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Well, blimey! This isn't what we had in mind for the season, is it? A massive spend, deviating our typical strategy to recruit the "obvious" players for their respective positions rather than our traditional targeting of "somewhat overlooked players" approach under FSG. Three absolutely gorgeous kits to play in. The return of Adidas. Starting a season as Champions. We'd all hoped that no. 21 was en route and sadly that looks like it will have to wait. The annoyance of this compounded by the fact that the only other side with 20 titles doesn't look like it will challenge for one just yet, so we should be capitalising and getting to no. 21 before they do.
Unfortunately, in my lifetime at least, successfully defending League titles isn't really our Bread and Butter, a pattern which doesn't look like it will change. Another minor slump on the cards? Likely. A major slump? I'd like to hope not. Is there some hope? Quite likely - but we'll see.
We've had a few slumps in recent years, typically when we challenge for the League rather than winning it.
Under Klopp we had the 22/23 season, finishing 5th, having finished 2nd in the 21/22 season.
Under Rodgers we had the 14/15 season, finishing 6th, having finished 2nd in the 13/14 season.
Under Benitez we had the 09/10 season, finishing 7th, having finished 2nd in the the 08/09 season.
Now we have the 25/26 season, which on early viewing, has the signs of a similar vibe. Everyone's least favourite word in the footballing dictionary has reared it's ugly head - "transition" is being banded about. The inner trauma-meter is giving a feeling I'd describe as being closest to 09/10 than anything, though that is of course subject to fluctuations, given the rapid capacity for change with football. I remember that for a large chunk of that Summer, I was convinced that we could challenge for a 19th League title and for a 6th European Cup - not that we would win one (or both) but that we could - needless to say that didn't come to pass.
So what's the problem this time around? Well, depending on who you ask, there are multiple problems - maybe even 20-25 problems (or more!?!?) which makes for rather alarming reading. Let's take a little look at some of them, according to the forum, the pundits and the terrifying landscape of social media.
Disrupted pre-season
We know why it happened. It's an awful thing. Has the physical aspect of the disruption impacted our capacity to get into a groove?
Full-backs
We've attempted to go from Trent and Robbo to Kerkez and Bradley (or Frimpong) within a short period. That impacts chemistry with the centre-backs, with the midfield, with the wide players.
The left half-space
So many of our players want to occupy this space. Gakpo cuts into it, Isak loves it, Ekitike loves it, Wirtz did his best work there last season, Mac Allister can drive into it, Kerkez underlaps into it. This will take time to sort out.
Slot won with Klopp's team?
Whilst not entirely untrue, potentially a bit disingenous to Slot. Arne was brought in and seemingly tasked with adding some control and reducing the end-to-end side and it must be said that he succeeded. I don't think he should be discredited just because the move from tweaked Klopp-ball to full Slot-ball hasn't got up and running after 9 League games - but we'll see.
Chemistry/gelling/symbiosis
So many relationships on the pitch aren't clicking just yet, with players seemingly not understanding each other's runs and passing lanes. Will this simply take time or are we seeing the consequences of some misjudged coaching decisions?
Key players lacking fitness
Isak for one looks well off it still, whilst Mac Allister, a key player last season, doesn't look like he's at the races either. Will this come?
Slot doesn't know Best XI
A great strength of ours is a double-edged Sword. We have different options in so many positions (Frimpong and Bradley are chalk and cheese) but the consistent changes seem to be impacting Slot's ability to find his favoured XI.
Slot isn't playing settled side
Linked to the above, but if we aren't playing a relatively settled XI or at the very least a settled back-four, then chemistry is only going to take longer. This is particularly true if you bring a full-back off to put Szoboszlai in at right-back, only to bring a centre-back into the right-back position to get Szoboszlai back into midfield within 10 minutes. No wonder the lads are confused.
Form
Having multiple lads be "off it" at once is a nightmare. This needs to change.
