Liverpool banter 5

13 Apr 2026 11:32:17
6 league games and 1 cup game to go, then we hit the reset.

Keep reading your fridges and ignore journalists.

13 Apr 2026 11:58:15
4 cup games, BeKind.

13 Apr 2026 12:00:30
41 days to go!

13 Apr 2026 12:18:27
We'll have none of that nonsense here, Rome.

13 Apr 2026 15:15:02
We should have a daily countdown as a bookmark.

13 Apr 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Davey Sulls has posted a new article entitled, Why Iraola Fits Liverpool Better Than Alonso

13 Apr 2026 09:30:11
Not that I'm against him but he lacks European experience. Could cope with a team that plays in European competition and plays around 60 plus games a season, and are expected to go far in European competition.

13 Apr 2026 09:41:40
Davey, I am 100% behind you mate. What worries me with Alonso is he allowed the Madrid players to bully him. Yes, we all know what Madrid and its players are about, and so did Alonso, but he allowed it to happen. What rang alarm bells for me was when Madrid v Barcelona in the Arab country, when Madrid lost, and Alonso tried to get his players to give Barce a guard of honour, and they just turned their back on him, making him look an idiot.
Managing Bournemouth is a very difficult job.

He has to keep them up every season, this while his top players are picked off and they are replaced and coached like they have been at the club for years. Also, the players would run through a brick wall for Iraola. You never see the team flustered or panic under pressure.
I believe Iraola is the person to take the club back to where we have been.
Great read, Davey Sulls, and interesting article that I hope someone from LFC reads this article and takes notice.
YNWA.

13 Apr 2026 09:55:55
Alonso didn't allow the Madrid players to bully him. He stuck to what he wanted them to do, instead of giving in, so they threw a tantrum and cried to Perez. That's why he got sacked.

If you want to see a manager getting bullied by the Madrid players, you can just look at Arbeloa. He's a great example of letting the players walk all over him.

13 Apr 2026 10:19:23
The squad we have and the players purchased suit Alonso's style of football more.

13 Apr 2026 10:29:26
I'm sure Alonso was involved in an unbeaten domestic season, breaking the one-team stranglehold on that league, whilst also getting to a European final. The disrespect for his achievements is astounding just because he was hung out to dry by one of the most corrupt teams on the planet.

13 Apr 2026 10:29:58
Jurgan wins 3/4 in a row if Pep's gone in summer. It's gotta be tempting for him.

13 Apr 2026 10:58:55
Exactly what Drac said. Alonso didn't cow tow to those pampered divas, they didn't like the fact he demanded more of them, and went crying to Perez. If anyone is weak there, it's Perez for not backing his manager. And that is why there is not one Real Madrid player I would ever want playing for us, because of that mentality.

13 Apr 2026 11:07:30
LFC8, not as tempting as you might think. He's getting paid millions to work from home in sunny Mallorca, where he gets to spend a lot more time with his family and has to deal with none of the stresses of the Premier League. His quality of life is 10x times better than what he had when he spent half the year standing in the rain and the cold, dealing with all the pressure and stress of the league and the media.

Not to mention he's already won everything. Doesn't strike me as the type of bloke who'd give it all up just to go back and do it again. He's explicitly stated he doesn't miss any of it. He seems a lot happier now too.

13 Apr 2026 11:13:56
The article is to show my preference for Iraola over Alonso. Not to knock Alonso down as a choice.

And in terms of squad suitability, I truly think we are only wingers and fitness away from having a squad that suits Iraola style.

And I'd far prefer to get wingers than go down the 3 5 2 route.

Not saying Alonso is married to that and he plays it far far better than we played it against PSG.



But I just love watching wingers. They are the most fun part of the game to watch now, and I'd hate to see us not play attacking ones.

Ngumoha could flourish under Iraola and learn to graft even harder. Add more graft to that kids talent and his future is scary. He has much work to do to reach those levels, though, so must keep the head down and work hard.

Iraola is the guy I'm hoping for anyway.

