Wolves away Tuesday 3rd March at 815pm

[Doc_Piptorious]

It was the moment where Jones missed an open goal by chesting the ball practically off the line onto the bar
It was ridiculously sublime

Can’t blame Slot for that but it’s where we’re at

We’re champions ffs!

Not a dig, but so what?

Means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Sure we won it last year but it in no way guarantees a strong defence of that title.

Hell the last time we won it under Klopp, we defended it with a whimper the following season. And yes people can point to this and that as reasons as to why we were so crap after that particular title win, but can we not create a similar amount of excuses/reasons for this one too in that case?


That is not saying Slot should stay or that he should go, just that we have very recent form for following up a title winning season with a stinker of a season.

We dropped points in 18 league games that season, we have done so in 15 already this season, and that season we had prime Mane, Salah and Firmino up front. We finished on 69 points that title defending season, this season we are currently on course to do worse and finish on 62 or 63 points.


But for whatever the reason or excuse, a rolling over and being shyte season is not something unusual for us after a title win in recent times a nor is such a thing even unique to us for that matter.

We have a load of things we need to improve upon. Tactics, mentality (on and off pitch and also supporter mentality imo) and yeah we also need to be deciding on whether a change of coach and a number of senior players should be on the cards this summer too.

But if we want the big nights and glory days, then we have to endure a share of the dog **** and hard graft too

[Catrin]

We didn't look too bad at times last night and moved the ball quite well but just couldn't do much with it. Mo's drop-off in pace and not replacing Diaz's ability to stretch play is killing us. Even Darwin's raw pace, chaotic as it was, did stop the opposition getting too comfortable. We also let Wolves play too much but the ref helped them. How we didn't get a penalty for that handball by their left back is beyond me.

[labourRed]

Jones was chesting the ball over the line when Gakpoo toe poked it away

[Doc_Piptorious]

We didn't look too bad at times last night and moved the ball quite well but just couldn't do much with it. Mo's drop-off in pace and not replacing Diaz's ability to stretch play is killing us. Even Darwin's raw pace, chaotic as it was, did stop the opposition getting too comfortable. We also let Wolves play too much but the ref helped them. How we didn't get a penalty for that handball by their left back is beyond me.

Yep, we had zero release options for the majority of the game. Is why starting Gakpo and Salah on opposite flanks at the same time kills us imo.

[peterbread]

I’d play anyone over Salah right now. I don’t care how fast they are. Someone who won’t kill every attack that comes down the right side and hit every pass or attempted cross into the legs of the defender.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I’d play anyone over Salah right now. I don’t care how fast they are. Someone who won’t kill every attack that comes down the right side and hit every pass or attempted cross into the legs of the defender.

Is why I used the word tenacity in an earlier post as that is what I think Chiesa would bring along with workrate and good positioning.

If MacAllister was not so poor this season I would like to see Szobo used as a RM (similar to how he has been used for his country at times) and then had Jones, MacAllister and Grav in the middle.


Think Szobo at RM with the pace of either Frimpong or Gomez going outside him could have been a more than useful option on that flank.

Just seems that when we have someone being useless, we have someone else being useless elsewhere on the pitch that makes moving too many players around difficult to do.

Would love if we could get a 10 to 15 game run of no injuries to Frimpong and Gomez as that pairing as our right flank would appeal to me.

[memzey]

Despite the fact that he scored Salah was diabolical again last night. Absolutely unacceptable. He needs to get reacquainted with the bench and have either Rio, Frimpong or Chiesa take a crack at that position. Ideally, one would replace Gakpo as well but that might be too much change to absorb in one hit, I don't know. It's like we are playing with 10 men whenever Salah starts at the moment and we can't afford to do that anymore.

Having said all of that and, whilst being in agreement with those that say last night's game was turgid/boring/dull/etc. I also have to point out that we actually battered Wolves for most of that game and can consider ourselves unlucky not to have come away with the win. As suboptimal as we were, it felt like they literally came into our half twice and scored two goals. Mental.

[peterbread]

Is why I used the word tenacity in an earlier post as that is what I think Chiesa would bring along with workrate and good positioning.

