that) . It felt very pointed.

I suspect there was some unhappiness at taking a scalpel to a title winning team.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 18:43:01
Too much for this lot
If you cannot get simple power dynamics that's on you. There are players at the club than bigger than slot.

Also taking posts out of all context is easy. What I said was there is no problem off the field and i assure you things will change soon. Everyone just skipped on that to set their own narrative to cater to an opinion not fact. Yea in hindsight its clear we would have been better off without salah and vvd and it would have a nice farewell for both with a league title and we could have replaced both as we had half a billion pound to spend. What’s so hard to grasp here?

Glad to be a reader. Wont post except for transfers.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 18:45:18
I can only say that Akira is talking thru his rear end. No way on this earth that anyone picks the team but Slot.
He is right that we don’t have options but I’m pretty sure if we did then we certainly wouldn’t have Isak, Wirtz etc.

I mean you can’t have it all.
Virgil and Salah got new contracts and Liverpool spent the money else where. To me it’s not rocket science.

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 19:02:37
How can you say 'in hindsight' when we didn't even replace van Dijk and Salah, Akira?

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 19:21:24
As I said in another post Slot had to be on board with the plan. It's not an arranged marriage he has to have some say since he has to work with the players and get a tune out of them.

I don't like to talk about players that are no longer with us and I was ok with Diaz leaving. But with this persistence with Gakpo we've lost a lot. I wonder if Diaz saw that and hence pushed for the move.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 19:27:45
Akira I think most on here appreciate your insight so don't lose sight of that. I disagree that we'd be better off without Virgil and Mo this season unless you care to elaborate on your statement?

I can't imagine there are not issues within the squad. But they are pros and should accept the manager's decisions even if they don't agree with it. I don't see how Ekitke could be upset with Isak but I do see how he could be upset with Slot. Same with Frimpong, Wirtz, Chiesa, Robbo, Gomez, Kerkez, Jones, Bradley, Dom, even Virgil. He's making them either look poor or not using them. Just me looking in from the outside.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 20:30:11
Does anyone actually believe that Edwards and Hughes have no power, compared to Slot? My guess is that this huge spend is mostly on them and their vision and Arne has to fit into that power dymanic.

I can't see how Arne would not want to renew two players who were great last season, as we all did. Both of them were immence for the most part, and the two year contract means, if form drops off a cliff this season, we can rinse the Saudi's for 180m for the pair.

I can full believe that Edwards and Hughes weald more power than Slot and who would turn down some of the best players available?
The question is now, is Arne truly as great as everyone thinks he is? We are about to find out.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 21:23:40
Doc, Slot app doesn't have the final say on transfers but I'm sure he has a big say.

I'm happy to see Mo and Virgil extended. Mo will not continue to not find the back of the net or a teammate. Virg I don't see as an issue he's still class. If Mo can't turn it around and we can get a decent fee for him next summer, then great. We have other players who can step in and do a job until then.

I agree we're about to find out.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 21:37:26
I very much doubt the owners will be telling Slot how to pick his side. Their hands off approach is probably one of the things they do very well.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 22:20:19
Although the full backs do look a bit lost at times the main problem for me is the set up and form of those in front of them. The press is poor and uncoordinated, and the midfield shape is all over the place. If you’re a defender in that type of situation you’re always on the back foot and nerves set in. We’ve made quite a few ordinary teams look great offensively this season and our goal difference sums that up.

Hate to say it but Arsenal look like they’re well ahead of us, mainly because their defensive set up is excellent and they’ve added some talent in front of them. We’ve stockpiled attacking talent but can’t play them all at the same time, and have neglected to buy proper defensive talent including at centre mid.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 13:07:27
I want kerkez to succeed but with the results and soo much up for discussion, it's gone under the radar just how bad he's been. He's looked like a shaky shambles and in the United game, he was getting under virgils skin. Virg was babysitting at times in that game. How he isn't fighting for minutes with robbo is insane. It's like he's the club's first choice left back and that's that.

Atm he's miles off, miles off looking like the future left back of this football club and he's played in this league. This isn't a foreign lad coming in and adapting in a new league and country.
If robertsons legs have gone, he should have been moved on then. I think he's slowed down but currently a superior option to kerkez. Problem is you can't play this robertson every game.

21 Oct 2025 13:34:22
The same Robbo who when brought on recently was gassed with his hands on his knees watching while we were conceding? Too much sentiment keeping him at the club this summer for his leadership, not seeing the benefit of that so far.

Agree7

21 Oct 2025 13:42:24
I’m not buying into the Kerkez hate, we’ve bought the most attacking left back in the league last season and we’re not letting him do any of the things that made him that. He almost never gets forward but that has to be instructions from the coaches.

Agree17

21 Oct 2025 13:44:17
Maybe I was watching a different game but I thought Kerkez was alright for the United game. Not amazing but definitely not the worst player on the pitch. I sometimes think people are holding his earlier performances against him and can't see that he has improved from earlier this season.

What I dislike though is that he is clearly being asked to play a different way than what he is good at and played when he was at Bournemouth. Before he moves to us, he was a flying FB who would go on the overlap and whip crosses into the box, similar to how Robbo played for us albeit less defensively sound. Now, he is being asked to either sit back and form a back three or underlap and play the ball into a congested centre. I lost count of the number of times he had acres of space to run into but stopped his run to pass the ball sideways. It was clearly a tactical instruction though since he did it throughout the game.

People also say that Gakpo should pass to Kerkez more on the outside but Kerkez is rarely there during games. He's usually on the inside, nearer to the Macca. So Kerkez is clearly not providing the width that people think he is since Gakpo is more often than not the widest player on the left.

