Fulham away Sunday 4th January at 3pm

[pondus]

We have become so extremely negative. How many backwards passes did we make during the game? How many of our throwins went back to the centrebacks?? And so many of them were from deep in the opposition half.
Boring boring boring as **** football.
We had some energy and forward thinking for about twenty minutes but thats it. Injuries or not, Fulham were missing a few players as well.
After we scored we sat back and invited pressure again.
We dont seem fit, we dont look like we have an offensive or defensive plan, our offensive pressure is half arsed and doesnt work, we are soft and out of position defensively, looks like we have no idea what to do when we win the ball and set piecies are atrocious!!! Both offensive and defensive.
We have a squad that should fight at the top of both the Premier League and Champions League, yet we’re scrambling for fourth and qualification in Europe…
We hired Arne because he could get the best out of the players at his disposal, right now its the opposite. I would really like to believe that if we stick by him he will get it right.
Tough second season perhaps, and maybe he will reach the results of last season again. I really dislike when managers are sacked after a bad period, espescially when they have had success like he has. I would really like it if we stick by him and he gets it right, but at the same time, there are so many things that are so wrong at the moment.

[Norbs]

Was about to say that. Way more exiting. I'm not backing either side, I just want to see injuries and suspensions.

[Norbs]

Slot ball the pinnacle of entertainment.

He's created a new class of football, it's called undertainment

[peterbread]

Won’t claim it as my own but I’ve seen it elsewhere

Sloth ball

[vlahka]

Sloth ball. Love it.

[frank the tank]

Unbeaten in 9 games.

But the 4 draws in those games were against Leeds home and away, Sunderland at home and Fulham away. Sunderland are having a decent season but I don't think there is one player in those 3 opponents teams that would get into the Liverpool starting 11. Those 8 dropped points would have had us going into the arsenal game feeling that a win there would have put us back in the title race. After how ****in **** we had been in the autumn, that would have been an achievement. Instead, we've just stumbled along waiting for something to happen.

****in ****e.

Roy Keane made a point about the last time we won the league how we defended it terribly. At the time we had huge injuries and we have had a few this year as well, but overall we have been ****in ****e from top to bottom since we won the league last spring. Recruitment has been ****, senior players have been. ****e and new signings have been ****e. I might be wrong but I can't remember slot making a positive impact tactically this season.....making a positive change and effectively turning a defeat or draw into a victory.

[peterbread]

Since we won the first 5 games of the season we have won 5 of the next 15 in the league this season.

[Doc_Piptorious]

A couple months back most of us were saying Slot needs to focus on defence and on being able to grind out results.

Back when we were losing game after game.


Now he has done just that. Gone ugly and ponderous, gone safety first, but we are getting points on the board and are clear in fourth place.

Have no idea if we are looking at a broken team or if we are looking at brutal pragmatism being used to rescue a season. But that transition season many expected to happen last season is now very much taking place one way or another.

Besides all the very real upheaval the team faced after Jota passed, the number of new players in and so on, I think there is a very real chance of a big clear out next summer. Be it done to contracts ending, players not being wanted, players not wanting to stay or whatever.

Robertson, Konate, MacAllister, Salah, Gakpo, Gomez, Chiesa and Endo it could be argued are all on their way out.

[fidget]

Fingers crossed Slot goes with them.

[frank the tank]

A couple months back most of us were saying Slot needs to focus on defence and on being able to grind out results.

Back when we were losing game after game.


Now he has done just that. Gone ugly and ponderous, gone safety first, but we are getting points on the board and are clear in fourth place.

Have no idea if we are looking at a broken team or if we are looking at brutal pragmatism being used to rescue a season. But that transition season many expected to happen last season is now very much taking place one way or another.

Besides all the very real upheaval the team faced after Jota passed, the number of new players in and so on, I think there is a very real chance of a big clear out next summer. Be it done to contracts ending, players not being wanted, players not wanting to stay or whatever.

Robertson, Konate, MacAllister, Salah, Gakpo, Gomez, Chiesa and Endo it could be argued are all on their way out.

good post as usual man

The next few months are crucial for Slot. The club will have a decision to make in the summer as he goes into the last year of his contract.

Will be interesting.

Isak has been the biggest disappointment in my opinion. Guehi would have made a huge difference as well. Also, i think when Jota passed, the club possibly should have pulled the plug on the Diaz transfer then as well. Easy to say with hindsight i suppose.

Although this is a transition season, next year will be as well for the reason that you mention above - loads of players will leave in the summer. Also, Virgil will be in his last year of his contract again in the summer.

Best we can hope for now imo is to see some green shoots between now and the end of the season. Isak and Ekitike forming a good partnership would be amazing as it would give us something to build on. But if Macallister and Konate both leave in the summer, then it is certainly another rebuild job.

[Irishnev]

Yep, basically inviting him to shoot. Belting finish but that’s **** defending. Cant give anyone that sort of time and space at this level.

Didn’t Slot say they were expecting a long throw into the box?

[Buzzo]

Didn’t Slot say they were expecting a long throw into the box?

Did he? ****ing hell. That’s almost worse. Maybe set up for more than one eventuality. It’s all coming across as incredibly tactically naive.

[peterbread]

How many late goals have we conceded this season now? And we haven’t won a game this season when conceding first. I think we’ve only got a few points from those games.

How have they lost that strong mentality to fight through games and maybe another sign that they aren’t fit enough to finish games off.

[Exiled_red]

A couple months back most of us were saying Slot needs to focus on defence and on being able to grind out results.

Back when we were losing game after game.


Now he has done just that. Gone ugly and ponderous, gone safety first, but we are getting points on the board and are clear in fourth place.

Have no idea if we are looking at a broken team or if we are looking at brutal pragmatism being used to rescue a season. But that transition season many expected to happen last season is now very much taking place one way or another.

Besides all the very real upheaval the team faced after Jota passed, the number of new players in and so on, I think there is a very real chance of a big clear out next summer. Be it done to contracts ending, players not being wanted, players not wanting to stay or whatever.

Robertson, Konate, MacAllister, Salah, Gakpo, Gomez, Chiesa and Endo it could be argued are all on their way out.

Good post I agree with most of it, only thing I disagree with is I don't see Gakpo leaving in the summer, he signed a 5 year contract in August, and that isn't down to the manager.

I would also say that our squad depth is **** and that is IMO a part of a significant number of the decisions that are made e.g. we have gone through recent games with about 3 senior outfield players on the bench, managing minutes and fitness has been a juggling act. Also there has been an element of bad luck, we hit the woodwork twice today and their sub scored the goal of his life, another day that shot goes wide and we win 2-1, or if one of our chances goes in and it's 3-1. That's not saying we deserved to win, we were **** but it's the kind of thing that goes for you when you are playing well and against you when you're playing ****.

[peterbread]

So Wirtz was offside but there is a rule only in England with the semi automated offside and margins for the attacker.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvg173ldgnmo