More Liverpool Posts

Liverpool Article 11 May 2026
Liverpool v Chelsea A Liverpool Perspective









It is pretty much the same thing over and over, except it is gradually getting worse as the weeks go by. Watching Liverpool play this season has been a chore and it is getting worse. Trying to find anything positive to say is most definitely a chore! There is just so little good about the team and the style of play, which is little short of horrifically bad. On the ball, the play is ridiculously slow and laboured, mainly consisting of slowly rolled balls around the defence. There is no desire to get the ball forward quickly, always allowing the opposition to get set into position to deal with the attack.



The lack of movement is incredible, nobody is looking to make runs in behind, instead mainly waiting for a ball in to feet. They move the ball so slowly it is painful to watch and fails to create spaces to work in or move the opposition around at all. As a result, creativity is virtually none and good chances are hard to come by. It is incredibly boring, tedious even to watch as the team usually dominates possession but does almost nothing with it.



Without the ball is just as bad. Sometimes there is an attempt to press, but it will only be with the attacking quartet, while the rest back off and leave a huge hole for the opposition to stroll through at will. It is not helped by the press being so half-hearted, no one actually closing anyone down properly. They stand off the player with the ball, giving him time and the space to pick a pass. All of that is while the midfield duo and defence drop back so deep as to leave plenty of space for passes, even poor passes, to easily find an opposition player under no pressure.



It does not even matter who is the goalkeeper behind them, Virgil is now so scared of having to actually break into a run, rather than strolling around aura farming, that he backs away constantly, just like he does when a player runs at him. And no one even bothers to track runners at all most of the time, so players are still able to get in behind easily, it is little wonder Liverpool have won the least tackles of any Premier League side this season.



Add that to Konate usually running around somewhere mindlessly just in front, covering no one and not even sure where anyone is 99% of the time, and two full-backs who look utterly confused by it all and you have a recipe for disaster. Especially as, other than Szoboszlai, no one really wants to put in any significant effort through the 90 minutes, allowing players to run past them at will and seemingly just hoping someone else will cover in behind them, even when there is no one to cover. The good thing is that it is fixable, the problem is that fixing it takes time on the training ground and that would interfere with Slot's trips home to the Netherlands and the players' weekday city breaks. All it would take is a daily walked drill, that can even be done on recovery days, to walk the players through their positioning.



That is the most frustrating thing watching this dross, that all it would take is a bit of effort and it could all be sorted. A bit more effort on drilling the players and a bit more work on their fitness, which is truly appalling for professional athletes being paid more money a week than most of those watching earn a year. Salah has been trying to tell us all this for months now. Slot should try listening to a top professional like him, rather than making snide digs at him in the media, but I firmly believe his ego cannot handle the criticism and accept that he is in any way culpable for the shambles that he is presiding over. One Dutch journalist did call it from the start, and I wish I could remember her name so I could give her credit, she said that Slot would be great while things are going well but his ego will not cope if it goes wrong.









Chelsea





The most telling thing about this game is not that this was the first time Chelsea covered more distance than their opponents or that this was the first time they avoided defeat in the Premier League in a long time. No, the most telling thing is that Chelsea were also that bad that they failed to get a win. They were so terrible as well that even a draw against them was enough to set the Anfield crowd to booing! They do have an excuse for their poor play though, after 6 Premier League losses in a row and being managed by an interim coach covering to see out the season. Them being so disorganised at the back can be put down to that and the fact that their defence has chopped and changed constantly, but their slow, lifeless, dull football seems to be the way they are choosing to play, rather than down to any of that.



A few things I did notice that stood out about them, aside from them being the better side overall, began from watching the warm up, which the coverage here showed extensive coverage of. I was particularly interested in watching that as it can often be a reflection of a player's overall attitude. Palmer was conspicuous in his lack of enthusiasm and effort in the warm up, on the shuttle runs he was always cheating and cutting off early, never running the full distance and was also looking very half-paced doing it. During the match he played the same way, rarely exerting himself and cheating when it came to tracking back. It would certainly fit with the rumours going round that he is still carrying an injury and nowhere near fully fit. Though it could also be indicative of an attitude issue, that he is not working hard enough in training and that he is simply just not at full fitness because of that. It is something that I would want to be monitoring carefully if I was working for the club.



The big weakness they have is Gusto down the right. Not just is he not good enough, but he lacks effort. His touch is poor, he is not good enough technically and weak defensively, added to being unwilling to put in the hard yards chasing back. His lack of effort is astonishing for a player that gets in the side so regularly despite a plethora of other options available. You do have to wonder what Acheampong is doing wrong to be overlooked for Gusto!







Liverpool





Mamardashvili - simply not good enough and it seemed strange to bring him back when Woodman seemed to be better suited to the team play. His kicking is horrendously bad.





Jones - I really do not get him. There are times when he shows real fight for the team, but then there are other moments when he just looks like he cannot be bothered. All within the same match. He is certainly not a right-back and did nothing to stop Cucurella having the freedom of the flank all game. Awful performance defensively, though he did have a couple of good moments on the ball. Not enough good touches to make up for his abysmal attempts to defend though.





Konate - I really do not know where to start with him, my notes are full of me just giving up on writing anything but 'Konate just f*** off' after yet another aberration from him. I have never had issues with my blood pressure, but him getting a completely undeserved new contract with Liverpool would, I am sure change that. He is absolutely shockingly bad. His attitude has stunk the place out for a long time, he is so laissez-faire about his job. He should have been replaced last summer. The fact it has got to this point in the season and he still has not got a deal anywhere else should tell the club that he needs to go. Please just go. Please.





van Dijk - once again the club captain shows all the leadership skills of Nero, playing his fiddle while all around him is burning down. He is still mainly dominant aerially, but he has lost the pace, and willingness to gamble on it, that made him the best around. Now he is tentative and unwilling to hold a line, constantly backing away and making any attempt for the team to press impossible. I understand that playing alongside Konate is not helping him, but he is just as responsible for the mess, but totally unwilling to accept any kind of blame for it.





Kerkez - it is clear that he has little to no real understanding built up with van Dijk. The whole backline plays like individuals thrown together, but these two are particularly at odds. Kerkez seems to mainly exist for van Dijk to blame for everything, particularly van Dijk's own failings. It is hard to judge him when his strengths are being completely underutilised. If you have a full-back that is so good flying forward, why on earth would you hold him back?





Szoboszlai - at times it was him v Chelsea. If only the rest of his team-mates put in even half as much effort.





Mac Allister - the usual abysmal performance from him apart from a short spell of about 5 minutes in total when he woke up and actually made an effort. Unfortunately, he soon returned to normal. It did show what he could do, if he could be bothered.





Gravenberch - yes he scored a good goal, but that was pretty much his entire contribution. Even that you have to question the keeper, who probably should have done a lot better. However, to come out whining about the boos after the game was just a glimpse into how far removed from reality he is, which probably explains why he thinks he should get forward more rather than protecting the defence. If you want to know what you deserve Ryan, I can tell you it is not the bit pay rise you got this season with your ridiculous unwarranted new contract.