Whatever it is, I can't fault Kerkez for not giving effort though. He was up against both Mbuemo and Diallo, two very good wingers, and he was constantly closing them down and not giving them space. He's not defensively good and never has been, but the effort was there. There was once too when United played the ball all the way back to Lammens and he was the furthest forward trying to press.

Agree4

{Ed025's Note - i think your tag of "not defensively good" is very true Drac, but something i dont want to hear about my fullback mate, for me him and Bradley are a car crash and are the majority of your problems..

21 Oct 2025 13:48:51
And we were happy to let Robbo go this summer and there were offers for him that we were happy to listen to and accept. But for his service, I think Robbo has deserved the right to decide if he wants to leave or see his contract out.

It wasn't like we begged him to stay and I don't think it's right for us to push him out the door too. We demand loyalty from our players so we should also be loyal to ours, especially for someone like Robbo.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 14:12:58
Virg wasn't babysitting anyone. He was too busy walking around out of position pointing at things whilst Konate bailed him out repeatedly. I think it was possibly the worst performance I've seen from him in a Liverpool shirt.

Kerkez hasn't been great but to single him out is unfair. There are many others who have been far worse and several of them have been at the club a while so do not have the excuse of being at a new club.

Agree4

21 Oct 2025 14:25:04
Tbf Ed25, defensively good FBs are dime a dozen nowadays. The more defensively sound ones in the league now are CBs who are playing there, like at Arsenal as City. I can't think of anyone else in the PL tbh.

Which also raises my point though. We already knew that Kerkez isn't good defensively but great going forward. So why are we not utilising his strengths to the benefit of the team but instead exacerbating his weaknesses? That's the purpose of a team too, to make use of each other's strengths and covering for one another's weaknesses. But we're doing the exact opposite to that now and forcing players to do things they are weak at while suppressing the things they can actually do.

Agree1

{Ed025's Note - call me old fashioned Drac but i like my defenders to be able to defend first and foremost mate, if they can enhance that by going forward when able then thats a bonus for me, but stick to basics..

21 Oct 2025 14:44:23
I agree. I don't see Kerkez as being as bad as people are seeing or saying. He's got the speed we need. He's similar to Robbo in his defensive abilities (people forget how often Robbo used to let crosses get by him, and he does more of it now) . Robbo's crossing in the attacking half was rarely perfect; always a good enough mixture of good and bad.

But Robbo has still been one of our best leftbacks in the PL era, at least. So how does it make Kerkez, so bad? People are willing to be tolerant and patient with Wirtz and Mac Allister, but not Kerkez. Doesn't make sense to me.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 15:02:45
Got to agree with Ed 025, we were should be setting up so we have Kerkev bombing up and down that left flank, and a proper right back who can defend, so the balance is better, Bradley will come good but he can't defend well and gets taken off early 2nd half,
I hate to see Szobo at right back, we miss him far too much in midfield,
What is slot thinking, shocking.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:05:30
Kerkez actually wasn't bad defensively for Bournemouth at all, I'm not sure where that impression has come from. He's not the best defender in the world, but he was more than adequate defending his flank last year, he did a more than decent job on Salah when called upon last year.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 15:10:10
Worry about Kerkez is he doesn’t appear to have the football intelligence and calmness needed. Robbo was aggressive and 100mph going up and down the pitch but defensively he was no where near as rash as Kerkez. Having said that Kerkez is another who has to play to improve.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:19:06
Robbo being gassed with his hands on his knees probably down to the fact he’s not match fit and ran himself ragged. It’s ok to make excuses for macca and isak but not Robbo?

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:21:02
I was against us signing Kerkez because I didn't think he was good enough for us but I'm certain he will prove me wrong. He's only 21 and in a new team - give him a break. No individual right now should be singled out when the entire team is off.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 15:32:29
I don’t think Kerkez has done much wrong lately after a shakeup introduction into the LFC team. I mean did he do anything wrong against UTD? Maybe I just didn’t see it šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 16:38:47
I think Kerkez is doing ok but would do a lot better if he was allowed to play the way he did at B"mth and why we signed him. Maybe to simple.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 17:04:15
Robertson ran himself ragged against Chelsea?
He came on as sub in the second half!

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 17:25:01
From what we've watched as I stated for Liverpool kerkez has been dross. As for bradley Ed025 can't understand why yet again another pulls this lad down. The team overall is playing poorly. What do you want bradley to do? He hasn't cost us points this season, he has salah infront of him who's been awful. So how is bradley the car crash exactly?

Agree0

{Ed025's Note - constantly out of position and some very rash challenges Batman, just my opinion of course but i think he is a very poor player mate..

21 Oct 2025 18:50:55
Bradley is a superstar, for Northern Ireland Ed25, loves that wingback role he plays šŸ’š 😜
In all honesty I feel he is trying to play it safe at right back, playing the simple pass.

Agree1

{Ed025's Note - i love Northern Ireland mate and especially Belfast and Derry so i will go easy on him because of the great people i have met there, hes still young and has time to improve but at the moment he looks a bit lost to me..

21 Oct 2025 20:50:37
25, I don't think Bradley and Kerkez are bad players. I think they are being asked to do things that they aren't comfortable with. They are not playing to their strengths. Not many of them are.

Agree0

{Ed025's Note - you could be right RF, its just to me that they look very nervous and opposition wide players can see that and are taking full advantage mate..

21 Oct 2025 21:40:59
Honestly doesn’t matter who you’d play at full back the way we’re set up at the moment, even Lahm or Maldini would struggle given the complete lack of protection our defence has. Think the Kerkez hate is misplaced given how poor we are in the middle of the park.

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 22:31:13
I think Kerkez is feeling under pressure having to replace a legend in Robbo.

