Liverpool banter 9

26 Oct 2026 13:38:43
Good afternoon everyone hope everyone is well on this wet Bank Holiday Monday (Only for us lesser mortals in Ireland) I watched the match yesterday God bless St. Amazon 🙌 A good performance but not without it's moments where Brighton could have scored but 3pts is 3pts. Araujo and JJ's performances has everyone talking and rightly so.

So that got me thinking to when was the last time a loan signing had everyone buzzing and all I can think of is Anelka but please correct me if I'm wrong. Now as for JJ I honestly can't remember a young player who came from another league and who's performances has been exceptional to say the least but again please correct me if I'm wrong. We're doing well lad's we're doing very well. When I think of the tripe the team were told to play last season to where we are now it's not a bad long weekend.

P.S. Let's not forget our friends up the road who are in a spot of bother. 🤭

YNWA.

26 Oct 2026 14:09:28
Alright Baz yeah for me Anelka is the stand out loanee that springs to mind but Big Ron is undoubtedly the best since Nicholas and there could be mutiny in the stands if we don't make this deal a permanent one come the summer if he keeps giving weekly displays like yesterday, sliding head tackles I mean come on how much more can a man give to the cause MOTM all day long just shows you what gobs##ts are pundits nowadays. As for the Manc's you reap what you sow, thought Carrick would be the 1st managerial casualty at the start of the season but thought he'd get till at least Christmas but when you've got the players pulling against you being led by the king Rat Bruno no one could survive anyways as much as I hate United I try not to worry about what's happening with them but more how our team is progressing and I have to say its coming along slowly but nicely give Iraola a couple of windows to add his type of player and then we'll see just where we are as a force but exciting times ahead mate exciting times.

26 Oct 2026 14:25:53
Without sounding contrary, we beat Brighton by the same score last season. I think a gauge as to how far we've come will be this coming Sunday. And, let's not forget, we beat Arsenal last season.

The big positives, so far, has been the signings of Jacquet, Munoz and Araujo (loan), yet, we've spent the last however many months slagging off Hughes. This really does underline how hypocritical we, the supporters, are. And I include myself in this.

26 Oct 2026 14:46:31
Surely a bigger gauge of how far we have come is beating Bournemouth and Brentford away, both of which we lost last season.

26 Oct 2026 14:49:48
The biggest gauge for me is that I find the games far less painful to watch.

26 Oct 2026 14:52:46
The bottom line is, Fifth Element, I'm enjoying the ride without getting carried away. Still room for improvement.

26 Oct 2026 14:53:55
@Ship, indeed. I actually look forward to our games now.

26 Oct 2026 14:59:48
I agree with that, Shipley. Though, I'm being contrary again, it wasn't scintillating in 24/25 but I'll treasure it forever.

26 Oct 2026 15:01:18
Agree on Anelka Zippy - hard to believe we turned down the chance to sign him permanently and opted to spend big on Diouf instead.

As for Ron, I'm glad that he's come through his mental challenges from last year or so and has landed at a club where he feels appreciated. If he's back loving football & at peace personally then I'm sure he can keep up this level & it will be a no brainer to sign him permanently.

26 Oct 2026 15:01:34
Alright Rome 1977! mate no one including myself is saying we are the finished artical, but just like shipleykopite said at least we can actually watch a match in full knowing that we are at least trying to play football at a decent pace.

I'm under no illusions that we are way behind Arsenal at the moment in terms of team and squad progression but as you said we'll see just where we are next Sunday when we play them provided the ref doesn't decide to f### it up this time if we are on top.

26 Oct 2026 15:10:41
Barry - didn't Rushie initially come back on loan?

26 Oct 2026 15:12:02
I agree I also look forward to Liverpool games, but then I even looked forward to them last season. If you don't look forward to watching your team play then what's the point, you might as well just go do something else.

26 Oct 2026 15:18:09
NOTSOZIPPY, always factor in that I'm a miserable git. We're heading in the right direction, but we are all expecting bumps in the road. It was always going to be this way.

26 Oct 2026 15:30:30
Agreed Oli. I look forward to them too. It's not all sunshine yet but we're heading up in every way. Hats off to you Araujo! Job well done!