Ngumoha - it is hard to judge him, he does not do enough work off the ball but that might simply be under instruction to stay higher as the out ball or because he is felt to be too lightweight to be effective defensively. Add to that, when the ball is played to him the rest of the team seem to just mainly stop and watch him, rather than giving him movement and options.





Frimpong - Slot clearly learnt nothing from playing him there last time out. He is not a right winger and offers little there of value.





Gakpo - barely even saw the ball, let alone touched it. The tactics are so horrendously bad that he got no service but as it is him, he will get the blame for it all. Yes, he was utterly anonymous, but that was on the rest of the team for not even seeming to try and get the ball to him.





Isak - replaced Ngumoha in the 67th minute. I kept having to check I was not sat on the remote control every time he was on the screen. I was worried I had accidentally pressed the slow motion button as he was moving like he was underwater. He is nowhere near fit enough to be on the pitch, that much is clear. There has yet to be a moment this season when he has been anywhere full fitness and that is a worry. It is one thing to say he missed pre-season training, but that does not mean he should come in to the squad quite so unfit. Could you imagine Salah ever returning that unfit? Even if he was unable to train with a team with a year, let alone a couple of months, there is no way he would let his fitness drop to the levels Isak did. His lack of professionalism is concerning for a player that cost over 100m!





Gomez - was brought on in the stead of Konate in the 77th minute. It is such a shame he cannot stay fit.





Chiesa - took the place of Gakpo in the 77th minute. Slot has absolutely no idea how to use Chiesa at all. I have no idea whether or not he is good enough to be a regular at Liverpool, I do feel he is almost certainly not though, but he has shown enough to deserve more time on the pitch than he gets under Slot. It is literally a desperation substitution that he turns to when time is running out.

Liverpool Article 07 May 2026
Manchester United v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







An absolute disgrace of a performance, which cannot be excused by the injuries as it was the lack of effort and desire that was particularly galling. The tactics are the same abomination Slot has used most of the season, the lack of fitness is never going to change because the players have too many days off to actually work and build their stamina. What annoys me more is the attempt to try and defend all the days off. Elite athletes become elite through hard work, not through holidays.



There is not much else to say about this game, it was the usual dross, the usual lack of fitness and once again a result far better than the performance deserved, even though it was a defeat. It is just crazy that it has been allowed to continue on so long.









Manchester United





They were very good in the first half, in which they should have built a much bigger lead. They could have easily put the game out of reach of Liverpool in the first 45 minutes. They broke through Liverpool's defence with ease. The second half saw them get sloppy and helped Liverpool draw back level, and for a few minutes they were rocking. They were given respite and took advantage of it to get a winner and stroll to a win by a score that really does not reflect just how much better they were than Liverpool. It is very hard to tell just how good they were, in all honesty, simply because of how terrible Liverpool were.







Liverpool





Woodman - cannot blame him for any of the goals, for a third choice he is doing well, but he is very much a third choice.





Jones - I fail to understand why he continues at right-back, even though the player signed to be right-back was fit. For all he has done a decent enough job, he does struggle on the defensive side of the game and has a tendency to dawdle on the ball in dangerous areas. It was never a solution and really should not have needed to be tried anyway, but Slot is determined to avoid giving an actual right-back in Ramsay the slightest chance.





Konate - lucky to get away with the brainless shove on Sesko into the advertising hoardings. It was needless, there was no danger and he could have turned it into a dangerous situation with his idiocy. And that is the best thing I can say about his game. He was utterly abysmal and anyone stupid enough at Liverpool to think giving this idiot a new contract is a good idea should be sacked immediately. Watching him wander round aimlessly is making me angrier every week. He is making me miss the days of Phil Babb in defence, he really is that bad.





van Dijk - dreadful game. His shortcomings as a captain and player are being badly exposed this season.





Robertson - a game too far. He was poor, looking his age.





Szoboszlai - the only Liverpool player to have anything like a good game. He had a couple of good runs forward, one of which ended with him bringing it back to 2-1.





Mac Allister - another in a long line of abysmal, anonymous performances.





Gravenberch - last season he was excellent as a deep lying midfielder protecting the defence. Giving him more freedom to get forward has just seen him turn back into the lacklustre midfielder he was before then. His passing is abysmal in offensive areas, it is clear he should just sit back but somehow no one in the coaching staff has realised it.





Wirtz - he has not reached the level that was hoped for, but the lack of movement around him to be picked out is hampering him badly. He still should be doing more to take the game by the scruff of the neck though and make things happen.





Frimpong - not a winger and it showed. He needs to be making overlapping runs, not being the main threat as he lacks the skill to dribble past players. He is far too weak and so far his only real attribute has been pace, which he struggles to use to any kind of effect with such a high starting position.





Gakpo - an improved performance by him, though his bar has been set very low this season.





Kerkez - replaced Robertson in the 59th minute. Worked hard but the team had reverted to slow passing around at the back which left most of his effort wasted.





Ngumoha - was brought on in the stead of Frimpong in the 75th minute. Waved his foot about a lot but achieved very little. There is a lot of potential there, but he needs time to develop.





Chiesa - took the place of Konate in the 87th minute. As usual brought on in the dying seconds out of desperation by Slot, this time there was little he could do.

Liverpool Article 28 Apr 2026
Liverpool v Crystal Palace A Liverpool Perspective







It seems to be a standard now, Liverpool play poorly and specialise in slow, tedious, rolled balls around the back, but sometimes get a result despite the poor performance. This was one of those good results despite playing poorly. The goals being just about all that was good, in terms of play, coming from quick attacks, rather than slow play. The counters were excellent, but the actual overall play was sloppy, particularly early on when a number of unnecessary corners were given away.



The first 25 minutes or so were particularly bad, with Wirtz, Isak, Salah and Gakpo barely seeing the ball as Mac Allister dropped between the centre-backs and the ball was rolled slowly between the three of them. There can be no complaint about the penalty awarded being overturned by VAR, it was clearly not a penalty and it was, for once, a good thing VAR was there to help out the referee there.



It took nearly half an hour before Palace were put under any pressure, none of that was from a press though, as that was woeful, disorganised even, with huge gaping holes in it as players stood too far off and lacked aggression. It is worrying that nothing was created in normal play, there is absolutely no creativity which is fine against a dreadful Palace side, who looked like they were on the beach, but the final four games are against teams with something to play for.



Even more concerning was the way Palace were able to stroll through the midfield at ease, there was absolutely no protection from midfield. The only thing worse was the reaction to Woodman going down injured. It was absolute amateur hour, everyone just stood and watched as Munoz waited and then put it into the empty net. There was absolutely no reason for the referee to stop the game and it was shocking to watch players as experienced as the Liverpool defence to just stand and watch. No one tried to close him down, no tried to cover the goal line. They all just stood around like spare pricks at a wedding. Embarrassing.







Crystal Palace





Palace were incredibly poor, offering very little threat and never looked like they were even giving their all to get it back to level scores. They had come out with a gameplan to spoil and time waste, once they conceded they looked lost as to what to do. They were not helped by Glasner, who made the strange decision to take off Mitchell at half-time, despite him giving Jones real trouble at times. He was pretty much their only threat, as you cannot count Johnson, who is so weak and pathetic, just looking to dive and pretend to have injuries. Palace have such a good record at Anfield that is was surprising they did not go for it, especially as they have little to lose being safe in midtable.