It is making him make mistakes that he would not usually do and the harder he tries the more he is messing up while Robbo is on the bench.

He just needs to relax and think that he is here to play his game not Robbo's and also because the leaders are struggling for form it is taking time for him to settle but i believe he will make the left back his own . YNWA.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:07:58
I'm not going to bash Slot, his system or the players. I'm not claiming to be a master tactician or have any great insight into the nuances of the greatest game on earth but if I was in charge I would be building a team around the new signings.

To my untrained eye the squad looks ideally stocked for a 4-4-2 diamond.

In Bradley/ Frimpong and Kerkez we have attacking full-backs that love to get forward and get the ball into the box that will give us attacking threat on both wings (I include Robbo in this too but I think he only has the legs for 30 mins) . If 1 goes forward the other tucks in to make a 3 and if both go forward Grav drops a little deeper into defence.

The midfield would be a diamond. Grav at the base controlling things and helping out the defence when the fullbacks are flying forward. Macca and Dom would be in front of Grav in what is (in my opinion) their best position. Then at the point of the midfield you have Wirtz in his natural position playing as a proper 10.

Up top we go old school with 2 centre forwards in Isak and Ekitike.

There will be many reading this and saying "you can't not play Salah"? My question is why? I have seen reasons such as his wage and his past performances over the last few seasons but let's be honest. At the moment it is like playing with 10 men with him in the team. I have no problem with keeping him up top and him not helping out defensively if he is offering something at the other end of the pitch but at the moment, he is not. The other big loser would be Gakpo. I do feel a bit for the guy but he would be a sacrifice to the formation change. He looked dangerous on Sunday hitting the woodwork 3 times but he also missed a sitter and nearly missed the tap-in he did put away.

It would leave us with a strong bench with players capable of being brought on with minimal disturbances to the team (Jones may require a bit of a midfield reshuffle depending on who he replaced) . The likes of Chiesa, Salah and Gakpo are all comfortable playing in the CF role but can also be brought on on the wing (Rio too) to change it up and offer something different if required.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that tomorrow I'd like to see:

Mama
Bradley - Konate - Virg - Kerkez
Grav
Macca - Szobo
Wirtz
Isak - Ekitike.

21 Oct 2025 11:26:23
I championed the diamond in pre-season after we signed Wirtz and were looking at Isak, although I had mo and Isak up front at the time. It definitely suits the players we have, and even Gakpo (who I love) could play as a 2nd striker or number 10. At the moment, it would be Ekitike for Salah, because he's definitely off-form and Hugo deserves to be playing.

My only problem with it now is that it's not been drilled in pre-season, so would take a while to implement fully, and we can't really afford to drop more points while it settles in. It's a conundrum and one slot will have to figure out sharpish, because we're definitely struggling at the moment.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:35:12
I actually agree with that. I wanted to see us try that against united.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:36:07
Everyone can see it Shipley. Why can’t Slot?

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 11:36:55
I agree that we could play a 442 diamond - although I would argue that Gravy is not a controller for the base but rather one of the two 8s. We are short of that controller and the closest thing we have to it is Macca.

The big concern is that Slot is trying to build from the back and wanting his fullbacks to be part of the construction by creating overloads in the first phase.

Will he abandon that?
I am not convinced that a 442 diamond is anywhere in his thoughts at any point.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:50:24
Salah can play as one of the strikers definitely as can Chiesa and Gakpo. I’d have the same team just Jones and Frimpong over Mac and Bradley.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 12:14:20
Wouldn't playing chiesa, Gakpo or Salah be similar to fitting in square pegs into round holes? They can play there but it isn't their best positions. Similar to how Endo, Grav, or Szob can play at CB but it isn't their best positions too.

We don't have the players to be able to play two up top. Just in a thread down below someone pointed out that we can't play Gomez at RB even though he'd suit it since that would mean we'll be playing all our 3 available CBs at one go. That same argument can be applied to us playing Ekitike and Isak at the same time as well since we'd be playing with our only two available STs together.

I still think the best formation for us would be a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-2-1-3.

Mama
Bradley Konate Vvd Kerkez
Grav Szob
Chiesa Wirtz Gakpo
Ekitike

Get rid of the horseshoe crap and just play simple and effective football. Let the FBs be FBs and the CMs be CMs. We have shown in spells that we are capable of moving the ball quickly so do that more often instead of passing it slowly from side to side with no intent or purpose. So many times players made runs on Sunday but the pass wasn't made.

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 12:35:14
I like Dom rightback I think he's the closest we can get to a trent replacement. The issue is we then lose legs in the midfield. We should be building this team around Wirtz and that means the other 2 midfielders need to be much more disciplined and hold their position or we need someone with more legs in there like a baleba. I also think we need Mo to track back and if he's goosed at 60 bring on chiesa.

He is not the long term plan and needs to sacrifice himself for those that are - Wirtz and isak. I think eketike can play on the left and be mane esque. Or rotate with Isak. If kerkez is going to be the attacking fullback then gakpo or whoever is on the left needs to use the overlap and not ignore it.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 13:01:57
I want to see grav and szbozlai to drop deep with macca slightly ahead.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 13:21:33
I’m sure Slot can see it LFC8 but what he also sees is the players in training. Every day. They will try different formations, different patterns of play with the actual players in front of them.

What he also sees is the physical and technical data. The analysis of every match and even training sessions.

He also talks to the players, has meetings, tactical discussions. Hear’s their views, knows how their family life is, how they’re settling into their surroundings, their new homes, the new area.

There is so, so, so much more to it than just saying why can’t we play that way? Why can’t he see that? That will definitely work.

Your way might make the problems worse. He might have already tried it in training, in behind closed doors games.