Teams play low block
I don't think this should be used as an excuse, especially as we seemed to have bought a number of lads for dealing with it (Wirtz to unpick locks, two flying full-backs to get around it, Isak and Ekitike to kill chances) but if we keep conceding possession, we're set to be picked off. Perhaps we need a touch of a re-think and to find a defensive platform first?
Early wins lucky
I can see this - no objection to people throwing it out.
Tough opening fixtures
We've not had the easiest time of it in fairness. Without wishing to discredit Arsenal in any way, I think they have already played the League's weakest sides at Home, which are good opportunities to build confidence. We would kill for a Wolves or West Ham at Anfield just now. Can't use it as an excuse mind.
Tactics found out?
I hear a lot that we have been "found out" but I just don't see how a Manager who has won the League in two different countries now (isn't a huge list) will be uncapable of addressing this.
Bad tactics?
We'll need to assess how to address certain things in the League right now. I'll come to this later.
Bad form since March
A concern this - when you look at our points won, goals scored, goals conceded for a number of months now, then it's a touch disconcerting. We certainly need a few good performances soon to find a groove - Arsenal and Frankfurt you'd say were our best this season.
No Guehi
A shame this couldn't be gotten over the line - appears their Manager threatened to walk which swayed it. The issue is only compounded with Leoni being out.
Alisson out, Mamardashvili in
I rate Mama, but he hasn't yet learnt to come off his line the way Ali does to close space. Has made some cracking saves. The biggest issue isn't his fault - our players absolutely, positively HAVE to learn that he is left-footed and pass to him accordingly.
Wirtz
This seems to be one of the most divisive topics since Rafa's merits in his last season (back or keep) or when to phase out Gerrard. I've so much to say on Wirtz and seemingly so does everyone else, one way or another. I think you have to build around him to make it work, but right now that looks a huge call.
Chiesa
Why did Federico take a dump in Slot's Cornflakes? Lad needs to start some games.
Konate
Is that head turned?
No Trent
I think we can cope in a post-Trent World long-term without issue. So few sides have had a passing range from full-back like that historically. Right now, Salah is definitely missing those passes.
Missing Diaz / pressing
Diaz, Jota and Darwin were all press Monsters. It isn't there right now. Will we get it back or are we evolving away from it?
Salah's legs?
Everyone is asking the £400,000-per-week question right now. I don't think he is "done" by any means, but he's the same age Ronaldo was at when he went to Juventus and whilst Ronaldo was still absolutely excellent, Real Madrid didn't miss him.
Changing League style
The long balls, long throws, set pieces and tall players thing seems to be back in vogue throughout the League right now - which doesn't seem to suit how we've bought.
Buying for playing against the low block
We've acquired some small, or tall-but-slim lads with technical prowess with a view to breaking teams down. You need to be absolutely brilliant with your technical game to knock it around the Orcs running you down and we all know it can work (Barcelona, Man City, etc) but right now we look miles off the peak levels required to be reliant upon technical, passing-lane, cohesive brilliance to combat the apparent return of late 90's to mid 00's "Ingurlund" football. Arsenal seem to be head of the curve here, with only 5 of their goals coming from open play in the League this season, putting them 17th for this metric, despite being top of the table.
Slot's hard-on for PSG
He appears to absolutely love how their lads rotate positions in midfield and seems to be trying to emulate that in bits and pieces, which is going to take time. I'm not sure I'm sold on it, though to be fair PSG looked crap in the League phase in Europe last season, only to become a Monster in the knock-out rounds. If we were crap-to-middling until February and then suddenly everything clicked for our long-term future, I'd absolutely take that.
Death of Diogo Jota
Don't think we can underestimate how much his missed presence in day-to-day at the AXA etc will impact players. This will take time.
WHY DID WE BUY HOW WE DID, WHILST EXTENDING THOSE CONTRACTS?