Liverpool





Woodman - he had a game he will never forget, with some good saves and having the entire Kop sing his name. He did not look good on crosses though.





Jones - didn't deal with Mitchell getting forward well at all. Awful play to give the ball away and nearly gifting Palace a goal in the first half. He did also do a lot of good things, including picking up an assist. Looked a lot more comfortable in the second half without Mitchell bombing forward.





Konate - has no awareness at all. Darwin Nunez used to get called 'Captain Chaos' but I think that nomenclature is more suited to Konate. All I can say is that I hope no one in the academy is watching him play and learning from him!





van Dijk - sloppy corner giveaway towards the end after Strand Larsen hit the posts but otherwise he had a good game.





Robertson - beautifully placed finish on the break for the second, from a Palace corner.





Szoboszlai - not his best game, but he is always a willing worker, at one point chasing across after his poorly taken free kick results in a break and puts a stop to it. That is something that is often missing in this team, there is not enough ability to break up the opponents' play.





Mac Allister - he did get two assists, but he was completely anonymous the rest of the game. One of them was a weak shot going wide that Isak was quick to stop before it went out. Is that enough to be a good game? I am not sure. He did drop between the two centre-backs when the team had the ball, allowing them to split and the full-backs get forward, but it is a worrying choice to play there as he is not a capable defensive operator.





Gakpo - I am not in the Gakpo is awful and must go camp, but I can see why he annoys some people so much. He did well, to a degree, winning a number of aerial duels, but he rarely spots the easy overlapping pass, which is frustrating to see when he cuts inside and the ball ends up going backwards instead.





Wirtz - had a good game, showing flashes of what he can do, including an excellent finish for his goal, but there is still a lot more to come.





Isak - scored the opening goal, a decent touch to kill it from a terrible Mac Allister strike. Weak hit but smashed into the ground and looped over the keeper, he hadn't been in the game before it. It was quick thinking but about all he did in the match, as the ball barely went in his direction.





Salah - looked to be refinding his form and will be gutted to have gone off injured as it looks almost certain to have brought his Liverpool career to an early end.





Frimpong - replaced the injured Salah in 59th minute. Struggled to get into the game.





Gravenberch - was brought on in the stead of Isak in the 79th minute. Shocking decision, which shows Slot's thinking and desire to just try and defend a lead. It left the midfield and attack disorganised for a while, as they sorted out who was meant to play where.





Gomez - took the place of Jones in the 87th minute. Immediately solidified things on that flank, though Jones had dealt well with Sosa, he did let the ball get to him far too easily. Gomez was much more defensively aggressive.





Kerkez - took over from Robertson in the 87th minute. Made a bad error when caught sleeping in the box. Needs to be more alert.

Liverpool Article 20 Apr 2026
Everton v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







This was one of those days were the result is much more important than the performance, which is lucky as Liverpool were poor, once again playing football that is a shadow of the level they were at in recent years. In the early minutes, LFC failed to deal with Everton's physicality and were struggling to really create anything until after Everton had a goal disallowed. While the Toffees swarmed the man on the ball in midfield and chased and harried, Liverpool's attempts to press were disjointed, at best. At times it just consisted of one man moving himself into the general vicinity of the man on the ball, but without really putting pressure on him to make a mistake. There were rarely, if ever, enough bodies involved in the press to make it difficult and it failed to really push up onto Everton.



Liverpool's passing was generally poor, lacking precision and usually pace on the ball, making it easy to cut out even when on target. That was not aided by a real lack of movement, so often you could see a player having to roll it backwards or sideways and then scream and shout at the players in front of him to move. Defensively the team is all over the place, Virgil is setting a line which Konate is ignoring and is sometimes miles deeper and other times wandering around midfield yards in front of it. Added to that, the team does not do enough to close down crosses, allowing balls to be easily played into the box.



Most frustrating of all was the way the team seemed to settle for the draw and made little real effort to attack as the second half wore on. In fact they were time wasting and passing it slowly around at the back. Luckily Everton seemed to have the same idea and also backed off and settled for a point. Which all led to the late drama, and the most important thing - a winning goal. That made the entire 100minutes plus before irrelevant, it no longer really mattered how bad the performance was, all that mattered was that moment which killed the Everton dream and gave Liverpool the result they needed and the all important bragging rights until next season.







Everton





The Toffees started off really well, their high-intensity press and swarming of Liverpool players in midfield every time they got the ball worked and they were clearly the better team early on. Then they had a goal disallowed and made a terrible error to give a goal away within a couple of minutes, that seemed to take the wind out of their sails. Suddenly they were a bit slower to everything and they allowed the Reds a bit of time on the ball. Added to that, they also reverted to Moyesball in attack - it was lump it up to the forward and look to pick up the second balls from that. Even against a team in such poor defensive form as Liverpool, that approach was not making them many good chances.



Beto's strengths are not hold up play, he wants a ball over the top, in behind, to run onto, but the ball kept being aimed to him, making it difficult for him to do much. It is strange as Liverpool's biggest weakness at the back is Konate's positional sense, he is all over the place, and Beto's running in behind could have made good use of the space he often leaves. Though Beto did make a complete mess of the one chance he did get that way, nearly hitting the corner flag with his effort.



It was also clear to see Everton's players were tiring, after their efforts in the first half, but Moyes made just one substitution that was not forced on him by injury. From around the 60 minute mark onwards, they were crying out for fresh legs to enable them to lift their game again and close down quickly again. Instead they gradually dropped off more and more, giving space and allowing time. It was almost as if Moyes had settled for a draw, even though they were at home against a Liverpool team low in confidence. In the end, that attitude cost them.







Liverpool





Mamardashvili - made a couple of good saves, but his kicking is still worrying. Unlucky to get injured.





Jones - playing at right-back he did have a mixed game. Some good balls were mixed with loose touches, loosing the ball and failing to try and get back, making little attempt to close down players and stop crosses. He played the inverted full-back role, often popping up between the centre-backs or in central midfield, which left a lack of width for long periods of the game. Overall though, Ndiaye did not have a major impact on the game, which is a testament to him.





Konate - all over the place positionally, not aware of the opposition player for long periods, leaves gaping holes behind him as he lacks awareness of runners, and then what is he doing ahead of the Tarkowski header? On the disallowed goal he sprints a tiny distance and then stops while everyone else is still charging out, almost playing O'Brien onside because of it. He is brainless. He was badly at fault on the Everton goal, making no real effort to cut the cross out.





van Dijk - his communication with Konate is sorely lacking, he rarely makes an effort to offer himself for a pass when the keeper or Konate has the ball but he can still defend well, when he stops just backing away and instead makes a challenge. There is a reason why he is so often the player that meets a corner, at either end, his positioning is excellent still. And he can still pick up the odd goal from a set-piece, even if it takes until the 100th minute!