If MacAllister was not so poor this season I would like to see Szobo used as a RM (similar to how he has been used for his country at times) and then had Jones, MacAllister and Grav in the middle.


Think Szobo at RM with the pace of either Frimpong or Gomez going outside him could have been a more than useful option on that flank.

Just seems that when we have someone being useless, we have someone else being useless elsewhere on the pitch that makes moving too many players around difficult to do.

Would love if we could get a 10 to 15 game run of no injuries to Frimpong and Gomez as that pairing as our right flank would appeal to me.

I’ve been wanting to see Chiesa and Wirtz playing together for a while. They’d link up well and what they lack in pace they make up for with intelligent movement and one quicker passing.

Frimpong has shown what a diffident he makes playing down the right either at fullback or on the wing.

Would this work. Gomez and Frimpong down the right. Chiesa down the left with Wirtz as the 10. Plenty of hard workers and the ability to press higher up the pitch. Szoboszlai in midfield meaning more legs to cover.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I’ve been wanting to see Chiesa and Wirtz playing together for a while. They’d link up well and what they lack in pace they make up for with intelligent movement and one quicker passing.

Frimpong has shown what a diffident he makes playing down the right either at fullback or on the wing.

Would this work. Gomez and Frimpong down the right. Chiesa down the left with Wirtz as the 10. Plenty of hard workers and the ability to press higher up the pitch. Szoboszlai in midfield meaning more legs to cover.

Think that would give us a lot more directness and creativity than we currently have and imo would give opposing teams a lot more to be bothered about.

[Charly]

Leaves the midfield a bit lightweight if Wirtz plays there instead of... Macca?

Prefer Wirtz in the left and Frimpong right

[Doc_Piptorious]

Leaves the midfield a bit lightweight if Wirtz plays there instead of... Macca?

Prefer Wirtz in the left and Frimpong right

Not with how shyte MacAllister has been for the most part this season. Players are running past him for fun most games he starts.

[Yozza]

Not a dig, but so what?

Means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Sure we won it last year but it in no way guarantees a strong defence of that title.

Hell the last time we won it under Klopp, we defended it with a whimper the following season. And yes people can point to this and that as reasons as to why we were so crap after that particular title win, but can we not create a similar amount of excuses/reasons for this one too in that case?


That is not saying Slot should stay or that he should go, just that we have very recent form for following up a title winning season with a stinker of a season.

We dropped points in 18 league games that season, we have done so in 15 already this season, and that season we had prime Mane, Salah and Firmino up front. We finished on 69 points that title defending season, this season we are currently on course to do worse and finish on 62 or 63 points.


But for whatever the reason or excuse, a rolling over and being shyte season is not something unusual for us after a title win in recent times a nor is such a thing even unique to us for that matter.

We have a load of things we need to improve upon. Tactics, mentality (on and off pitch and also supporter mentality imo) and yeah we also need to be deciding on whether a change of coach and a number of senior players should be on the cards this summer too.

But if we want the big nights and glory days, then we have to endure a share of the dog **** and hard graft too

My point was the fall off is just ridiculous - these guys walked the league last year & now some of them look like a bunch of Sunday pub league players

[Doc_Piptorious]

My point was the fall off is just ridiculous - these guys walked the league last year & now some of them look like a bunch of Sunday pub league players

The fall off was similar in the season after Klopp's team won the league. The players looked off of it on a regular basis and a far cry from the guys that had walked the league the season before.

Go further back and look at stinky Leeds after they last won the league, massive fall off the next season and the same has often happened to a lot of league winners not called Man City over the past twenty or so seasons.


Throw in the death of a well liked team mate, a then disrupted pre season, some on and off the pitch stuff, constant injuries to a few positions (looking at you right back spot) and then add in players cocking up and the manager cocking up and the fall off was further compounded imo.

The one big positive I can take from this mess of a season is that we, as ordinary suporters, can see how strengthening certain positions (quality attacker or attackers for out wide, depth at CB, good cover at RB) on the pitch would make us stronger almost straight away, so one would think that the professionals can see what we can see and then a lot more.