26 Oct 2026 15:31:25
Fifth Element, I agree, mate. The day I don't look forward to watching us I'll take up knitting.

{Ed001's Note - I will have a Liverpool bobble hat - old skool style - when you do that Rome. Just getting my order in ready just in case.}

26 Oct 2026 15:46:06
Bristol, yeah good shout, albeit not technically a loan in terms of Araujo, Anelka etc are joining initially on loan, whereas Rushie signed for Juve in Jul 86, but stayed on loan with us for one final year (a bit like Luca or Keita) before joining Juve in summer 87.

Technically, he would be our most successful loan as he was the 2nd highest goal scorer in the First Division in 86-7 with 30 goals, but given he'd stayed playing with his team-mates from the past 6 years, it's not quite the same.

26 Oct 2026 15:48:08
Yes he certainly did BR but he already knew what the club and match day's at Anfield were all about. This is a whole new experience for JJ.

26 Oct 2026 16:01:11
To be fair Rome, if we gave the ball to the opposition as much as we ceded possession to Brighton last night, we would have conceded last season 100%. Not to mention that the Brighton we saw last night is a far cry from the Brighton we played last year, they have had another year under Hurzeler and everybody knows their jobs on and off the ball, they are also brimming with confidence and have multiple ways to create chances through pressing or through the build up.

This team can give the team the ball to the opposition and control the game without having possession, it was something Slot mastered in his first season but bizarrely gave up in his second season, where any semblance of control off the ball evaporated completely.

Now when the team has the ball in our half, I really don't expect them to score, when our shape is set we are very hard to break down and everybody is communicating with each other, covering spaces that appear, everybody looks like they really enjoy pressing from the front when they have the chance, or retreating into our shape and defending as a unit, you can see the organisation and how it breathes confidence into players when we are behind the ball. We have two full backs who are very good one on one, Virgil, and Jacquet who is like having two players at once.

And if we do come away with the ball, one ball in behind to Barcola and a reborn Gakpo can be a terrifying prospect, if our decision making gets better in transition I feel like we can tear teams apart like-dare I say it- we did under Klopp. This team isn't the same level as that team obviously, but if you have defensive solidity and pace, power and technique in behind, you can win a lot of games.

27 Oct 2026 00:03:56
Why are we using last season's results as a gauge for progress? Teams have changed players and managers and tactics since then.

26 Oct 2026 11:09:10
I don't think I've ever loved a loan player as much as Ronald Araujo. At first, I thought making his transfer permanent at his age wouldn't make business sense. But his heart and spirit won me over, not to mention his performances.

I hope the club triggers the £47 million option, because we are going to need experience in our squad and he could easily rotate with an attacking right back depending on the opposition.

26 Oct 2026 11:36:02
I've always been excited by this move but let's wait and see what transpires.
Does he want to sign permanently?
What will his contract demands be?
Will his form last the season?

If it all aligns I'm definitely in favour but it's still early days.

26 Oct 2026 11:56:27
I'm with Ron. If he continues like this Barca may well be all over him to come back. What would he do then? Never fall in love with loanees. Even Ronald.

26 Oct 2026 12:05:14
Barca really should sell. The amount of debt they're in, they need to! But they may not since they are so badly run.

26 Oct 2026 13:19:25
Would Araujo even want to go back? He was talking last week about him and his family receiving death threats from the Barca fans following his sending off against Chelsea.

26 Oct 2026 13:56:30
I could be wrong but the option for us to buy is 47 mil so I will assume if we exercise that right and put in the 47 mil then part of the contact would be for Barca to accept it and then it is down to Araujo to decide if he wants to join

The option kind of totally takes away the room for negotiations between the clubs.

Again though happy to be told otherwise.

26 Oct 2026 14:00:32
He was also asked whether he would like to stay and he politely avoided answering the question Shipley. He may well view this as an opportunity to prove himself to Barca and their fanbase, use it as a bit of a reset, who knows? I hope not, he's very well suited to us and the PL.

26 Oct 2026 11:20:52
{Ed's Note - NOTSOZIPPY has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool Player Ratings v Brighton

26 Oct 2026 12:11:52
For me, not sure on the universal targeting of Grav. I think is form is up ticking. Was at the match yesterday and he had a few very good defensive contributions as well as some good moments on the ball.

As a ten, was involved in making some interceptions too. Although he clearly is not a ten.

Some positional stuff for sure. Odd piece he could be a bit more aware. But there's some massive negative overeaction on here in my opinion.

For me, he was a solid contributor who I think is getting better through the season.

I will say this though. Nyoni was unreal for me when he came on. Positionally, he was sniffing out danger all over the place. Very impressed with him.