13 Apr 2026 11:18:26
Totally agree, he won't be coming back, but could you imagine what he could do with this group of players? Plus, with Guadiola leaving, he'd likely bring back a few titles as well.

I think we are in a good place in terms of choices, though. Alonso, Iraola, or even Hoeness would be fine with me. Alonso pips it with his experience in European competition, though.

13 Apr 2026 11:21:27
The jump from a mid-table club to a Top club is harder than you think. Just look at Thomas Frank, Nuno, Emery, etc.

{Ed001's Note - all of those do not play attacking football, which is why they struggled at a top club. They all play counter attacking football, which does not work when you dominate the ball.}

13 Apr 2026 11:59:40
I really like Iraola, but I think he needs to take one more career step before he arrives at one of the biggest clubs in the world with massive expectations.

Whereas the timing for Alonso to join us is ideal for all parties.

13 Apr 2026 12:23:13
In fairness, Lfc8, you would still have Arteta. Jurgen finished behind him in 2 of his last 3 seasons. The man's had his stint, a legendary one. Let him enjoy his retirement.

13 Apr 2026 12:29:44
Great article. I'm also a big fan of Andoni Iraola for all the reasons you outlined, and if we were in a pre-Jurgen Klopp transition phase, I'd take him in a heartbeat.
That said, if the objective is to genuinely compete for the title, I think we need a manager who can consistently maximise his squad while also imposing control through structured possession. Iraola clearly has the potential to become an elite coach, but his preference for a very vertical, transition-heavy style is, in my view, a limitation at the very top level.
Recent title winners have all been built on game control and territorial dominance: Guardiola, Klopp when he won the league after a few seasons of building, and Slot last year.

Arsenal, despite repeatedly collapsing towards the end of the season in recent years, are also a clear example of a side built around controlling possession.
I understand it may sound contradictory given that this season has shown how second balls, direct play, and set pieces can cause serious problems for possession-heavy teams. But over the course of a full campaign, that kind of football is rarely sustainable enough to consistently deliver major trophies.

13 Apr 2026 12:00:40
How did the Madrid players bully surly he bullied them and they went upstairs to cry to the president to get him gone as ed1 said ancelotti let them get away with it

13 Apr 2026 13:53:57
+1 on the Iraola train.

Wouldn't say Alonso is proven at the top level either.

Iraola has done it in the Premier League.
His teams play fearless, aggressive, pressing, attacking football.
He deals with loss of first team players like it's no problem. His squad must be well trained and well drilled.
He is used to imparting his style onto new players year after year.



He gives me Rafa vibes, ultra-competitive but a generally genial, friendly guy.

I have no problem with Alonso, I feel he's a genuine intelligent student of the game, but I never really feel Alonso loves Liverpool as much as Liverpool loves him. Iraola has a clean slate.

13 Apr 2026 15:23:57
So why did Alonso not just drop the players who went running to the owner and make a statement to the players and the suits that he was the boss. Do you think Klopp would have put up with it? Not a chance.
SVkick, so did you not watch Arsenal v Bournemouth? Arsenal could not control the ball. Why? Because Iraola set his team up to press Arsenal at every chance and beat the potential champions.



Back to Madrid, read about the dietician who was employed by Madrid, and the way they bullied and treated her to such an extent that she has sued Madrid. They are allowed to get away with bullying and treating people horribly, knowing nothing will happen to them.

13 Apr 2026 16:29:04
Albeydered, what are you talking about? You act like Alonso or any other RM manager has all the power and can do anything about the players forming a mutiny and crying to their daddy Perez to get rid of managers they don't like cos they make them run too much.

Seriously, when have you seen what you are beating Alonso up about happen at RM, specifically? I'll wait. You are aware that this is exactly what the players did to Rafa when he was there, right? Very same scenario, which led to Zizou getting the job and just allowing them to be "themselves".



Also, you are aware that Chelsea players were notorious for doing the exact same thing to their managers, right? Should the manager(s) have dropped them too?

Listen, you may not like Alonso as Slot's replacement but don't start putting him at a bar that no other RM manager has ever reached. Nah, don't do that cos that's disingenuous, in my view. Just saying.