Robertson - right on half time fails to make an overlapping run which means Gakpo's pass ends up running out of play, the run was on for him no idea why he stopped after laying it off to Gakpo. It was the kind of run that he built his career on. In general his all-round play is showing a lot of signs of deterioration. He no longer has the same energy and clearly faded as the second half went on. It is clear that it is the right time for him to move on, but his contribution over the years has been massive. He will be sadly missed. Most of all his infectious personality will be a big loss.





Szoboszlai - he had a decent game, but there were opportunities for him to take this game by the scruff of the neck that he failed to take.





Gravenberch - awful passes, he is so much better in a deeper role protecting the defence, where the only passes he needs to make are simple, short ones.





Gakpo - great ball to Salah and a generally good all-round performance. Probably his best of the season.





Wirtz - messed up crossing chance, dwells on ball looking for some movement and so loses it, he is really struggling to impose himself on this team. He thrives on movement, but there is none.





Isak - looks lethargic, so clearly miles off fitness it is insane to keep starting him.





Salah - good finish, chased across the pitch at times, but loose touch at other times. What matters most though, is of course his goal, the first in a Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dijkinson Stadium (yes, I did crib that one from Ekitike!).





Woodman - replaced the injured Mamardashvili in 58th minute. Did well, especially for a 3rd choice keeper coming into such a huge pressure situation following an Everton equaliser.





Ngumoha - was brought on in the stead of ghost that was Isak in the 72nd minute. Lots of flash but little substance.





Mac Allister - took the place of Wirtz in the 84th minute. Probably the best thing Slot did was to not start with Mac Allister!





Frimpong - came on for Gakpo in the 84th minute. Made little impression on the game.





Kerkez - took over from Robertson in the 86th minute. Like Frimpong, he was unable to make much of an impression on the game in the short time he had.

Liverpool Article 24 Mar 2026
Brighton & Hove Albion v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







It is the hope that kills you.



Thankfully then, Slot has managed to kill any hope I had of a decent result every time Liverpool play. Each time you start to think he has managed to hit rock bottom, Arne Slot proves you wrong by making things worse. I did think the performance against Spurs on the previous weekend had to be rock bottom, as it was simply the worst performance I can remember by Liverpool since the Hodgson days. And Hodgson was hampered by being in charge when the club was on the verge of a financial meltdown, stuck with dross players bought on the cheap, rather than top class signings made for huge fees and on massive wages. At least Hodgson's team had a plan, a very defensive plan, but he attempted to organise them defensively and played a low block looking to draw or, with a bit of luck, sneak a win. It was boring, but Slot is managing to make those days seem entertaining!



The defending is a shambolic mess, mostly consisting of Konate running all over the place and being anywhere but where he should be and failing miserably to actually pick up anyone in a dangerous area. If they are not in a dangerous area, such as the halfway line, he spends his time trying to get into their kit alongside them, he is that close. Put them in the penalty box and he suddenly is no longer even aware they exist! Van Dijk is not much better this season, constantly passing a man off to no one and running away from any possibility of having to make any kind of challenge. It is hard to tell if his legs are going or if he is simply suffering due to the lack of fitness the whole team have developed under Slot.



If the defending is bad, then what can I describe the tactics as, without swearing? It is hard to understand how the coaching staff have still not realised that playing the ball slowly around at the back does not work. But then, they also have yet to spot how useless Mac Allister has been all season, so maybe it is not so surprising! Or that giving Gravenberch freedom to get forward is not suiting the strengths of his game and he is playing poorly as well as a result. Or that Konate is a liability. Or that a natural right-back is on the bench to use. They cannot even see that pace and power is incredibly important in the Premier League, particularly in midfield.



The list of problems and things going wrong are enormous right now, while the list of things going right is really down to just 2 things - LFC are still in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. There is nothing about the style of play, tactics, player performances etc to get excited about and a battle for top 5 in the Premier League is nothing short of embarrassing after the investment made into a squad that won the league last year. The fact that the manager misses every opportunity to get some decent work in on the training ground, as he instead jets off back to Holland every chance he gets and gives the players some time off, probably goes a long way to explaining a huge part of the problem.



How can you expect to motivate players when you have made no effort to understand the club, develop a relationship with the fans or get to know the city the club is based in? When you are effectively only doing the job on a part-time basis, what chance can you have of gaining an understanding of what the players need to get the best out of them? It should never have been allowed to come to this, that has to placed at the feet of Laurel and Hardy above Slot, who must see that it is not working but do nothing about it. Edwards has absolutely nothing to do with FSG failing to complete the purchase of a second football club, surely he could have put in a bit of time to have a look at what is going wrong and dealing with it? But he has all the decisiveness of my dad trying to choose something in the supermarket (which always ends up in a row if my mother is with him as she gets fed up with his total inability to make a decision of any kind), constantly dithering and doing nothing. The club desperately needs a clearout. Edwards, Hughes and Slot, they all need to be replaced.



Sorry, that ended up in just an anti-Slot rant, apologies. I will stop now, as that is not the intent of this review!









Brighton & Hove Albion





They never had to be that good to win. It was a decent performance by them, but nothing outstanding and still they were the better team by a wide margin. They were fitter, faster, stronger and simply wanted it more. There was no low block either, they came to play football and played it better than Liverpool. Milner in their midfield stood out, according to the stats I have read, actually covered more ground than Liverpool's three in midfield on his own. Not difficult to believe after watching the effort he put in compared to anyone in red.







Liverpool





Mamardashvili - I do not understand why he was bought, there is nothing about the signing that makes sense. He is woefully unsuited to any kind of playing around the ball at the back and is far too slow to come off his line, as well as offering little command of the area. He looks so nervous, which transmits to an already nervy backline and makes it look even more porous. Put him in a team that defends deep and he would be fine, but he is just not suited to being the keeper Liverpool need.





Frimpong - he tried, but he was struggling up against Minteh's pace. He does not have the skill to get past a player and lacked the pace and strength to match up physically with Minteh when defending. He is not an out-and-out right-back anyway, he was always more of a wing-back and this was a time when his lack of defensive nous was shown up.





Konate - there is little wonder he was taken off, he is absolutely abysmal this season, running around like a headless chicken with no communication with anyone. He has no defensive awareness either, he lives in a bubble and has been an absolute disgrace this season. Dog muck would be being kind when talking about this performance. It is like he is 7 years old and has no idea about tactics or positional play. If anyone signs him on a free, they will be massively overpaying for him.





van Dijk - you only really know how good someone is at something when they are going through adversity. What we have found out of van Dijk this season is that he is an abysmal leader. Strutting around the pitch, running away from opponents to avoid having to make a tackle, bollocking other players when you are the one who has made the mistake and standing watching while the keeper is under pressure on the ball is not what is needed. Is it really that difficult to break into a run and make an angle to receive a pass? He seems to think he is too important to break sweat nowadays as I see plenty of other centre-backs sprinting to make a passing angle for their keeper when their team is playing out from the back, just never Virgil. His aura has gone and his attitude has been found wanting too.





Kerkez - very clever bit of work, as well as a lovely finish, to get the goal and was generally playing fairly well. Like his compatriot Szoboszlai, he has been one of a very small number of players whose effort and work rate has been good enough. He did take a while to get going, but he has grown into one of the first names on the team sheet since then, in my opinion. Not perfect by any means, but looks an excellent long term replacement for Robertson.