26 Oct 2026 12:31:18
I didn't watch the game but listened on radio whilst I was digging up garden. Based on what I heard it sounded like Nyoni made more of an impact in 20 minutes than Gravenberch in the previous 70.
I think Grav is a great athlete, fantastic at carrying and has the build to be a rangy 6 who can turn defence into attack at the drop of the shoulder. However, I think he is very limited on his passing range and in game intelligence and he lacks a defensive desire.

I think he and his agent has taken the club to the cleaners with his new contract I am left wanting more, he has looked our worst midfielder in the games I have seen this season and reminds me of Grav under Klopp. It seems AI doesn't know what to do with him either, but we saw what he can be under Slot so hopefully he can prove me wrong.

26 Oct 2026 13:45:50
Nyoni made more defensive contributions than many other players. Thought he was he outstanding outside one hairy moment which he recovered.

26 Oct 2026 15:10:40
I agree with Man of Todd on his Grav summary. I thought he has been improving (was good against City for example) but we need more bite and aggression in there. Watch the build up to the Ayari chance in the first half. They get that chance directly because he pulls out twice from making a challenge when the ball is winnable after their throw in. They score at that point and it's a very different game.

I do think in terms of def stability and transitioning the ball directly to our attacking players, Macca and Nyoni are currently our best CM pairing.

26 Oct 2026 15:51:02
Welsh Xavi, I agree with that. Nyoni and Macca looks a good pair at this moment in time.

Grav is learning and up ticking. Not at his best but improving in the system. Just taking him some more time. I think every player is up ticking right now to be honest. Hope that trend continues.

That's why I'm reluctant to criticize any player too much at the moment. Keep improving as they are doing and see where each can get their performance to. Grav is improving so let's see if he can keep doing so and get to the level that he is undoubtedly capable of in this season. We know he can do it. We ve seen it. He just needs to get back to those levels in this different system.

26 Oct 2026 08:30:01
What do u think of araujo ed1? I think he great just what we lacked from last season, a man who would risk his head getting kicked off to save a goal. the sort of spirit + determination we have lacked.

Maybe going forward we may need a more footballing rb but certainly for now he does a super job and fans love him. Some of his tackles really get crowd going. Hard but fair. Long time since we a defender like that.

{Ed001's Note - I love him mate. I really hope he stays long term

26 Oct 2026 11:24:46
He's definitely turned heads, that's for sure. And not just here. Barca fans have noticed that he's doing really well with us. So their conclusion is that the English League is lower in quality than La Liga: that's the only thing it can be. Comical clowns.

It's been shown time and time again that when you welcome a player with open arms and make him feel important and one of the group, he's going to run through walls for you. That's what has happened.

{Ed025's Note - Ronald has been very good mate and I don’t care what Sky say he was man of the match yesterday. Gakpo my arse..

26 Oct 2026 12:32:44
For me it is his mentality he is a fighter and gives us something this team badly lacks without him. His involvement in the first goal just typifies his battling spirit. We need a few more in the squad with his attitude.

26 Oct 2026 12:39:59
Easily my favourite player since bobby left. Really hope he stays. I hope his attitude rubs off on a lot of players. May not be a standard right back but he's been involved in goals and got a few himself while putting in some solid individual defensive play. can't ask much more from a full back. i'd be happy to keep him there long term. Probably been our best player overall this season so far.

Get him signed in January if it can be done.

26 Oct 2026 11:53:50
I will shed tears if we don't keep him, Ed01.

Never loved a guy as much as I do Araujo and his redemption story. For all this man has suffered on and off the pitch at Barca and their vile supporters, to see him doing what he is doing now and all the love he is getting, really warms my heart.

I hope he stays because right now, it's a no-brainer.

{Ed001's Note - he is perfect for us.}

26 Oct 2026 15:20:33
Are all 100% of Barca's worldwide supporters Vile?

26 Oct 2026 15:40:31
Does he want out of Barca?

{Ed001's Note - he wanted to get away for a refresh, but hard to tell how he will feel when not there. He might find he misses the beaches etc. I think he will stay. He must feel loved with us and I am sure he will fall in love with Liverpool the club and the city. How could he not?}

26 Oct 2026 15:52:20
I would say, JK, that the percentage of "vile" Barcelona supporters is comparable to the percentage of "vile" Liverpool supporters.