13 Apr 2026 17:12:38
Albeydered, is that a serious question? Why not just drop Vini or Mbappe who have more sway with Perez than the manager? Do you understand how things work in Madrid?

13 Apr 2026 17:52:03
Nice article, Davey, and all good points. I don't disagree about those being strengths, but I think a strength for Alonso is that he seems a little more dynamic and will deploy multiple formations, which could give us an edge against the array of teams we'll see in PL, CL (hopefully), and domestic cups.

I think that might be a strength because it addresses one factor that you left out (and is still a question mark for Alonso), which is, can they consistently get the best out of a top team over the course of a long season? I think this is an important question, because even Klopp started trying to temper his heavy metal style to improve consistency.

Bournmouth under Iraola have been very patchy in form: when they're firing they can take it to anyone, but they go through spells of poor results. That could be down to large turn over, but I think those spells might not coincide with key player leaving, which is one concern I have about him and his aggressive attacking style and whether he can get consistent results over the course of the season. Alonso still has to prove this at the top level as well, but his unbeaten season and tactical flexibility might give him the edge on this point for me.

Wouldn't be upset with either manager though!

12 Apr 2026 23:32:47
A draw against Chelsea would mean we need 4 wins.

13 Apr 2026 00:41:33
Not quite, because that gives Brentford and Everton a sniff.

13 Apr 2026 09:48:06
Haji, we just need to win the lot and show, yes we had some problems, yes we lost a lot of games, but like true champions we fought our way back into a respectable position and finish the season with a bit of pride.
YNWA.

13 Apr 2026 11:04:57
As we only seem to manage about one good game every ten matches, I'd say we only win one of our remaining fixtures.

13 Apr 2026 15:28:53
Love the optimism lads.

13 Apr 2026 16:30:17
Albeydered, not all teams are capable of pressing with the same intensity as Bournemouth did against Arsenal, and some teams don't even want to.

Moreover, I'm not criticizing Iraola's work off the ball at all (it's very good); I'm just saying that his style in possession is too direct to be effective over the course of a full season. Can you name a manager who has won the Premier League in recent years playing that way?

On the other hand, Bournemouth's game plan is not the only factor behind Arsenal's defeat.

Arsenal's attacking inefficiency is largely down to Arteta: playing with two number 6s (even if Rice is more of a hybrid 6/8) and a number 10 doesn't make sense if your full-backs don't push forward, and it leads to a lack of creativity in the final third.
This is clearly intentional from Arteta - with four defensive midfielders and two number 10s in the squad - and it's why he relies so heavily on set pieces for goals.

13 Apr 2026 16:31:47
Florian, being optimistic and deliberately ignoring the evidence and track record/trend before your very eyes is not optimism.

Sorry, that is delusion. It's that simple.

13 Apr 2026 19:02:37
The track record/trend even in this poor season is 15/32 in terms of wins in the league, Oli. I'm saying the last coupla weeks, if we win the four home games we had left then we'd get 5th. We now have 3 home games left after Fulham. 3 from 6 fixtures, Oli, just about on the money of our record/trend this season.

I'm expecting the boys to push for the line and improve on that trend so it's not delusion, Oli. It's simply expecting us to match what we've already achieved in this poor season. Following the evidence, if you will.

12 Apr 2026 22:37:35
{Ed's Note - Davey Sulls has posted a new article entitled, Why Iraola Fits Liverpool Better Than Alonso

12 Apr 2026 23:07:30
Ed33 making me sound smarter than I am again. Appreciate it.

{Ed033's Note - ok thanks.

13 Apr 2026 06:33:09
Good article. But I totally disagree, respectfully, Davey. Neither area is a good fit for me.
First of all, nobody knows what sort of team they will get. As it stands, Salah and Robbo won't be there, and Macca, VVD, Alisson, Jones can all go come summer.
None of the new players have really shone. So the new manager really has his work cut out for him.
Now, first of all, we have players that sort of have an attitude issue. They seem to not understand what it means to play for Liverpool. For example, Szobo's antics when losing tells you a lot.