I sometimes wonder what people think managers and coaches do all week. Do you think they just sit in their office playing candy crush and then just throw the team together an hour before kick off? They have so much more information than we do. So much more expertise at their disposal than we do. They are so much better at picking teams than we are.

We all have our opinions and that’s fine, it’s part of the allure of the game but to sit there in your armchair and say with such certainty that you know better than the current premier league champion’s manager is a bit of a stretch.

We tend to simplify the game too much in our analysis because we are just fans. We don’t have the knowledge or expertise that a top level coach or manager has.

It’s like a nurse who’s stitched up a couple of cut knees watching a brain surgeon and saying why is he doing it like that?

Agree5

21 Oct 2025 13:44:21
Chill out robboslostlegs I don’t think anyone is claiming to know better. The frustration is we are seeing the same issues game in, game out, so everyone is venting their frustrations and possible solutions.
The reality is we have made several changes to personnel, many new signings haven’t hit the ground running and many of our reliable players last year just aren’t in form or shape.

I think we will turn the corner because as bad as we have been we could have easily won that Utd game and the previous two defeats could easily have been draws too. This team has quality in adundance I just hope they click before it is too late.
My biggest concern is actually the two new fbs, I am not sure either are good enough.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 13:48:49
He might hear all that but it doesn't mean he's going to implement something outside of his ideas.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 13:57:21
People obsess over the 'numbers' on the formation too much imo. It's not much good playing a 442 diamond if 3 of the 4 midfield players vacate the midfield in possession again.

Slot's preferred starting shapes of 433 or 4231, as well as 442 diamond, can work just fine as long as the DM doesn't go walkabout, or everyone around him pushes up onto the opposition's back line.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:04:56
I'd like to try the 4231 that many have talked about. I have no idea if it has been tried or not.

Mamardashvili - Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez - Szoboszlai, Gravenberch - Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo - Ekitike.

I know Frimpong is a weak link defensively, but I put Szoboslai behind him on his bombing runs. And that allows Salah to cut inside towards the center which has always been his game. Same with Kerkez. Allow him to run forward as that's his game and tell Gravenberch to keep an eye on the space he leaves empty behind. Gakpo too likes to cut inside all the time. We need to work with the double pivot because we are simply far too open to counter-attacks.

I left Isak out. Purposely. He can work himself into form in training and that's it. I don't give a damn if he's the most expensive player in the club's history; we're on one of our longest losing streaks in the PL era, and we have to put a winning streak together asap. Ekitike does far more and until Isak gains form, he should be coming in during second halves. I don't want to wait until the second half of the season when Isak recovers his finishing prowess, which he was bought for.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 15:10:10
Grav won't be playing tomorrow night and maybe a couple more games after that, surely Macca and Salah should be dropped, both are way off form, we seem to be carrying about 4 players who are playing badly and should be rested,
Can't see us winning tomorrow night, Eintracht beat Galatasaray last night 5 1, its going to be a difficult game for sure.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 16:52:02
Frankfurt are 7th in the Bundesliga and have conceded more goals than any other team in the whole league. They are more porous than we are.
It should be a high scoring game as they do score a lot too, scoring 19 and conceding 18 in the Bundesliga, Athletico put 5 past them in UCL but then Frankfurt put 5 past Gala in the next fixture.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 20:59:17
I’m not a fan of the term ā€˜transition’ but in our case this season is, in my opinion, actually a season of transition. We have brought in a large number of new players into the first team match day squad in one window - more so than in living memory at the club.

We have a coach who exceeded expectation (but perhaps not wishes) in his first season and the second season - particularly with the major squad overhaul - was always likely a bit of a ā€˜return to earth’. We look like a bunch of strangers on the pitch at the moment and there are players who seem to not be playing their natural game - Bradley and Kerkez, as have been mentioned seem particularly so. Collectively, the team seem unsure of themselves - what they are and how they are supposed to be doing it and it’s impacting confidence.

I think we (fans) need to take a step back and stop fretting about the scoreline. The coaching staff and players need to focus on how they want to play and then use the undoubted vast amount of talent they have to play to their chosen system. Once that happens the results will come.

From my perspective I’d love to know what Slot sees as his starting team if he had everybody fit and available, I suspect we haven’t seen it yet and it’s a concern, to me at least, that he might not know.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 21:56:40
We play just like the Dutch national team and how much have they won in the last 30 years or more! The Dutch are all trying to find the football they had years ago. Arne will have been brought up on that football and believes he can get us playing this way .


That is why we signed the new players we have today so it may take a few weeks to find our feet then some team will get a good thrashing Believe Reds Believe
YNWA.

Agree0

I'm Confident That Arne Slot Can Turn Liverpool FC Around

21 Oct 2025 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - PatrikBurgher has posted a new article entitled, I'm Confident That Arne Slot Can Turn Liverpool FC Around

21 Oct 2025 08:58:20
Will he get the time though? Two bad results this week and the board that sanctioned a huge outlay on new players might not give him the time in an attempt to save their own skins.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 09:34:28
Endo - where have you ever got the sense that Liverpool operate that way?

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 10:18:49
They sacked Rodgers earlier in the season than this and he'd lost just two games.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 10:30:43
Indeed, @Faith. Seriously, the projection is getting boring now. Slot ain't getting the sack anytime soon cos the club don't operate that way, like you said. As if that's going to fix anything right now esp. if you have no clue who can come in and replace him properly right now. Give it a rest.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 10:46:40
I don't want Slot to be sacked but to say the club don't act that way isn't exactly true with Rodgers getting sacked earlier in the season with only two losses.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:03:44
Yeah but the locker room was lost, he wasn’t exactly in sync with the board, the team had no identity, the team had no connection to the crowd, that was a team on the way down

This is a team trying to figure it out.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:07:26
Eveyone was praising our transfer business and giving over the top plaudits for getting Isak, Kerkez, Frimpong, Wirtz, Ekitike.