Mac Allister - how on earth does he not just get a starting berth in the team, but completes 90 minutes almost every week? Is it because he is so anonymous Slot has forgotten he was on the pitch? It is hard to believe Real Madrid have maintained a longstanding interest in such a badly limited player.





Gravenberch - when he sat deep and covered in front of the defence, for most of last season, he was outstanding. Since he has been given more freedom to roam forward, he has looked a very average player, which makes it strange that he was given a big new contract recently. I know his dad told him he should score more goals, but the lad should stop listening to his dad and go back and look at what made him look like a special player. It was not goals! With his passing being so poor, the last thing you want is him to be the player up and around the edge of the opposing box. He needs to be deeper, feeding the better passers.





Gakpo - like Gravenberch, he has been poor this season after a good season last time out. In his case, to me I think he is suffering from the same issue as Salah, no not age but tactics. The tactics are hindering them badly. They want the ball early, so they can attack a defence still trying to get into shape and falling back, rather than set and prepared with cover. That is the main difference with Ngumoha, he gets the ball delivered early, as soon as it is possible to hit him and is able to run at a disorganised defence. Gakpo is a limited player, but give him the ball early and he can get goals and assists.





Wirtz - he needs to have more confidence in his own ability to shoot and not look to pass when he gets in good positions, well not always look to pass anyway. A lot of the time, it does look like he is playing a different game from his team-mates. He is looking for a run, but Liverpool players rarely make them, which makes it difficult for him to do much.





Szoboszlai - probably his worst game of the season, but still arguably the best Liverpool player in the game. Nothing even he could do to cover for so many players playing so badly.





Ekitike - barely got started before picking up an injury and having to be taken off. Bizarre to watch Slot telling him to just get up when he went down, showing absolutely no empathy or fear for his only actual striker.





Jones - replaced the injured Ekitike in a bizarre substitution choice in the 8th minute. A very strange choice to replace the one and only actual striker on the pitch. You would have thought Chiesa was the choice, but for some reason only Slot knows Jones came on instead. It did not seem like the players understood the system afterwards, there was no structure or shape to the team, which allowed Brighton to run through it, almost at will. Even more odd was the decision to move him to right-back when Frimpong came off, to play against a player whose pace and power had been giving Frimpong so many problems. I simply cannot believe that a better option would not have been Ramsay, there is just no way that a midfielder playing out of position is a better right-back than a natural right-back. I am not convinced that Ramsay is particularly good, but I am 100% convinced that he is a better right-back than Jones. I am also sure he would not have been so lazy as to be strolling about fetching the ball for a throw in while the clock is ticking away and the team was losing 2-1. Show some bloody urgency!





Ngumoha - was brought on in the stead of Frimpong in the 63rd minute. His arrival caused a reshuffle and he played on the left, leaving the team lopsided. He did benefit from the team looking to hit him immediately on receiving the ball but, for all his talent, he created almost nothing. The potential is there but the actual is not yet, but then the lad is just 17 and he has plenty of time yet. I do worry about him being overhyped and not realising how much he still needs to learn, so far he has shown nothing like the level of Fowler or Owen at his age, but in a season with so little hope, having a player who actually attacks is refreshing.





Robertson - took the place of the also injured Kerkez in the 76th minute. Looks absolutely finished at this level and his main contribution was to hoof the ball into the stands when presented with a good chance to put in a cross.





Chiesa - came on for Konate in the 76th minute. I have seen people saying he is not good enough, but I have no idea how they can know that when he has never been given a real chance, a run of games to bed in and get his game going. His treatment by Slot has been appalling. The complete mismanagement of the only genuine ready attacking option is astonishing. He should have been on when EKitike got injured but he plays with intensity and attacking intent, rather than passing sideways and backwards like Slot wants, so he will continue to be ignored. No doubt even if Ekitike is still injured after the international break, Chiesa will still be sat on the bench alongside Ramsay.

Liverpool Article 17 Feb 2026
Sunderland v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







The biggest issue from a Liverpool perspective is that they were unable to add more goals, despite a dominant performance. In large part down to Sunderland's defending, but also down to their own wastefulness. There were a lot of moments where players dallied, made the wrong choice or simply produced a poor final ball, which could easily have ended up costing them. It was particularly evident how much Sunderland struggled in the first half but they did come out for the second half with a flurry to try and get at Liverpool, but it petered out as Liverpool picked them off with some good breaks and really should have notched more than one goal.



It showed the huge difference in Liverpool's performances when they attack the opposition. Playing it about slowly around the backline really does not suit the players and it just needs to be dropped. This is a team built to beat the opposition by scoring goals, not by boring them to sleep. It is perfect for risky football, for outscoring the opponent, even if it means games finish 4-3. Everything about the team is attacking, which is why it has been such a disaster when it tried to play defensively, hopefully Slot has finally seen the light and will let them off the leash for the rest of the season.







Sunderland





There have been signs of the Mackems running out of steam over the last few weeks, this game was the biggest one yet as they struggled to press with energy and were slow to react meaning Liverpool were usually first to loose balls. To get this far through the season unbeaten at home is huge, especially for a newly promoted side and they are basically already safe from relegation with 12 games left to play. They will be disappointed to not have made a better fist of it, as they were, despite the scoreline only ending as 1-0, clearly second best throughout. I expect Le Bris to be particularly annoyed that they never managed to test out Endo, playing out of position at right-back, enough.



The biggest takeaway for me from Sunderland is just how badly they miss Xhaka, they lack leadership and experience without him there and his return cannot come quickly enough. However, you cannot fail to be impressed by just how well they have done this season so far.







Liverpool





Alisson - Sunderland struggled to test him out much, so he was not really pushed in this game, but when called upon he was there. Looked a bit better on the ball, more like himself in fact.





Endo - did well, there was one instance Angulo turned him inside out, but most of the time he dealt with him well. Extremely unfortunate about his injury, though you have to wonder why his teammates did not tell him to stay down and get treatment. His bravery is well known, but you could see immediately that it was serious and he just needed to stay down and let Gomez get ready to come on. Such a shame for him, he deserves so much better than to pick up a long term injury after finally getting a start. He has never let LFC down and always gives his all, even if he is not the greatest player, his attitude is exceptional and could have been a great help during the bad run at the end of the year. During those periods, you just need a bit of fight and desire and he has both in spades.





Konate - a decent performance, but he was always at risk of a foul being given against him by grappling with Brobbey. Yes, Brobbey was also grappling, but he is in an attacking position, so the risk is worth it, a free kick given away by him is miles away from his own goal, but Konate is near to his goal and any foul is a dangerous one or even a penalty. Also, for such a big guy, he does flop to the ground far too easily under little pressure and then gets up in instalments while complaining to the referee about a non-existent foul.





van Dijk - a good game, defended well and played some of those long raking passes he is famous for. Once Liverpool got through the early couple of minutes, when Sunderland tried to press, there was time and space on the ball and he used it well to move the ball on quickly.





Robertson - with no real winger up against him, he was able to get forward at will and under little real defensive pressure. A good game for him to play in and he produced a couple of good balls.