Think the answer is quite obvious here. Those two more years for Alisson and Van Dijk were meant to be the "last hurrah" whilst guiding through an evolving side and that we'd be able to compete for at least one of the Premier League and Champion's League in each of the two seasons. So many sides have to "transition" (we all hate that word) and it seems that we believed we could do it whilst still being really successful. So far that looks misjudged, but we aren't even 25% of the way into the first of those two seasons, so I am hesitant to cast judgement.
THAT WAS ALL A BIT DEPRESSING TO READ SID, SO MANY PROBLEMS!
True - so many problems. I think I've listed 25 or 26 there and they aren't even all of them. So are there any small positives to hang our hats on whatsoever? They're few - but we'll try.
Good players!
Whilst the squad certainly looks massively imbalanced right now, I refuse to believe that we suddenly have a "shite" squad as that is clearly utter bollocks. You'd think that it would only take a couple of decent results and a bit more chemistry to get this lot a little bit more defensively solid, or clinical enough to make up for our shortcomings - or both.
Forward options
I think we have struck gold with Ekitike, think Isak will get into a rhythm later in the season, think Chiesa can play a part, think Gakpo can have purple patches, think Ngumoha has a future here, think Wirtz can provide suitable passes for these players and don't think Salah is (quite) finished yet, though do think we need to utilise him differently.
Salah forcing our hand
A time is going to come where Liverpool don't have Mo Salah on the books. Firmino left, Mane left, Coutinho left.....back further Gerrard left, and lads like Sterling, Sturridge and Suarez left.....back further and Torres, Mascherano and Alonso left......we know the score with Football, you have to change eventually. Whether poor form and a lack of goals forces our hand or the AFCON, we are going, at some stage, to have to find something that doesn't involve Mo Salah. Right not that is difficult because "rotating" Mo Salah is acceptable, whereas "dropping" Mo Salah is a huge media story, so Slot seems hesitant to keep him out for a couple of matches in a row. But if he isn't banging them in to make up for the lack of tracking back, perhaps we'll stumble upon something.
Will it be a 4-4-2 Diamond with flying wing-backs? I know I want to see at least one game that looks something like this, just to see if we can have some joy with it -
...........................Alisson
Frimpong.......Konate.....Van Dijk......Kerkez
.........................Gravenberch
...............Szoboszlai........Mac Allister
..............................Wirtz
....................Isak.............Ekitike
- as I really like the idea of finding a way to get our best three mids on the pitch (when they're fit and in form, which only Szoboszlai is right now) and providing young Wirtz with the safety net and freedom to provide in the attack.
You're often not as a far away as you think
Whilst this is true in the negative sense (looking at your position relative to the relegation zone) I do think we are capable of blowing things out of proportion at times. For all our despair, we're currently 3 points off the side in second. That does nothing to take away the misery of being 7 points off top already in a season where we're meant to be challenging, but I definitely feel there's a World where we can stay within touching distance (or not too far away) from the Champion's League places, only to start to click in the second half of the season and haul ourselves up to 4th (or 3rd) whilst scraping through the Champion's League league phase (as PSG did last season) to potentially have a stab at winning no.7 again. I don't realistically think Big Ears is coming Home this season, but I don't think we can write off reaching the knock-out rounds. February is an age away in footballing terms, so I would take a drawn-out malaise for now if it gets us to a point where players know their roles, we bring the younger lads through and we regain a love for clean sheets even if it takes some time.
I think I'd take entering February in 7th/8th and climbing our way into the Champion's League spots in April and May, with a Champion's League quarter-final (and beyond?) to go with it. It would be one Hell of a deflated Balloon relative to our early season expectations, but I don't think we need to be quite as despondent as we are just now all the way until May. So many smaller problems surely mean that if we can work on even 5 or 6 of them, we can improve relatively quickly - yes?
Whilst the Manager needs to get to it quick-sharp, he did win a League in his first season though - let's not throw all that credit in the Bank out just yet, eh? There is a LONG way to go in this season and whilst it clearly won't be reaching the dizzying heights we had hoped for League-wise, we have had way worse squads in the past with much less hope of salvaging some fun, be that something in the Domestic Cups or a slow upward gradient in Europe, rather than peaking early. Let's just see, eh?