26 Oct 2026 16:21:44
We're developing a bit of a connection with Uruguay, largely thanks to Suarez I think (or did Sebastian Coates move the needle with that bicycle kick? ). The two big ones we've had in Darwin and Araujo seemed to just get the club and it's fans from the first moment.

More generally, compared to a lot of clubs in England, I think Liverpool is well equipped as a city to offer some home comforts to the South American players. Plenty of good places restaurant options as one example.

Anfield when it's rocking is also the closest thing on this continent to the expressed intensity from the stands at home.

All that to say, please please stay, Big Ron 😭.

26 Oct 2026 17:44:27
Ron's not bad for a Barca reject, sick note and desperation signing that a lot of people on here posted.

27 Oct 2026 08:08:57
I find it hard to get misty eyed about Suarez, Nunez and Coates.
One embarrassed the club and the other two were rubbish.
I'm reserving judgement on Araujo too. He's had a good start but it's early days and I still see a CB playing RB. He's doing it well, mind, but let's see where we are at the end of the season, at least.

27 Oct 2026 16:48:16
Edd001 - the ability to look so comfortable defensively and when going forward with his frame is so impressive. Sure he could slot in alongside jacet when vvd times up 🤞.

{Ed001's Note - I think so too.

25 Oct 2026 23:36:00
Ronald Araujo! Wow! I'm not good with words and I don't know what to say about him, but we need whatever possessed him today to multiply and spread to the entire team. What a demon!

I think someone on here was bemoaning the loss of street footballers the other day for good reasons. I believe we just might have the last one of them, and his name is already ringing in the Kop!

They say it's too early to decide whether he stays or not, but there ain't anything early as I see it; just tie him down already.

He's like Nunez and Suarez wrapped together in defense. Heart of a beast! Warrior spirit! Long may it continue!

26 Oct 2026 06:48:57
Fully agree and I do think he would be a valuable addition to the defence of/when Virgil moves on, whether that be this year or next. However, you can see a mile off he's going to get sent off at some point. Mistime just one of those tackles by a millisecond these days and your gone.

26 Oct 2026 09:19:34
Genuine question. would he still show the same attitude if we activate the clause or would he change once he got his nice contract. At the moment he's playing like a man with something to prove.

26 Oct 2026 10:18:29
Maybe we should only sign players on loan for one season at a time?

26 Oct 2026 10:32:55
"I think someone on here was bemoaning the loss of street footballers the other day for good reasons."


Noski, that was me. And Araujo plays some some street ballers I played with. As in one mantra, "The either the man or the ball shall pas. Not both". Seriously tho, Araujo is a gem of a player, a fighter and warrior who knows who and what he is as a player.

Just like Darwin and Suarez, Big Ron is fearless, plays with controlled aggression. Good on the ball, a decent passer and a defender's defender.

Can we just sign him up so we can all move on, pls? Is that too much to ask?

26 Oct 2026 10:53:40
Darwin and Suarez play with controlled aggression?

Crime sheet of fighting and throwing chairs into the crowd, headbutting and biting between the 2 of them.

26 Oct 2026 13:15:28
Credit to AI and the team. Araujo's talent never in question but the way the club must be supporting his mental health is transferring through to his form. Long may it continue as that is the key to the player we are seeing.

26 Oct 2026 13:41:13
Hats off to Richard Hughes for bringing about this loan.

25 Oct 2026 23:49:35
ED025 REMEMBER THIS MATE? 👀🔴
"There is faith and there is blind faith, Kloppo" 😂😂
And you said you'd seen nothing to convince you that things were any different from last season,
Well, back in August/September, I said give Andoni time, watch the changes, and let's see where Liverpool are come October 📈
I could see the little improvements and what he was trying to build, even when others couldn't,
Fast forward to now, and Liverpool have beaten Brighton 2-0, we're only 6 points off the top, and we're building momentum 💪
And guess who's coming to ANFIELD next? Arsenal 😉🏟️
We done very well today to beat Brighton a team in great form, but I said we'd come good in October, and I stand by every word,
So, Ed025, was it blind faith after all, mate? 🤔🤣
Or perhaps I could see something you couldn't? 😉😂
🔴 ONWARDS AND UPWARDS! UP THE REDS 🔴.

{Ed025's Note - you have done well Kloppo and i said from the start that Andoni was a good fit mate, the blind faith thing was about Wirtz and i thought he was poor again but i get that some will not agree with that, i thought Araujo was your best player by a mile which just shows how different opinions can be..