We have too many of the main man now and no support staff.

Added to that, the change of style with Grav having so much of the ball.

Isak was working for Newcastle because the other 10 working off their socks for him. It was very clear that a team cannot carry both Isak and Salah together.

Kerkez - I believe joined more to be with International captain Szoboszlai (playing with him) and the thrill of joining the champions

Has done nothing to prove he is better than washed Robertson. That says a lot.

Good thing is, he has age on his side and can learn and adapt.

Frimpong - not a winger or full-back, still don't know what is his best position. good thing is did not break the bank and was happy to come here.

Ekitike - main man at Frankfurt and can't play support role for long or can't adjust to sitting on bench for too long.

Slot got it wrong benching him to get Isak's fitness. it is costing the team but some blame has to be taken by Ekitike himself.

Salah - Main man for so many seasons and now all others are wanting to be the star man. He has to adjust and adapt and this is taking time. This is a new role for him also and he never was a out and out winger. It would make sense to change his position from far wide to a bit closer or second striker.

Wirtz - Yet to show anything of substance but he was the main man at Leverkusen and everything went through him. He also needs to adapt to a change in role.

hope he lives up to this generational talent reputation.

Never rated Macca during our title winning season also which many of the fans would disagree. He was made to look good because his competition in the team was Jones, Eliott etc.
Just because he came cheap and member of Argentina world cup team and 1 or 2 blinders will not subdue the fact that he is a average a player at best.

Not sure where the stats mean got wrong, they could have done better than Kerkez and Frimpong. I still hope they will come good.

Bradley - for all his CL heroics again mbappe, is upcoming player with lots to learn in terms of positioning and when to attack/ carry the ball and when to keep it simple.

Our requirement was to add more strength in midfield which we took a gamble with an opportunistic signing (wirtz) and it is yet to pay off. He might still come oood and all will be good.

Just because we have an super expensive bench and top talent doesn't mean we ought to be super duper football on the pitch as expected by many fans who are calling for Slot's head.

They need to adapt, and accept new roles and most importantly adjust to other players.

Added to that, this Hettinga replacement (VB) idea at rangers - not sure it is fair to attribute the loss but isn't looking great.

I don't want to see heavy metal stuff again (it is passe) which many of you might not agree. but want slot to get back to his half time tweaks like last year where he would course correct based on match situation (controlled style of play where you pick and choose moments to attack) to return with proper personnel in the team.

Chiesa is no answer for many of you thinking to replace Salah. The one game we lost to Plymoth was a good sample enough.

He is good to come in the last 10, 15 mins and show his stuff. We will be up for bigger dissappointment if he starts . feel so.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:12:30
Endo, I get what you're saying but you are missing the context. If I remember correctly BR's arse was already on the chopping block the moment the prev. season ended. The late Ed02 had said back then that at the start of 15/ 16, then Sporting manager Jorge Jesus had been approached to take the job, so was Ancellotti and so was Klopp. Ancelotti said no. Klopp said yes.

Notice that as soon as Klopp agreed, BR was given his walking papers the day before the Everton game at Goodison with reports saying that the Merseyside derby would be his last game in charge regardless of the result.

This a much diff. situation to Slot hence, this is why I say, Slot ain't getting sacked anytime soon cos knee-jerk decisions are not what the club does. Hope this clarifies things.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:17:42
Rodger’s didn’t win us the league and clearly wasn’t up too the level.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 11:39:55
The most worrying thing in all This is whichever way you look at it your all debating Slot vs Rogers.

That in its self tells me we’re Bang in trouble.

Agree6

21 Oct 2025 11:42:53
Easy to say now. if not for Gerrad slip/ back pass and Hendo's needless red card against city.

His tactics were over the top but some of the stuff from S S S was great to see. this is in a way similar to Klopp gung ho style but don't understand the logic of - If Klopp does, it;s great and if it is Rodgers it is crap.

maybe due to his shiny teeth and pres conference. he was so full of himself.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:49:39
No one is debating Slot vs Rodgers. Just a random assertion connecting Slot to Rodgers.

Also Rodger’s had a lightening in a bottle season and nothing else. Are we saying this is the same as Klopp?

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 11:50:52
Okay so Chiesa played one bad game against Plymouth, with a lineup that had never played together with one another before, and that means he's put himself out of the running to ever start a game for us? What kind of logic is that?

Agree5

21 Oct 2025 12:08:55
That game showed there is a gap in the way his mind is thinking and the way his legs/ running. I like him and still like him honestly but if someone has not played him for a year to get him match fit means/ says a lot.

Even now, he looks good because when he comes we don't have many options or time to change the game. Just run behind the ball like hell. In fact he is looking like/ having Nunez Chaos streak when he comes on now.

Nothing wrong in benching Salah forfew games.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 12:58:16
Honestly I agree that Chiesa physically probably can't play 90 minutes or even start two games a week and I don't know how well he will do starting as a winger since he looks better for us in central areas, but he is doing so well in his appearances for us surely he warrants a lot more time than he is getting.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 12:59:51
Endo, Rodgers was allowed a whole season of being crap between finishing 2nd and being sacked. The only reason he survived the summer is because Klopp hadn't decided to committ to club until October.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 13:50:17
We didn’t lose the league because of the Gerrard slip, we lost it due to tactical naivety, that Palace game twice conceding from our own corners due to being caught on counter……I remember whatching the game live and I was furious as I knew then that could be the game that decides the fate of the title.