Mac Allister - there were some better moments from him, but he still did not do enough over the course of the match. It is hard to understand how he keeps a place in the team.





Gravenberch - if he could just figure out how to pass to a teammate, he would be some player.





Gakpo - a much better performance from the Dutch winger. He has been having a poor season, but looked much better with the ball moved forward quickly.





Wirtz - always involved in the play, it is not just his quality on the ball though, it is also his work for the team. He often pops up deep in his own half working back and breaking up attacks or filling in gaps when someone else has got forward.





Salah - looked so much better, so much more like himself, each game he seems to be getting better.





Ekitike - looked tired and in need of a rest. He was still dangerous, but there was a slight drop to his level.





Gomez - replaced the injured Endo in the 69th minute. His extra pace over Endo helped him a lot, with Liverpool mainly controlling the game, it was a mostly comfortable appearance.





Jones - took the place of Gakpo in the 75th minute. Helped to see out the game with his workrate and calmness in possession.





Chiesa - was brought on in the stead of Ekitike in the 88th minute. Too late to really affect the game.

Liverpool Article 10 Feb 2026
Liverpool v Manchester City A Liverpool Perspective







This game was entirely predictable, it is rinse and repeat from Slot. Come out slowly, struggle badly in the first half, second half play much better and have the lion's share of possession and then score, only to sit back, invite them on and lose. It is fast becoming the Slot way. It is difficult to see how he can continue on as Liverpool boss unless he finally sees the light and makes changes to this boring, tedious pass around the back dross that made up the first half and also his tendency to always try and sit back on a one goal lead. It might work to defend if he did not denude the midfield of any kind of defensive solidity in favour of weak technical players. Slot has ideas of how to win, but does not understand how to make it reality and what kind of players are needed to do so.



This match saw him actually use a high press in the second half particularly, but it was just 4 players pushing up while the rest sat off and left space for Citeh to easily play out of trouble. It was the press of a coach that does not understand how a press works, with huge gaping holes and little enthusiasm for the press from midfield and defence. The moment they break that initial press, they are able to easily and quickly advance all the way to the edge of the area before anyone engages again. It is little wonder the team is so open, when the team are not working as one whole together. Any style of defending, from low block to high press, can be effective if applied well, it is just not being applied well.



What I found really annoying is that the players are still struggling with their fitness, which is leading to the bad errors at the end of games. They are simply down to the effects of fatigue, something which should not be happening at this point of the season. It has to be down to lack of fitness, as the players cannot be fatigued, having been given, unbelievably, a few days off this week. Hard to understand why they were given a holiday when they have been playing so poorly and need to work hard on their organisation, as was showed when they were caught out with Szoboszlai playing everyone onside. A few days drilling on holding the line would have stopped that happening. It just seemed like they were given a break so Arne could pop home for a few days, rather than because it was necessary. The way he is going, it will not be long before he will have all the time in the world to spend there.



You also have to ask questions about Slot's match preparation, and I do not mean this as a dig at him jetting off back to Holland when he has the chance, but there is something seriously wrong there. Rarely has he set the team out this season with a working plan to deal with the opposition. It is usually about stumbling through the first half and then adjusting at half-time. It would be nice if Slot could come into the match a lot more often with an idea about how to beat the opponent, rather than just going in with the same slow pass around the back football until half-time. Also have to wonder why, when it is clear legs are tiring after 60 minutes, Slot fails to make full use of his substitutes. His lack of faith in anyone but his favourites is destructive to confidence.



The other big issue with this match, other than how poor both teams played, was the officials, who were terrible. I understand the lack of bravery to go with the letter of the law at the end and send off Szoboszlai, but it would have been nice to see common sense deployed and just allow the goal to stand. That is not my complaint with regards to the referee. It was just about everything else, with a similar foul by Silva not being considered enough to even give a foul, let alone a card, and numerous other inconsistent decisions, in favour of both teams.







Manchester City





Citeh are a pale blue shadow of the team they once were under Pep Guardiola. They look so fragile and beatable, which is the most frustrating thing about that match. Liverpool just about had them finished, once they scored, with City having no answer at all to Liverpool's play. Then they scored, sat back and gave City the chance they were so desperate to get. They did not even look particularly potent in the first half, when LFC were so bad. Arsenal will certainly never get a better chance to win the Premier League under Arteta than this season. City look very disjointed in the attack and their defence is shambolic at times. At last teams have stopped sitting off Rodri when he gets the ball and that has severely limited Man City's ability to play out.



Getting beat by this City team is extremely disappointing as there are so many weaknesses in the way they are playing, which have been exploited repeatedly by other teams. LFC failed to do any of that in the first half, leading to a struggle to produce anything, but Citeh still failed to truly create much, which shows just how weak they are this season. They have become even more reliant on Haaland to score, with very little creativity among the team. Their defence is massively compromised by injuries, but they barely had to defend in the first half to test it out. When they were tested, they were found badly wanting in the main. This is not a great Man City team by any means.







Liverpool





Alisson - he did come up with one good save when needed, but he is not looking anywhere near his best on the ball and did give away a needless penalty and was caught upfield in the dying seconds. It is not surprising that his form is suffering playing behind such a porous defence, it must be destroying his confidence.





Szoboszlai - I have seen a fair bit of criticism of his performance, for being caught playing everyone else onside for one of the City goals and the dragback that eventually led to his red card after a VAR review. Personally I do not understand why he is getting so much flak. On the first, people need to remember he is a midfielder, he is filling in at full-back and they did not even spend the week drilling him on the positional demands of the role as the players were given time off. Of course he is going to make mistakes like that, for me the blame has to be on the lack of coaching. No doubt because Slot wanted to go home and see his family, so the players got a few days off, when they are in such desperate need of coaching right now. On the red card, it was his desire to get back and not concede that caused the foul, it is just a shame a few more of his teammates did not have as much desire.





Konate - he has had his one decent performance of the season, so it was back to normal. Ball given away repeatedly, all over the shop defensively and constantly grabbing and pulling any opponent within reach. Should have scored as well.





van Dijk - instead of complaining about the criticism he is getting of his poor performances this season, he should actually try doing a bit of extra work on improving his game. Or maybe he could stop running away from the ball and actually make a challenge for it occasionally?





Kerkez - the best player in red, despite consistently having his runs ignored, as usual, by Gakpo. He was heavily involved at both ends of the pitch. His end product does need work, but he was very good overall.





Mac Allister - spent most of the game hiding. There were a couple of moments of good play, but that was all it was. Overall he was awful.





Gravenberch - absolutely disgraceful performance, pulling out of tackles, including the one that allowed them to go through and score what would have been their third if it had stood. He needs to go back to what he was doing last season. Oh, and actually make a tackle instead of bottling it.





Gakpo - he is having a poor season, but he was better in this game, actually offering a threat. Still refuses to play in Kerkez when a good opportunity presents itself though.





Wirtz - a difficult game for the German, he was given no time and space by City at all. That led to a poor performance, as he tried too hard to make things work, rather than just passing it on quickly.





Salah - another poor performance, despite a few moments of good play. Yes, he was double and triple teamed a lot, but that is not why his touch was loose and his passing was wayward.