Therefore, we needed someone like Gerrard for a bit. A cult figure bigger than any player. I also feel, for the same reason, Zidane can work for us. Might not be a great coach, but will any day command respect from anyone and everyone.

The entire problem with the players is they can't respect the manager. You cannot let that happen, no matter whether coach is right or wrong. Slot couldn't stamp any authority. We had a similar slump under Slot, but dare a player throw attitude around.

13 Apr 2026 08:26:18
I appreciate the opinion, Cafu, but if that was the case I don't think simply having cult figures like Gerrard/Zidane will do the trick.

I personally don't think that is the issue at all, and if it was the issue we would be truly messed up.

I still think Szoboszlai's antics are driven by passion and not petulance, although I can see how it could come across that way.



I think Iraola is a vastly superior coach than Gerrard and I also think he has a galvanizing leadership. Not even a close one, that for me. Regardless of player attitude, which I think is not bad like you mention.

13 Apr 2026 08:33:06
Zidane is supposed to take over France after the WC.

13 Apr 2026 09:04:05
Was Zidane a good manager? Looked after a class Madrid team so probably just a figure head.

13 Apr 2026 10:02:26
Sometimes all good players need is a name to work for rather than actual coaching. Zidane won what like 3 CL with a wonderful team and let them figure out.
I think that probably will also work for us. Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Szobo, Macca are good players that just need a system and freedom, not coaching.

13 Apr 2026 10:38:53
Zidane won them European Cups with a team on a different level to us at the moment. And if we were going down the legend who's not a great coach it'd have to be Gerrard. Not that there's any chance it'd be either. Far more chance of Arne being there next season.

13 Apr 2026 16:34:22
Zidane is not a good manager. The team he had at RM did not need him telling them how to pay football. He was just there to manage their egos and since they respected him (some even played against him), they played for him. As soon as stuff got tougher a lil' bit, the man bailed.

12 Apr 2026 20:28:26
What a perfect time for us to get 3pts n for our rivals to drop points. Need to beat the blue noses to keep the pressure on Villa n Chelsea n lift it off ourselves... if n still a big if we do get Champs League for next season, at least this season won't be a total wipeout.

12 Apr 2026 20:50:30
We will need that gap we have. I feel Everton will have too much intensity for us next weekend.

12 Apr 2026 21:03:25
From Tuesday to Sunday, they'll have plenty of recovery time from PSG. Statement win at the new stadium for me.

12 Apr 2026 21:17:54
I love your optimism, Florian.

12 Apr 2026 21:22:38
I'm hoping for a win against the Blues. They haven't got a great record against us, even when we've been playing grim. Get 6pts in our next 2 games, the pressure could be off the players n even slot for us to relax n get over the line.

13 Apr 2026 00:37:03
Done it against Sunderland away, can get another win here. Let's hope it's a new turn of form, 3 wins from 3. :D

13 Apr 2026 06:36:03
Perfect time to get 3 points would have actually been in any of the games we have recently dropped points, so we had 5th sown up already, but appreciate the optimism.

13 Apr 2026 09:46:34
Brummy, we all know that, but we have to be optimistic, otherwise we might as well not follow the team. I can't wait till next season with a new manager, but until then we're stuck with this lot.

13 Apr 2026 16:42:52
I agree, Clee Red. Our lack of intensity this season (cos guys aren't fit enuff, end of.) is something I too am worried about.

Everton will come out ready to stick it to/on us and if we come out all meek and seepish, then we will get exactly what that crap approach has produced for us on a consistent basis all season, imo.

12 Apr 2026 20:03:35
To the Eds: can we assume that FSG will want to sort out the upper management of the club first BEFORE any decisions are made on Slot? And surely no players will be purchased until a new manager is in place?

{Ed001's Note - you can assume anything you want, that is up to you mate.}

12 Apr 2026 20:28:16
The assumption there, Galway, is if there's anything to sort.

12 Apr 2026 21:05:41
I can't see either Edwards or Hughes being sacked. If either leaves, it will be by their own choice for me.