Had Rodger’s should the ability to make in game tactical changes the Gerrard slip would have been irrelevant, you can’t win a league by gifting goals when 3-0 up.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 13:43:29
Bradley is stealing a living off one sliding tackle.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 13:46:25
@man. of. todd, I know it’s been over 10 yrs, but Roger’s Liverpool were a slip away from winning the league with far inferior players than were at the disposal of Klopp/ Slot when their teams won it. Rogers team were great to watch, albeit you’d have no fingernails by full time. The following season LFC brought in some mind bogglingly bad replacements, how would anyone think Ballotelli would be the answer to the question of replacing Suarez? So while I don’t think Rogers has become a great manager, I think if Gerard hadn’t done his Bambi on Ice routine, he could have developed into a better version of what he is now.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 13:58:37
Sami, by your logic on Chiesa VVD shouldn't play as he's had a couple of shockers, same for Konate, Mac hasn't had one good performance yet, Mo's been AWOL for 4 matches in a row, we wouldn't be able field a team if we followed your logic of dropping a player if he's had a bad game.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 15:17:03
Actually Rodgers was hopeless, couldn't organise a defence and was carried by Suarez and Sturridge being able to stay healthy for a season and having the year of his life, Sterling emerging into genuine stardom and Hendo finally starting to look like the player we bought from Sunderland. If you hear Ian Graham's side of the story Brendan wanted more and more power to dictate transfers and every single player he brought in (okay, Joe Allen was a reasonably decent squad player for us) was absolute pants, he forced the issue to the transfer team to get Benteke at all costs when there were other options on the table.

Remember when he gave a cryptic hint to us fans that a very exciting signing was in the pipeline and it ended up being Borini? Yeah, that was Brendan Rodgers, who sent out a reserve team against Real at the Bernabeu (in the 2nd game of our last 4 game losing streak, though that one was much more dismal than this one, I feel) .

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:19:33
Macca and Salah are having a poor season so far and just be dropped, I think that Frimpong and kerkev and Frimpong should not have been brought in, I also think that Isak is taking away from Ekitike, we just have brought in a Jota type player who would be a 2nd striker, not a perfect transfer window at all, slot is definitely under pressure now and a couple more defeats will be a turning point, so its vital that we win the next couple of premier games,
can't see us winning tomorrow night without Grav.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 15:34:03
Only thing I’d say about macca is I hope Madrid come in for him in the summer.

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 15:43:54
Obvious point. Rodgers was coming off a season in which we finished 6th having lost 12 games. He then got a few games in 2015/ 16 probably until we could convince Klopp.

Slot just won the league.

Slight difference in situations.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 01:18:56
Ed1, when you say that there is a gaping hole in the middle of the park when we're having the ball, is that the way Slot want the players to play? Or is it more on the midfield players not knowing which one of them need to drop, when to drop and when or whom to push forward?

I don't remembered this being in play last season, there's always someone usually Grav that stay there to get the ball from CB and advance the ball. Someone just posted a picture below title 'The Horseshoe', and it looks weird and awkward even to a non football fan.

{Ed001's Note - it was certainly a tactical ploy against Man Utd, Slot would have changed things at half-time if it hadn't been. I do not understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to have a player as slow as Macca go so far out of position leaving a huge gap. Clearly the plan was to have Szobo invert and cover the space, but it didn't work at all. It just ends up with all the players except the centre-backs up in a line, with no space for them to move the defence around. As soon as the ball is lost, there is no cover.

I am hoping it was just an aberration attempted for that one game and it will be dropped from now on. We can't press with a half-fit Isak and a woefully out of form Salah, so we need midfield cover to protect the defence. I really don't think you can get away with both Salah and Isak together, especially when Isak is so clearly miles off fitness. But then Isak should not be starting while Ekitike is in good form and he isn't. This is how title challenges are blown, by trying to shoehorn players in, rather than just trusting in who is playing well and making the rest wait their chance.}

21 Oct 2025 02:00:38
With Isak and Ekitike - if you've got two gun players for one position, it would seem to me to be an absolute balls-up to play one over the other for reasons other than form, or perhaps tactics.

Playing Isak when he is unfit and not firing, in the hope he will develop his fitness in-match and find his form, must be a killer for Ekitike who has started so well.

Surely to keep that competition alive, you reward the player in form. otherwise i think we run the risk of alienating the player who is being left on the bench while they're playing well.

Agree7

21 Oct 2025 03:48:29
Slot said Isak is "fully fit. " We have to take his word for it. The way we are playing is not playing to his strengths imo.

We were all scratching our heads wondering why we were bringing in Isak after signing Ekitike. There must have been a masterplan right to play them together. Surely we're not spending 200m for two top strikers to put one on the bench. We're not City or Chelsea.

But here we are 2 months into the season with no clear picture for what the club were or are thinking or Slot for that matter. I thought they would interchange LW and ST or play both in front of Wirtz which looks like the clear solution all along.

Have to feel for Ekitike he linked play really well, showed some fantastic footwork, pressed and scored some important goals. Then he's dropped and has to watch Salah and Gakpo fail to impress.

You would think there were some conversations over the summer between Slot and Hughes Edwards etc. with the potential signings and what he wanted to take the club forward. It's as tho the right hand wasn't talking to the left to steal a metaphor. But I can't imagine that being the case at all. I'm sure all parties were onboard with the incomings and outgoings and it was all agreed and rubber stamped etc.

But clearly it's not working and frankly I don't see any signs that it's going to work unless Slot completely changes his approach. It's pretty depressing seeing all of this going on especially when the solutions looks so clear and obvious (sorry) yet like PGMOL the coaches just can't see it.