Ekitike - he was always a threat, until the last few minutes when he was moved to the left wing. He could have done with more early balls, with Donnarumma hating to leave his line there was space there to exploit, which would force back the City defence and open up the midfield.





Jones - replaced Gakpo in the 85th minute. A hard to understand substitution as it was just after Citeh had equalised, yet Slot decided to make this change and move Ekitike to the left. It made little sense to me. Yes, Liverpool were being overrun in midfield (as usual under Slot), but that is because he chooses to have Mac Allister, the weakest midfielder I can remember in Liverpool red, sit in front of the defence and protect it. He then spends the next 90 minutes trying to hide, it seems, as he is never anywhere near where he is needed.





Chiesa - took the place of Kerkez in the 90th+3 minute. Once again he was given just a few minutes to try and rescue the team. It was not enough to do so.

Liverpool Article 05 Feb 2026
Liverpool v Newcastle United A Liverpool Perspective







A very odd game, with Newcastle being very much in the game until they scored and then Liverpool dominating the rest of the match. What was noticeable is the part referee Simon Hooper played in the win, simply by being his hopelessly incompetent self. His constant bad decisions had gradually ramped up the atmosphere as the Kop got more and more irate with his uselessness and, when Newcastle scored, that put the crowd firmly behind the team. From that moment on, the game only had one team in it, as Liverpool dominated.



The most pleasing thing to watch was their desire to get the ball forward and attack the Toon, even when leading 3-1, there was always a real hunger to get more. The tippy tappy passing around the back and slow build up play still showed up in odd moments, but it never lasted long and there was no sitting back and hoping to hold onto the lead. We saw just what this team is actually capable of and also saw the style of play that should have been evident from the first game of the season, rather than the slow, methodical approach Slot has favoured all season. With this style of play, there is no doubt in my mind that Liverpool would have been in the title battle this time around once more, rather than scraping round hoping for a top 4/5 finish.



Slot does have a big problem, which requires a lot more of these performances, rather than the tedious tippy tappy round the backline stuff that he seems to favour. That problem is that he is following on from Jurgen Klopp, that aura, that charisma, that easy charm and the way he integrated himself into the city and understood and utilised the power of the fans at Anfield. Slot simply does not have any of that. He has not moved his family over to England, he does not even live in the Liverpool area, which makes it difficult for him to really harness the passion coming from the stands, which is the real difference maker. That means that he has to win trophies, which he is making more difficult for himself by not bringing the crowd into play.



He does not help himself, for example dropping Ekitike the moment Isak was even within the range of 20% fit, when Ekitike had made himself a crowd favourite, was scoring goals and playing well. It is little wonder that the team are not able to really get a good run of performances together, to play consistent winning football, as without that truly ignited crowd the team is hampered. What this game showed is that it is still better suited to quick, attacking football, with Wirtz and Ekitike needing the ball played up to them as early as possible to get the most out of them.



On the minus side, I still fail to see what the coaching staff do with regards to the Gravenberch and Mac Allister pairing in midfield. Forcing Mac Allister to sit deeper provides a little more security than having no one there, but only a little, while Gravenberch is woefully unsuited to being in and around the penalty box most of the time. Having Gravenberch sit deep provides much more defensive security as his positional sense and mobility is better. Added to that, his driving runs from deep can be game changers. Mac Allister, on the other hand, offers little from deep, his ability to pick a telling pass around the edge of the box is negated and his ability to pop up and get on the end of something or hit a shot from around the edge of the box is useless.







Newcastle United





I was very disappointed in the Newcastle performance, I know they missed their key man Bruno (and they are still to win a game since he signed without him in their line up), but they looked out on their feet after about 30 minutes and, while they did go on to open the scoring in the 36th minute, let their heads drop after Liverpool took the lead with two quick goals. It means that I am now left wondering if Liverpool were actually all that good or if Newcastle just made it easy for them. Normally you look for ways that one team has nullified another to see how they have stifled them and stopped them playing, but there was none of that in this match. Liverpool were still wide open in midfield but Newcastle were just utterly unable to get control of the ball.



It was very clear without Joelinton and Bruno in midfield that Newcastle lack drive and defensive work, those two do so much to help protect the backline, as well as providing physical presence in the offensive third. It means that the poor organisation of the defence, something Howe's teams have always been prone to, is completely exposed, which Liverpool exploited extremely well. Like Aston Villa earlier in the season, they did set themselves up perfectly for Liverpool, which helped. You can see why Newcastle are struggling this season and it will require them to improve massively if they are to qualify for Europe again next season.



There are a lot of signs there that the Eddie Howe era is coming to an end. He does not seem to have any answers for their problems or ideas of how to take the team forward. Or even how to keep them at the level they achieved last season. They are so heavily reliant on Bruno that they simply have nothing to offer without him.







Liverpool





Alisson - Newcastle certainly seemed to be targeting him. He was fouled at every set piece, Newcastle did get a lot of corners, and there was also the late lunge by Gordon, which could easily have been a red card, rather than a yellow. Despite the attentions, he still came up with a big save when the score was 2-1.





Szoboszlai - playing at right-back but he had a very good game.





Konate - I will probably seem really churlish now and I will say it was his best game this season but, yes there is a but, he was still ropey positionally and made a few errors. He has just lost his father and he also scored a goal (which was a moment that brought a tear to the eye of most of us I am sure), so I would not normally even mention his errors and put them down to just not having his head in the right place. Unfortunately, they are part of his normal game, so it is difficult to just ignore them and pass them off as being just about grief.





van Dijk - he really needs to be more assertive and aggressive, stop backing away and put in a challenge. There were a lot of corners, which are always a dangerous moment, and a lot of the build up to Newcastle winning one began with van Dijk's decision to drop off early. It makes it very difficult for a press to work.





Kerkez - played really well and was dangerous when getting forward. The link up with Gakpo is still lacking, but it was the best it has been yet, some signs of them finally building an understanding. Played an excellent early pass to Ekitike for the second goal.





Mac Allister - the most pathetic piece of play acting since Rivaldo tried to claim he was hit in the face after the ball hit his leg has completely overshadowed his performance. His teammates really need to have a word with him now because it is embarrassing and I am beginning to dislike him due to his cheating. I would happily be rid of him.





Gravenberch - decent game, I would still like to see him work on his passing, which is wayward at times. I still would much prefer to see him playing the deeper role he was so successful in last season.





Gakpo - his best game of the season, he looked a genuine threat. He did tire in the latter stages though. He does still need to make more use of Kerkez.





Wirtz - excellent game, he is really starting to show what he can do now. Ekitike is particularly on his wavelength and the two are building up a great understanding. He has become the focal point for the attack, with opponents struggling to deal with him when he has a free role.





Salah - there were a couple of moments when the old Salah showed through, and he did add another assist to become the first Premier League player to score and assist double figures against one team. Mostly though, he was crowded out as Newcastle double-teamed him, but there were chances and he really should have added a goal.





Ekitike - once again he was really good and is looking like he could be the man to build the attack around, even after Isak gets fit. Scored two and was a thorn in the side of Newcastle throughout the match.