26 Oct 2026 06:50:39
Early days man lol
We won a title then the coach was gone after the next season.

26 Oct 2026 07:17:33
Does Wirtz get an assist stat for the first goal?

{Ed025's Note - it was going out for a throw in mate so i would say no..

26 Oct 2026 07:39:27
I actually thought Wirtz had a more effective game yesterday and that was down to the movement around him. He was able to pick up better positions, we were more compact in our pressing ( in the 1st half) so he didn't have big spaces to cover so when we did turn it over he was right at there defences.

Not a perfect performance but a strong one in my eyes- he did fade in the 2nd half before being subbed but I think collectively we reduced our high press and focused on maintaining a deeper shape.

{Ed025's Note - look i know you all want him to do well Dow-ney and i get that, you say he was more effective...but than what?...a statue?, if so you are right, just about, of course that is just my opinion mate..

26 Oct 2026 08:03:10
Genuine question but what have you made of our performances overall ed? Personally I think they have been messy and you'd be hard pushed to pick players with the exception of Araujo and Jacquet who have done consistently well, I would largely put that down to tactics or more so application of tactics- not a dig out at AI because I think this will come good but at the moment we are very much a work in progress and the press is often all over the place for me.

Starting to see glimpses of what we can be but this will take time!

{Ed025's Note - im very old fashioned in my way of thinking i expect Dow-ney and dont like the way the game is going myself mate, its all about the money now and Liverpool seem to be turning into City or Chelsea by throwing money about because they can, gone are the days of the old boot room philosophy where young guys were brought through with players like Owen and Gerrard working their way up through the ranks, you have spent nigh on £450m on 3 players who i dont think have improved you really but i suppose some will say its early days yet, as you say players like Araujo and Jacquet have been better than the ballerinas (as Faith would say) and they have something about them which is more relatable to the supporters, is it a bit of jealousy on my part that my team cant afford those sort of players...probably, as i say im a bit of a dinosaur and dont enjoy the game as much as i used to which i put down to money, or it could just be that Everton are abysmal i suppose.. :)

26 Oct 2026 10:02:12
Watched full replay delayed although stopped watching after half-time as I accidentally saw the result lol

from the first half I noticed that there were more occasions when Wirtz was getting on the ball in what would seem like innocuous positions. We need to keep doing that and continue increasing his touches.

26 Oct 2026 09:32:44
Tbf, Everton could have afforded a lot more if they didn't spend so much on dross. Giving Dele Alli a 100k/week when he was already on a downward trend is nothing short of criminal.

26 Oct 2026 09:26:30
£450m😂.Isak, Wirtz and Barcola seem to get more expensive by the week to opposition fans. While they fail to comment on us winning matches while playing academy kids like Koumas, Rio and Trey. Never change Ed.

{Ed025's Note - my math was a bit dubious there FM, that included a couple of other signings of course...the good ones.. :)

26 Oct 2026 09:37:39
That's fair ed, the game has gone mad in terms of players valuation and how we label players as 'world class'. I think a lot of the times the media are so quick to hype players up to a height that they can never reach up to. Players like Saka, rashford enzo Fernandez, Wirtz all being labelled as world class is embarrassing when you put them next to there once peers. Imagine putting them up against the likes of Roy Keane, Ince, souness, gerrard, it's honestly laughable and then we have players like Anderson who is a good player btw but seriously over £100m?? Unfortunately this is now football and as much as I loathe the money being spent it is now a case of spend or be cut adrift.

Look at Villa, genuinely think they have a brilliant manager doing great things but they have to sell to buy to comply with regulations and so they are always stunted.

{Ed025's Note - yeah its not easy Dow-ney but i cant help reminiscing about when it was not all about the money mate..

26 Oct 2026 11:19:38
Don't get carried away.. Remember when Klopp used to say we were knackered cause we'd played a Thursday game in Romania or whatever. Brighton played a Thursday game. time to get excited if we beat Arsenal.

26 Oct 2026 11:56:27
Robby, Brighton rested 8 players in that Europa Conference game.

They essentially started their first 11 playing against us with 8 fresh players.

Just saying.

26 Oct 2026 12:58:36
The thing is @25, we can afford to pay the prices because we are a well run club and our finances are open to scrutiny. And for each Wirtz or Isak there is a Munoz or an Araujo.

To be fair comparing us to City or Chelsea is odious - we work with financial rules and regulations.