I see GVB being mentioned on here and I hope to god it's not another "is pep running the show" sort of a thing. Slot needs to be his own man and carry the can. His tone yesterday was in stark difference to what we have been used to. Understandable but he has to show a ruthless streak here now, which he has done in the past, and put his foot down and be fully responsible for setting up the team for success and not for failure, which is what he's done so far this season.

I feel that Slot focuses way too much on the strengths of the opponent and maybe that has a negative effect on the players. I remember the PSG game last season in Paris he talked them up so much ie we won't have much of the ball, that I thought maybe it affected the players mentally before going out onto the pitch. Just what I thought at the time and just my opinion.

Super frustrated and a little bit hurting at what's going on. I hope they sort it out soon but if Slot doesn't change tactics and personnel the pain may well continue.

Agree12

{Ed078's Note - nice post.

21 Oct 2025 04:09:39
Thx 78. Appreciate that!

Agree3

21 Oct 2025 05:24:36
That's a good point you made about Slot, Red Flyer, about him focusing too much on the strengths of the opponents. I don't think it affects our players mentally much but it affects the way he sets the team out to play which sometimes, runs contrary to our own strengths as well.

I believe he should be focusing on our strengths instead and set the team out to play our strengths instead of worrying too much about how the opponents would play and set out to nullify them.

Agree5

21 Oct 2025 06:42:24
Noticed on Sunday Frimpong came on and put some nice balls into the box all after Isak had come off and Etitike was dropping a little deeper.

Agree4

21 Oct 2025 06:55:57
Another thing I’ve noticed about Slot also. He doesn’t ā€œuseā€ Anfield to his advantage.

If there’s anybody who goes the odd game down the years will know what I mean. He doesn’t use the Fans. If anything when it’s about to boil, he subdues the atmosphere and slows everything down again.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 07:17:08
Against PSG I'm not so sure it was a case of respecting the opponent too much, we were tired in the away game and didn't expect the intensity of the game. In the home game we had an unrelenting high press the first 25 minutes and should have been out of sight within the half hour, somehow we didn't score the goals we needed to, conceded and things became that much more difficult. That was the point at which a lack of rotation really bit us in the arse as we all remember, the Newcastle game was lost because we just ran out of mental and physical juice after the exertion of playing PSG.

The PSG home game proved that we can put opponents to the sword the Klopp way if we want to, but I just don't think Slot is ever going to do that consistently because it's just not his style, he plays every game with the rest of the season in mind.

Looking back at the game against United, I can't help but feel like the competition between Isak and Ekitike is not helping the team (besides the obvious point that Hugo should be the one playing), even when they were on the field together every time Ekitike got on the ball he looked like he wanted to score to make a point, it didn't look like there was a chance he was giving the ball to Isak even when the ball was on.

And yeah JK, the perfect cross that Frimpong put in right after he came on was the biggest miss of the game by Gakpo. Frimpong has one trick but he does it extraordinarily well, that change of pace and drop of the shoulder to get to the byline and float one into the box, it's not always a great delivery but the success rate is very high.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 07:40:36
I don't think Frimpong will work as a conventional RB for us but he's so impressive going forward. Rapid off the mark, happy to go outside players and can put very nice crosses in. I'd happily see him start at RW for a few games. I think Chiesa looks better as a LW anyway.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 07:43:22
We as fans never seem to say we lost to the better team on the day. We are the only team that loses because we failed to put our chances away, officiating, ran out of steam or so on.

In my humble opinion we lost to PSG over two legs on pens which could have gone either way and we lost to Newcastle who on the day were the better team.

Utd weren’t the better team on Sunday but with how we played neither were we.

We had enough chances to win against Palace, Gala, Chelsea and Utd but on the other hand they also had enough chances to have put us to bed as well.

Agree5

21 Oct 2025 08:28:44
Newcastle were better than us on the day but we were also gassed jk, I think both things can be true at the same time.

Against Chelsea, united, gala and palace, I would say palace were superior to us in the first half by far but that was also because we were tactically inept. Gala was a bizarre game, it was barely a football game at all but neither side actually deserved to win, we were the better team but by a very small margin. Against United I do think we did enough to get a result, but Bruno really should have scored to make it 2 for them before we created a load of chances of our own in the second half.

Against any team we show that we have the quality to create and to score, it's not like we've been hopeless going forward, even though our finishing has been utterly disappointing. The problem is that this quality is more the unquestionable quality of our players in moments rather than the quality of a coordinated approach. We have a lot of instinctive, improvisational players now, but the problem is we're not even putting them in the best position for this improvisation to thrive.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 08:35:20
Good points, JK.
PSG were a better side than us last season and they went on to win the competition.
Newcastle outplayed us in the League Cup final, too. They got stuck into us, got a two lead and that was enough for them to defend.
There will be better teams than us and weaker teams that will better than us on the day.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 09:17:00
Pat i agree that both things can be true mate but Newcastle was a good 5 days after the PSG game.

We played PSG on the 11 Mar and Newcastle played West Ham on the 10 Mar so had 1 more day rest. Appreciate our squad had played more games but if they were that gassed they recovered well as they went on to win 4 of the next 5 league games to sew the league up.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 09:36:06
If Frimpong isn’t going to work as a fullback then we may as well him in January.

Agree2

21 Oct 2025 09:49:54
'he has to show a ruthless streak here now'.

He certainly has done that. with Quansah and Bradley, though. Way to go if you ask me in order to ruin two academy prospects breaking into the first team

With Konate, Mac or Salah. well that's a whole different thing.

Indeed, it doesn't look like Slot is going to drop them any time soon. Why would he if they won us the league last season? I bet he feels vindicated and will play them every week not matter what.