Anyway, that's my thought vomit for the day. Back to conservation and pre-Wedding prep (not mine, thankfully) tomorrow, so probably a "toodle-pip" for now.
Unfortunately, in my lifetime at least, successfully defending League titles isn't really our Bread and Butter, a pattern which doesn't look like it will change. Another minor slump on the cards? Likely. A major slump? I'd like to hope not. Is there some hope? Quite likely - but we'll see.
We've had a few slumps in recent years, typically when we challenge for the League rather than winning it.
Under Klopp we had the 22/23 season, finishing 5th, having finished 2nd in the 21/22 season.
Under Rodgers we had the 14/15 season, finishing 6th, having finished 2nd in the 13/14 season.
Under Benitez we had the 09/10 season, finishing 7th, having finished 2nd in the the 08/09 season.
Now we have the 25/26 season, which on early viewing, has the signs of a similar vibe. Everyone's least favourite word in the footballing dictionary has reared it's ugly head - "transition" is being banded about. The inner trauma-meter is giving a feeling I'd describe as being closest to 09/10 than anything, though that is of course subject to fluctuations, given the rapid capacity for change with football. I remember that for a large chunk of that Summer, I was convinced that we could challenge for a 19th League title and for a 6th European Cup - not that we would win one (or both) but that we could - needless to say that didn't come to pass.
So what's the problem this time around? Well, depending on who you ask, there are multiple problems - maybe even 20-25 problems (or more!?!?) which makes for rather alarming reading. Let's take a little look at some of them, according to the forum, the pundits and the terrifying landscape of social media.
Disrupted pre-season
We know why it happened. It's an awful thing. Has the physical aspect of the disruption impacted our capacity to get into a groove?
Full-backs
We've attempted to go from Trent and Robbo to Kerkez and Bradley (or Frimpong) within a short period. That impacts chemistry with the centre-backs, with the midfield, with the wide players.
The left half-space
So many of our players want to occupy this space. Gakpo cuts into it, Isak loves it, Ekitike loves it, Wirtz did his best work there last season, Mac Allister can drive into it, Kerkez underlaps into it. This will take time to sort out.
Slot won with Klopp's team?
Whilst not entirely untrue, potentially a bit disingenous to Slot. Arne was brought in and seemingly tasked with adding some control and reducing the end-to-end side and it must be said that he succeeded. I don't think he should be discredited just because the move from tweaked Klopp-ball to full Slot-ball hasn't got up and running after 9 League games - but we'll see.
Chemistry/gelling/symbiosis
So many relationships on the pitch aren't clicking just yet, with players seemingly not understanding each other's runs and passing lanes. Will this simply take time or are we seeing the consequences of some misjudged coaching decisions?
Key players lacking fitness
Isak for one looks well off it still, whilst Mac Allister, a key player last season, doesn't look like he's at the races either. Will this come?
Slot doesn't know Best XI
A great strength of ours is a double-edged Sword. We have different options in so many positions (Frimpong and Bradley are chalk and cheese) but the consistent changes seem to be impacting Slot's ability to find his favoured XI.
Slot isn't playing settled side
Linked to the above, but if we aren't playing a relatively settled XI or at the very least a settled back-four, then chemistry is only going to take longer. This is particularly true if you bring a full-back off to put Szoboszlai in at right-back, only to bring a centre-back into the right-back position to get Szoboszlai back into midfield within 10 minutes. No wonder the lads are confused.
Form
Having multiple lads be "off it" at once is a nightmare. This needs to change.
Teams play low block
I don't think this should be used as an excuse, especially as we seemed to have bought a number of lads for dealing with it (Wirtz to unpick locks, two flying full-backs to get around it, Isak and Ekitike to kill chances) but if we keep conceding possession, we're set to be picked off. Perhaps we need a touch of a re-think and to find a defensive platform first?