{Ed025's Note - your owners are great ArAy. I was just saying that you are one of the few who can afford these £100m+ players so that makes you
One of the entitled ones….even if they are crap..

26 Oct 2026 11:30:07
Ed025, add up and look at your total monthly bills. And then compare the total with what you used to pay 20-30 years ago.

That's exactly where the game has gone.

{Ed025's Note - I think it has gone way past that ArAy. But I do live in the past I suppose mate..

26 Oct 2026 14:55:54
Ed25, it's like you or Everton fans have a choice. This team under Moyes is worse than dire.

{Ed025's Note - i want to argue with you Oli...but i cant mate..

26 Oct 2026 00:31:42
If we had just 1 midfielder who played the way Araujo did against Brighton, I swear it would transform this team.

That passion and commitment is something we're seriously lacking, makes me think, is it an us problem, or is it just football in general? Seems like 30+ years ago most players in a squad would go out and play like that for the badge, but these days we seem lucky to have just the one. Why?

26 Oct 2026 01:01:55
We do have one, his name is Endo and he's crap.

26 Oct 2026 02:00:36
If you go back 50 years, a fair few in the senior squad were from Liverpool and the north of England. They 'got' the club and the fans and where they lived and they were earning a wage, without agents and other hanger-oners. Our last manager didn't live in the city, and agents want jobs for the players family and mates and their own fleet of private aircraft, and crinkle cut chips twice a day, every day for the rest of their lives.

I think that might have something to do with it.

26 Oct 2026 06:51:53
I'd say if our starting XI includes Wirtz, Barcola and Isak like it did today, then the rest of the team needs to play like titans because those 3 ballerinas aren't going to give us much bite throughout the match.

26 Oct 2026 06:57:13
Crinkle cut chips twice a day mmmmm!

26 Oct 2026 07:20:39
Barcola is the biggest worry for me personally. Mostly non existent through the game. He needs to up his work rate. Maybe I'm spoilt because we had Mo but he needs to do more.

26 Oct 2026 07:21:55
Faith - Wirtz and Barcola work like dogs. One of Barcola's biggest differentiators compared to a lot of top wide players is his willingness to get back and defend. Wirtz typically runs more per game than anyone else in the XI.

The issue with our team is that the midfield win absolutely nothing. MacAllister is having a better season but is flat out not good enough, while Gravenberch could still be excellent with coaching.

26 Oct 2026 09:28:47
Think Jaquet shows as much grit and determination as Araujo. This does it with a bit more control.

26 Oct 2026 09:48:36
Barcola non existent? That is hilarious and just a straight up Lie, the guy was running his socks off all game and won the ball back like 5 or 6 times, created the 2nd brilliantly and could have scored a couple himself after great runs but was completely ignored by Gakpo. Seriously watch a game.

26 Oct 2026 10:07:30
Love the running for sure, they both win less than 50% of their duels and just on the eye test it looks like they're trying to technique their way out of some challenges.

Not a critique either tbh. I'd like to see them flying into challenges more than they do, but my point is more that these are the players that we have bought.

So collectively as a unit, we're going to need more from the rest of the team in the duels to get parity across the full pitch.

26 Oct 2026 10:11:44
Jacquet and Araujo were excellent again, and although Isak and Barcola weren't great the quality of those four essentially won us the game. With a more clinical performance from Cody we could have had five goals easily.

26 Oct 2026 11:16:28
I'd put a proper ****house next to Macca and let Barcola, Wirtz, Gakpo and Isak do their thing.

Unfortunately for me, that means no room for Dom in the starting 11 as for me, and I've said it before, he looks busy, but lacks the defensive discipline to play anywhere other than the "10".

26 Oct 2026 13:55:31
WDW, good point, look how hard Koumas works. But it can't be the only issue, Araujo couldn't be less of a local, yet he's out there playing like a true scouser.

I can see why some would call them out, but Wirtz and Barcola do run their socks off, I think it's easy to criticise players who are more 'brains over braun', I've no issue accepting that some players just aren't built for bone crunching challenges.

Isak resembles a houseplant haf the time but we kenw that when we brought him in, I don't like it, but I also don't expect it to change, the club is well aware of how prone he is to injury, and after what happened last year, they are going to protect their £120m investment at all cost.

SirBob, Gravenberch doesn't offer anywhere near enough to take Dom's place in my opinion. I think it might be down to Iraola now to try and employ a little classic man-management to get the best out of the midfield.