Agree0

21 Oct 2025 10:36:22
Kameron, and your last sentence is what I fear. Slot trying to prove a point rather than doing what is best for the team and playing players who are in form in a system that suits them. Klopp did the exact same thing in 22/ 23 for the disaster we knew it to be.

If Slot is going to do that just to try to prove a point and things get worse then, he will be solely responsible for his own demise and that of the team. Just saying.

Agree4

21 Oct 2025 10:46:14
I did post a couple of times last season about Slot not fully appreciating the power of Anfield. The Anfield washing machine is legendary, but it's not being used.

He did also say at the start of last season that the way we set up depends on the pressing structure of the opposition. So none of this is a surprise.

However, it does also mean we get slow starts as the team is figuring out the opposition.

On top of all of this, the Premier League teams are getting more creative with their pressing structures. We've gone from gegenpress, to De Zerbi-ball/ press-bait to now something else evolving that involves more long balls, set pieces and throw-ins. Teams seem petrified of overloads.

Bournemouth seem to be the only team in the PL that are still pressing without abandon.

We have a physically capable team so we cannot make excuses about not . We should take the game to teams when they come to Anfield at the very least.

Re the line up and system - the profiles of the fullbacks do not match the system being implemented. We don't have a stable of pseudo CB/ fullbacks to call upon like Arsenal (Califiori, Timber, White, Hincapie) or City (Gvardiol, Ake, Khusanov) so Slot will have to change his idea as he cannot keep asking Bradley and Kerkez to be what they are clearly not!

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:12:04
I just think it’s simply Slot trying to recreate the team structure we had last season. Even putting Szob at right back he’s trying to recreate having Trent there who was essentially a midfielder playing right back.

The problem is we obviously miss Szob in midfield and don’t have anyone else with his energy or pressing ability.

Nobody was scratching their heads as to why we went after Isak. It was plainly obvious to everyone. We lost Nunez and Jota so we needed 2 strikers it really is as simply as that. Added to that we lost Diaz who did play as a false 9 for large parts of last season. If we’d ended up with just Ekitike it would’ve been a disaster.

The difference now is that with Isak up top we have a proper striker. One of the very best around in fact but the team have played with a false 9 for so long that they need to adapt. We tried Nunez up top and it didn’t work so we reverted back to a false 9 with Diaz there. Now we have no choice we’ve signed 2 number 9’s so we need to get used to getting wide and providing them with service. We haven’t done that for years.

I do understand why Slot has done what he’s done in the last few games though, he’s under pressure so he’s gone back to the tried and trusted but when it doesn’t work he just seems to change way too much mid game. To the point where nobody knows where they should be. It has worked in the past when we’ve needed a goal and he’s been lauded for it but it also leaves us exposed to the sucker punch which has happened in the last 3 premier league games.

We’ve also lauded him for feeling teams out in the first half then tweaking tactics to beat them in the second half. Again it has worked in the past but the one thing you can’t do if you are going to do that is concede a goal which we have done in the last 4 games.

It’s time to just go at teams from the start. Wirtz needs to play, forget Trent and the midfielder at right back that’s gone. Play Bradley or Frimpong, get wide and get balls in the box. Tell Salah his role is no longer the main goal scorer he needs to become more of a traditional winger and supply the strikers. Stay wide unless there’s an opportunity to cut in and shoot. Same with Gakpo on the other side. Use the overlapping full backs, actually give them the ball when they make the runs.

Get the midfield making late runs into the box they’re much more difficult to pick up than if they are already on the last line.

Slot basically needs to forget about the team structure from last season, that has gone. We are a different team now so we need to play differently.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:13:59
Pelican, hopefully Slot can hear you cos it's all on him now.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 11:51:32
Slot proved a point last season when he won the League by playing Konate, Mac and Salah.
There were times when they were out of form last season, too.
Drop them, by all means, but don't expect Gomez, Jones/ Endo and Chiesa to show us anything we don't already know about them.

They are not in form players.
The Plymouth and PSV games last season also proved a point.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 13:01:37
Absolutely spot on Rigsby. They say you are always a better player when you’re not playing.

Agree1

21 Oct 2025 15:21:06
What do we know about Gomez, Jones, Endo and Chiesa? Endo has been superb at times for us, granted mostly under Klopp, Gomez did a job every time he was called upon in the back line last year, Jones had at least two man of the match performances last year and his performance last year against Chelsea was one of the more memorable midfield performances for us in my mind, Chiesa has had 3 goal involvements in 6 matches with very little playing time, which would contest your statement that he isn't in form. Or are you only in form when you play 90 minutes a week?

I simply can't get down with the suggestion that Chiesa only deserves 10-15 minutes a game, what else does he need to do to stake a claim to at least 45?

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21 Oct 2025 17:34:48
PB, I disagree with your assessments of Gomez, Jones, Endo and Chiesa but they are your opinions which is fair enough.
I don't remember Endo being superb or Gomez doing very much in the back line last year. Jones did well against Chelsea but it was hardly memorable. When I think of memorable midfield performances, I think of Souness, Gerrard, Molby, Keane and Viera. Not Curtis Jones. But again, it's opinions. If we are talking about superb players and memorable performances, I think about players regularly playing 90 minutes. Why? They play every game because they are almost indispensable.


Why not look at the figures, not opinions, of Gomez, Endo, Jones and Chiesa to show me how good they are? How many minutes did they all play last season? A title winning season. Chiesa started one game, was substituted and we lost.
Salah started every game, scored 29 goals and had 18 assists.
I need more than three goal involvements in six games to believe that someone is in form. Salah being out of form doesn't mean that Chiesa's 'form' is worthy of him starting. I can't remember the last time he played 90 minutes. At a guess, I'd say Plymouth or PSV and we both know what happened there.
I.

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