Early wins lucky
I can see this - no objection to people throwing it out.
Tough opening fixtures
We've not had the easiest time of it in fairness. Without wishing to discredit Arsenal in any way, I think they have already played the League's weakest sides at Home, which are good opportunities to build confidence. We would kill for a Wolves or West Ham at Anfield just now. Can't use it as an excuse mind.
Tactics found out?
I hear a lot that we have been "found out" but I just don't see how a Manager who has won the League in two different countries now (isn't a huge list) will be uncapable of addressing this.
Bad tactics?
We'll need to assess how to address certain things in the League right now. I'll come to this later.
Bad form since March
A concern this - when you look at our points won, goals scored, goals conceded for a number of months now, then it's a touch disconcerting. We certainly need a few good performances soon to find a groove - Arsenal and Frankfurt you'd say were our best this season.
No Guehi
A shame this couldn't be gotten over the line - appears their Manager threatened to walk which swayed it. The issue is only compounded with Leoni being out.
Alisson out, Mamardashvili in
I rate Mama, but he hasn't yet learnt to come off his line the way Ali does to close space. Has made some cracking saves. The biggest issue isn't his fault - our players absolutely, positively HAVE to learn that he is left-footed and pass to him accordingly.
Wirtz
This seems to be one of the most divisive topics since Rafa's merits in his last season (back or keep) or when to phase out Gerrard. I've so much to say on Wirtz and seemingly so does everyone else, one way or another. I think you have to build around him to make it work, but right now that looks a huge call.
Chiesa
Why did Federico take a dump in Slot's Cornflakes? Lad needs to start some games.
Konate
Is that head turned?
No Trent
I think we can cope in a post-Trent World long-term without issue. So few sides have had a passing range from full-back like that historically. Right now, Salah is definitely missing those passes.
Missing Diaz / pressing
Diaz, Jota and Darwin were all press Monsters. It isn't there right now. Will we get it back or are we evolving away from it?
Salah's legs?
Everyone is asking the £400,000-per-week question right now. I don't think he is "done" by any means, but he's the same age Ronaldo was at when he went to Juventus and whilst Ronaldo was still absolutely excellent, Real Madrid didn't miss him.
Changing League style
The long balls, long throws, set pieces and tall players thing seems to be back in vogue throughout the League right now - which doesn't seem to suit how we've bought.
Buying for playing against the low block
We've acquired some small, or tall-but-slim lads with technical prowess with a view to breaking teams down. You need to be absolutely brilliant with your technical game to knock it around the Orcs running you down and we all know it can work (Barcelona, Man City, etc) but right now we look miles off the peak levels required to be reliant upon technical, passing-lane, cohesive brilliance to combat the apparent return of late 90's to mid 00's "Ingurlund" football. Arsenal seem to be head of the curve here, with only 5 of their goals coming from open play in the League this season, putting them 17th for this metric, despite being top of the table.
Slot's hard-on for PSG
He appears to absolutely love how their lads rotate positions in midfield and seems to be trying to emulate that in bits and pieces, which is going to take time. I'm not sure I'm sold on it, though to be fair PSG looked crap in the League phase in Europe last season, only to become a Monster in the knock-out rounds. If we were crap-to-middling until February and then suddenly everything clicked for our long-term future, I'd absolutely take that.
Death of Diogo Jota
Don't think we can underestimate how much his missed presence in day-to-day at the AXA etc will impact players. This will take time.
WHY DID WE BUY HOW WE DID, WHILST EXTENDING THOSE CONTRACTS?
Think the answer is quite obvious here. Those two more years for Alisson and Van Dijk were meant to be the "last hurrah" whilst guiding through an evolving side and that we'd be able to compete for at least one of the Premier League and Champion's League in each of the two seasons. So many sides have to "transition" (we all hate that word) and it seems that we believed we could do it whilst still being really successful. So far that looks misjudged, but we aren't even 25% of the way into the first of those two seasons, so I am hesitant to cast judgement.