And this next bit is just my own take/choice of world view on it, but we are not suddenly going to see massive improvements this season so I am resigned to a mixed bag in terms of form and perfromances, I am resigned to the fact that for the rest of the season we cannot bring in new players and probably will not do anything with regards to the coaching set up and as such I am not sweating it or getting peed off/upset/worked up too much over it.

For me it takes less energy to hope for the best for the rest of this season than it does to for me to get bogged down on the many many things that are going wrong.

Even the games during which we are putting in utterly turgid perfromances I am the guy waiting for that one moment that can have me doing a fist pump, that moment that gets a big YESSSSS! or a big GO ON!


So I am going to enjoy the good results and enjoy the fact I can still hope for a cup win, and let the other stuff be on hold until we see what the summer begins to bring.

[frank the tank]

Not a dig, but so what?

Means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Sure we won it last year but it in no way guarantees a strong defence of that title.

Hell the last time we won it under Klopp, we defended it with a whimper the following season. And yes people can point to this and that as reasons as to why we were so crap after that particular title win, but can we not create a similar amount of excuses/reasons for this one too in that case?


That is not saying Slot should stay or that he should go, just that we have very recent form for following up a title winning season with a stinker of a season.

We dropped points in 18 league games that season, we have done so in 15 already this season, and that season we had prime Mane, Salah and Firmino up front. We finished on 69 points that title defending season, this season we are currently on course to do worse and finish on 62 or 63 points.


But for whatever the reason or excuse, a rolling over and being shyte season is not something unusual for us after a title win in recent times a nor is such a thing even unique to us for that matter.

We have a load of things we need to improve upon. Tactics, mentality (on and off pitch and also supporter mentality imo) and yeah we also need to be deciding on whether a change of coach and a number of senior players should be on the cards this summer too.

But if we want the big nights and glory days, then we have to endure a share of the dog **** and hard graft too

Good post

We definitely have regressed this season but how much of that is down to Arne is debatable and will be analysed at the end of the season. The football is terrible but as mentioned above there are mitigations all over the place. As mentioned above, Jones not ****in throwing his head at the chance the other day and taking the collision that would have come with it.........to use as an example, that's not down to Slot. I would say that if we watched every game from last season again, there were fine margins in a lot of those wins too but we came out the other side of it. Overall we haven't been clinical in both boxes. People have rightly said that we needed a central defender last summer but it is possible that we'd still be starting with Konate and Virgil each week (although we have been ****in lucky that they haven't picked up any injuries this year......and relying on virgil to play 2.games per week will probably cost him next season ffs....especially after the World Cup too.

In hindsight, I believe that had we signed Semenyo and Guehi last summer instead of Isak, then we'd be challengers for the league now.

However, mitigating factors include:
- Isak having been a huge let down. People will rightly point out that he broke his ****in leg but he was a huge disappointment before that too.
- Salah form falling off a cliff in a huge way. ****in nuts
- we tried to integrate too many new signings at the same time
- didnt replace Diaz......although maybe the idea was to put Ekitike out there if isak hit form
- right back injuries have ****ed us. So the defence has not been settled. Leoni injury also impacted us.....not allowing konate and/or Virgil to take rests in particular games
- Form of other key players has been pretty ****e this year- particularly thinking of MacAllister and Gakpo who have been poor imo but also the likes of Jones and Chiesa haven't exactly made it rain when they have been used either
- their mate died in a terrible car accident last year, and it has made an impact on the preparation for the season as well as the difficult ongoing mental health impact that it has undoubtedly made


Slot has obviously made some errors as well but that bingo card above is.pretty long so should be taken into account.

I think one big problem that Slot will have though is the fact that there is only one year left on his contract. The club surely can't extend it and the fact that we still have some important squad surgery to be done might mean that the head coach position has to be a bit more secure. Also, the fact that Alonso is available is also a problem for him. If lfc were interested in alonso, and he was interested in coming, then liverpool fc pretty much have a straight question to ask themselves - who do you want to coach the team. The fact that Alonso has big history with Wirtz, who we will surely be building our team around - will play into that as well imo.

[rudedog]

Good time for Alonso to come imo - following on from Klopp might have been difficult (as Slot is now finding out). I think Alonso would definitely get the best out of Wirtz and Ekitike, plus we hopefully won’t have Salah stinking the place out.