Chiesa - took the place of Salah in the 84th minute. Was brought on to help see out the dying minutes of the game, which he did with his usual enthusiasm.





Jones - replaced Ekitike in the 84th minute. Helped to see the game out.





Endo - was brought in on the stead of Wirtz in the 87th minute. Had little time and little to do, but he allowed Szoboszlai to move central and helped kill off the flickering hopes of the Newcastle fans.

Liverpool Article 19 Jan 2026
Liverpool v Burnley A Liverpool Perspective







This was a game that ended with the first crystal clear evidence that the Anfield crowd have turned against what Slot is doing, though their ennui was such with slow sideways and backwards passing that even the boos were half-hearted and short-lived. It has been coming, as results have just not improved, while performances are still as turgid as ever for long periods. Slot's preference for slow, controlled football, is absolutely killing the atmosphere, which is usually such a big part of Liverpool's success. It is hard to get excited when you are bored.



The sad thing is that there is no one to blame but Slot himself. Even if he has not been given the central defender that the team clearly needs, the team Slot has can do more and showed as much in the first half. That first half was among the best performances of the season, with Liverpool getting in behind the Burnley backline a number of times and creating openings, as well as getting a penalty which Szoboszlai crashed against the bar. That should have been the blueprint for the second half, but unfortunately LFC had taken the lead and Arne, in his infinite wisdom, always wants them to sit back when they take a lead. To slow the game down and to be more disciplined in attack, with less freedom for Wirtz, in particular, which completely stifles the team and puts pressure on the weakest link - the defence.



It is more and more obvious by the game that a change of head coach is needed, now it is just waiting for those with the power to make change to do so. Sadly, there just is no way back because Slot does not understand Liverpool FC at all, he has not realised that the key to long term success is to harness the crowd and ignite their passion. He does not seem to be learning lessons from what is happening, he just always wants to revert to the slow, boring, tedious passing around at the back for the sake of passing football that he favours.



Maybe it could have worked if his man-management was better and he had got the players onside and playing for him. Their lack of enthusiasm is clear in the way so many of them are out of form at once. One or two playing badly is almost certainly down to the player/s, but when you have almost an entire squad underperforming, well then that has to be laid at the door of the manager. There was so many good signs in the first half, it is frustrating to see that Slot messes with it at half-time and sets it all back to the same dross that has let him and the fans down all season. It was there in his hands at half-time to go on and take a big step forward, but it does feel like his heart is not in it and so he does not understand how that affects things. It makes me wonder if the big mistake was letting him leave his family behind in Holland, a Premier League manager's job is too much, too full on to be doing it without the close support of a family when things go wrong. Just ask Jose Mourinho.



On the game itself, one other thing I have to mention is the officials. Again. The incompetence is stunning now. These are not amateurs. These are not part timers. They are highly paid and trained yet they are absolutely useless. There is a huge amount of inconsistency in some things, but one thing they do consistently fail at is making decisions on contact on defenders. All any defender has to do is throw themselves to the ground if an attacker gets near them, immediately the referee gives them a free kick, no matter if there is any foul involved or not. It is ridiculous and really ruining any attempts to have an exciting, entertaining, attacking match, when attackers are so often punished for nothing. It is both teams that get the decisions, both are hampered by them when trying to build up an attack.







Burnley





The Clarets must be delighted to have come away from that with a result after offering almost nothing throughout the 90 minutes. They had just two short periods in the game where they even attempted to take the game to Liverpool and had just one shot on target. Burnley looked exactly like what they are - a terrible Premier League team playing to keep the score down in every game. Apart from those two spells, they simply sat back and looked to defend. The problem was that they simply are not good enough to defend for 90 minutes and Liverpool got behind them and in at them a number of times, though failed to make the most of their chances. Against a team in better form and full of confidence, Burnley would have got a spanking, but they were not facing those and so came away with a result that they can celebrate and use as a springboard to survive.



At least, they could if they had a manager with balls, but unfortunately they have Scott Parker in charge, who will do exactly the same in every game - sit back and hold on and hope. That attitude will see them go down with little real chance of survival because they will not attack enough to win, and they need wins to stay up, not more draws.







Liverpool





Alisson - he was mostly redundant, other than when the players passed back to him, but his kicking still looks a bit off. Made a blinding point blank reaction save from Konate, but could do nothing with the goal, so not a particularly good game overall.





Frimpong - looked very good going forward, though needs work on his final ball, but his defending is suspect still. That is fine against Burnley, who made little in the way of even attempting to attack, but better teams will cause problems if he is not given help from midfield.





Konate - his near own goal was just one of those things, but the rest of his game still worries me. It is still too easy for the opposition to attack him. He inspires no confidence at all. He was asleep and allowed the run for the goal. His positional sense is almost non-existent. He is far too reliant on van Dijk to talk him through the game for such an experienced player.





van Dijk - in the first half he was good, played some nice longer passes, but that vanished in the second half and his initial error in giving a weak header in the direction of Kerkez, that was picked off by Burnley, led to Konate's near own goal.





Kerkez - he is getting better as the games go by but has still yet to reach anything like the level he was at last season, his play is just far too restrained.





Szoboszlai - not one of his better performances, though far from a bad game for him, just not at his outstanding best. Firstly there was the penalty, which he smashed against the bar, then there was his constant ruining of counter attacks by slowing the play to walking pace. It was not what was needed at all.





Gravenberch - last season he was excellent as the holding midfielder, if he had been playing there in this match, instead of pushing higher up the pitch, I would have expected him to be in a position to have broken up the play ahead of Burnley's goal. He did not have a poor game particularly, but it is just such a dip from the performances we know he is capable of.





Gakpo - I know he has become something of a whipping boy among the fans, but I thought he was decent against Burnley, though far from great. One thing I do not understand though is that he is taking corners all of a sudden. For one, he is tall and strong in the air. For another, he is terrible at delivering corners. The set piece coach has been sacked, but still the problems remain with regards to them.





Wirtz - it seems to be becoming a theme for him. Excellent in the first half when given freedom to roam, then Slot orders him to hold on the wing and be more disciplined and it destroys his second half. He is not a winger, why try and force him to sit out wide where he is not able to really threaten? I do not understand it.





Jones - watching him always leaves me thinking that there is so much more to come from him. He always plays far too safe and, of course, takes too many touches. He is so much better than that, he has shown it on occasions, but if he keeps playing like this he will only ever be, at best, a rotation option.





Ekitike - linked up really well with Wirtz in the first half and the pair look really dangerous. He is, at times, the only one providing any movement for the midfield to pick out.





Ngumoha - took the place of the Gakpo in the 78th minute. Needs to work on his end product, but he did have the beating of the full-back.





Robertson - replaced Kerkez in the 78th minute. He was, once again, awful. I love him for all he has done, but it is time for him to move on, which is why I find it incredible that he has even been offered a new contract by the club. He is simply not good enough any more.





Mac Allister - was brought in on the stead of Gravenberch in the 78th minute. At least he shot, I suppose, but they were very hit and hope and most of them were just a waste with better options ahead of him.





Chiesa - came on for Jones in the 87th minute. It is just so pointless bringing him on constantly so late in the match.