THAT WAS ALL A BIT DEPRESSING TO READ SID, SO MANY PROBLEMS!
True - so many problems. I think I've listed 25 or 26 there and they aren't even all of them. So are there any small positives to hang our hats on whatsoever? They're few - but we'll try.
Good players!
Whilst the squad certainly looks massively imbalanced right now, I refuse to believe that we suddenly have a "shite" squad as that is clearly utter bollocks. You'd think that it would only take a couple of decent results and a bit more chemistry to get this lot a little bit more defensively solid, or clinical enough to make up for our shortcomings - or both.
Forward options
I think we have struck gold with Ekitike, think Isak will get into a rhythm later in the season, think Chiesa can play a part, think Gakpo can have purple patches, think Ngumoha has a future here, think Wirtz can provide suitable passes for these players and don't think Salah is (quite) finished yet, though do think we need to utilise him differently.
Salah forcing our hand
A time is going to come where Liverpool don't have Mo Salah on the books. Firmino left, Mane left, Coutinho left.....back further Gerrard left, and lads like Sterling, Sturridge and Suarez left.....back further and Torres, Mascherano and Alonso left......we know the score with Football, you have to change eventually. Whether poor form and a lack of goals forces our hand or the AFCON, we are going, at some stage, to have to find something that doesn't involve Mo Salah. Right not that is difficult because "rotating" Mo Salah is acceptable, whereas "dropping" Mo Salah is a huge media story, so Slot seems hesitant to keep him out for a couple of matches in a row. But if he isn't banging them in to make up for the lack of tracking back, perhaps we'll stumble upon something.
Will it be a 4-4-2 Diamond with flying wing-backs? I know I want to see at least one game that looks something like this, just to see if we can have some joy with it -
...........................Alisson
Frimpong.......Konate.....Van Dijk......Kerkez
.........................Gravenberch
...............Szoboszlai........Mac Allister
..............................Wirtz
....................Isak.............Ekitike
- as I really like the idea of finding a way to get our best three mids on the pitch (when they're fit and in form, which only Szoboszlai is right now) and providing young Wirtz with the safety net and freedom to provide in the attack.
You're often not as a far away as you think
Whilst this is true in the negative sense (looking at your position relative to the relegation zone) I do think we are capable of blowing things out of proportion at times. For all our despair, we're currently 3 points off the side in second. That does nothing to take away the misery of being 7 points off top already in a season where we're meant to be challenging, but I definitely feel there's a World where we can stay within touching distance (or not too far away) from the Champion's League places, only to start to click in the second half of the season and haul ourselves up to 4th (or 3rd) whilst scraping through the Champion's League league phase (as PSG did last season) to potentially have a stab at winning no.7 again. I don't realistically think Big Ears is coming Home this season, but I don't think we can write off reaching the knock-out rounds. February is an age away in footballing terms, so I would take a drawn-out malaise for now if it gets us to a point where players know their roles, we bring the younger lads through and we regain a love for clean sheets even if it takes some time.
I think I'd take entering February in 7th/8th and climbing our way into the Champion's League spots in April and May, with a Champion's League quarter-final (and beyond?) to go with it. It would be one Hell of a deflated Balloon relative to our early season expectations, but I don't think we need to be quite as despondent as we are just now all the way until May. So many smaller problems surely mean that if we can work on even 5 or 6 of them, we can improve relatively quickly - yes?
Whilst the Manager needs to get to it quick-sharp, he did win a League in his first season though - let's not throw all that credit in the Bank out just yet, eh? There is a LONG way to go in this season and whilst it clearly won't be reaching the dizzying heights we had hoped for League-wise, we have had way worse squads in the past with much less hope of salvaging some fun, be that something in the Domestic Cups or a slow upward gradient in Europe, rather than peaking early. Let's just see, eh?
Anyway, that's my thought vomit for the day. Back to conservation and pre-Wedding prep (not mine, thankfully) tomorrow, so probably a "toodle-pip" for now.
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