12 Apr 2026 23:46:27
that's the ed1 version of ed2's "rtp"
lol

12 Apr 2026 23:54:53
Haha. That's a good one, Ed01

12 Apr 2026 19:10:46
Oscar Mingueza the RB Carra mentioned before at Celta Vigo. Can play RB, CB and RM. Still hasn't renewed his contract so is a freebie in June. Arsenal and City have joined the race. A no brainer for me and gives us money to spend elsewhere. If Alonso does come in, hopefully he will be a pull.

13 Apr 2026 10:23:06
Is he any good, Keegans, or simply appealing because he's free?

I've watched a total of zero minutes of Celta Vigo.

13 Apr 2026 16:44:23
Gregarious, he could be a good option cos he is free, tho.

12 Apr 2026 19:06:55
The following is results from my search on Transfermarkt at wingers using the clubs under 26 rule. The site's highly rated players and, for me, realistic targets.

Yan Diomande 19 Leipzig
Bazoumana Traore 20 Hoffenheim
Said El Mala 19 Koln
Alberto Moleiro 22 Villarreal
Kenan Yildiz 20 Juventus
Anthony Gordon 25 Newcastle
Bradley Barcola 23 PSG
Kevin Schade 24 Brentford
Malick Fofana 21 Lyon
Christos Tzolis 24 Club Brugge
Mika Godts 20 Ajax
Rayan 19 Bournemouth
Minteh 21 Brighton

Personally I'd be after two wingers and moving on Chiesa with Salah.

12 Apr 2026 19:32:43
I reckon Traore or Minteh. Probably would have been Diomande until they slapped a massive fee on him.

12 Apr 2026 21:02:37
Diomande & Traore all day long for me, but we could easily use Ekitike & Rio down the left, as I see Isak as our main striker next season.

12 Apr 2026 23:47:33
All great names on paper. No idea their personality, how they'd fit with the city / club.

Hopefully the people paid to do that job are all over it.

13 Apr 2026 03:38:36
We pay big fees if it's the right player...

13 Apr 2026 07:56:51
Barcola is way better than any of the other names on that list, but unrealistic, I fear.
Therefore, for me, we should try for Diomande purely for his pace and the fact he supports the club.
Gakpo and Rio are just fine on the left in rotation and under the guidance of a new manager.

13 Apr 2026 16:45:04
Minteh is nowhere near good enuff.

12 Apr 2026 18:27:19
Citeh doing us a favour this afternoon. CL qualification is in our own hands so let's hope we don't mess it up. Everyone fit would be a good starting point for next season, not to mention an actual plan.

12 Apr 2026 18:34:04
It's making the missing out on Guehi and Semenyo look incredibly daft though.

But hopefully now we will see CL qualification over the line, lucked out that everyone around us has been woeful though.

12 Apr 2026 18:43:35
City looking like the best team in the league at the moment. Chelsea flatter to deceive, they've got some talent but are obviously very inconsistent. Remind me of us a bit, and, talking of coaches out of their depth, Rosenior looks like he's really struggling.

12 Apr 2026 18:44:36
Chelsea play Utd next week as well, so a win in the derby is a must, so we end up 7 points clear if Utd win. Could go 4th if we win and Sunderland beat Villa.

12 Apr 2026 18:48:01
If we win our three home games, Chelsea would now need to win all of their other five fixtures to finish above us.

12 Apr 2026 19:24:09
City are going to win the league and, to be honest, I have no sympathy for Arsenal because their manager is arrogance personified.

Liverpool need 5 wins out of 6 to be certain.

12 Apr 2026 19:34:44
If one of the wins is Chelsea, Ron, we probably only need three wins and a draw.

12 Apr 2026 21:41:47
If the suits had got their finger out, we could have had the City front three and one of the defenders playing for us, but now they look good to win the Premier League.

12 Apr 2026 23:48:00
Arsenal and City lucked out that we've been so woeful aye.

13 Apr 2026 16:46:58
"Citeh doing us a favour this afternoon".

Sorry, but you do know that City are trying to win a title and could not be arsed about whatever the football we're trying to achieve, esp. after smoking us out of the FA Cup in pathetic fashion last week, right?