25 Oct 2026 23:00:11
I felt there were some huge positives in the way we went about the game today. Brighton are a good team, well connected, and would have been worthy of coming away with something.

I think we could all see the commitment from the players today, and that's a huge positive. These are the non-negotiables in football: work hard, compete and fight for everything.

That commitment can go a long way towards making up for a few individuals who, in my opinion, aren't quite at the level we need them to be. Inevitably, if we're going to suit the way Iraola wants to play and genuinely challenge for honours, some areas will need upgrading over time.

Alisson was frustrating today with some indecisive and slightly erratic distribution, but all is forgiven until I see a better keeper!
The full-back positions are a huge concern for me.

For years, going back to the early 90s, we've had to put up with defensive lines that flap, panic and create their own problems. Then we had the period of Van Dijk, Matip, Trent and Robbo, and for the first time in years, we had a back four you could genuinely feel confident in.

Robbo occasionally had his moments, but he had the pace to recover. Generally, that back four gave you a feeling of comfort, confidence, attacking flair and composure. Composure is the key word here.

I feel Jacquet and Van Dijk still fit into that bracket, but Kerkez and Araujo don't. At times, it feels like we're going back to that old Liverpool defence, where uncertainty and panic can creep into the back line. That's something we need to address.

Crucially, a proper number six is equally important. Someone willing to do the less glamorous work, sit in front of the back four, protect the centre-backs and cover those full-back areas when needed. That defensive balance is vital.
These are the areas I believe we need to address sooner rather than later.
In the attacking areas, I think we need to show a bit more patience. I'm not convinced we've seen the finished product yet, but these players need time to stay fit, build relationships and mould into a cohesive unit.

Wirtz is key to that, and I believe we're starting to see signs of the player we all know he can be.
It's a good result, and there are plenty of positives to take from today. But let's not allow a good result to blind us to the areas that still need improving.
Iraola won't be blinded by it. He'll know exactly where we are and what needs to happen.
It won't all happen overnight, but there are reasons to be positive.

26 Oct 2026 09:34:31
Allison had a mare in fairness. People notice Virg's decline. For me Allisons has come much more noticeably. Makes erratic decisions and his distribution has become as bad as Mama's.

26 Oct 2026 09:50:20
And just to add to that FM, he hasn't really made any great saves this season yet, something he used to regularly, now every chance on target goes in it feels like.

25 Oct 2026 20:24:30
Should be fun on Wednesday. Alonso and Hendo coming back to Anfield. I expect changes from both teams and I'm thinking 3-1 to us.

25 Oct 2026 21:19:20
No Palmer, Pedro or Martinez so should be a good time to play them.

25 Oct 2026 22:26:39
I think we need to prioritise Arsenal game at the weekend. That's the big game, win that and we only few points off top without really playing overly great so far this season. We will only get better as season goes on I feel and to beat the champions at home would give us real boost.


We don't have big squad and I'm not sure how ai will go about it against Chelsea as they will go full strength due to them having no European football.

26 Oct 2026 02:05:29
Hendo won't play. Him and Caicedo will be saved for the Saturday team, unless Xabiis specifically targeting the League Cup. n.

26 Oct 2026 02:24:09
WDW - Alonso has to target this trophy. They aren't sniffing the league, have no Europe, and the FA Cup has a lot of stronger teams in it. It will not be long before Alonso's Liverpool connections give Chelsea fans a reason to turn on him - lose the next two and he is on thin ice.

{Ed666's Note - I think Alonso has a lot more credit in the bank than a few games mate. I don’t think they’ll be so trigger happy this time with a failing coach. They’ll give him time to turn it around..they’ve invested a lot of faith and money into him.

26 Oct 2026 08:19:09
I think wdw chelsea will go full strength midweek, no European football so can't see any reason why they wouldn't target the domestic cups and go flat out for them.

26 Oct 2026 09:51:01
Plus Chelsea have the biggest squad in the Universe 🤣.

26 Oct 2026 14:59:54
Indeed, Ed666. Xabi is going nowhere and Chelsea may have realised that this ain't the Roman era anymore because firing managers because the players didn't like the way he looked at them in training, is gone now.

At some point, they are going to have to invest in a manager, something Roman never did and their fans have grown up being spoiled brats about it because it brought success. Such a pampered lot, those are, imo.

{Ed666's Note - I have no time for Chelsea fans. Never met one i liked. I’m sure the feelings mutual.