Slot

[Steveo]

You could see last season as the dying kicks of Klopp's team. We all knew we needed a rebuild are were praying that Salah and VVD would stay fit. Thankfully they did and we had the mentality, as you say, to get through. Reminds me a bit of Fergie's last few seasons: the team wasn't great and you could see the Fergie was the one pushing them to achieve. When he left they collapsed.

Yep and still don’t know how the hell they won that 20th title. They weren’t even the 3rd best team in the league. 89 sodding points… Same total they got the year before and missed out to City on. They flayed themselves and the net result was Gollums fate…

[Kev0909]

posted in another thread but it's better here


FSG& The team have basically fucked up, we should've been doing more previous windows not just one window.... and the harsh fact is we still need about 4 players CB CDM LW... probably another CB and RW this time next season too.

we've known we need another top body in the middle, we've known we need another top CB we know the likes of salah,VVD,robbo coming to a end... why try sort everything in one window?? too many changes is going to cause a shitstorm

Is it the managers fault, fsg or what ??

and now what's the plan?? I'm guessing we're going to be limited to how much we can spend over the next few seasons... any team in saudi fancy bidding 100m for salah?

[Insidious]

why try sort everything in one window?? too many changes is going to cause a shitstorm

Is it the managers fault, fsg or what ??

and now what's the plan??

Have popped into the forum for 5 minutes - suspect I'll do the occasional longer post once a month or something in here, but my usage overall will likely be pretty sporadic/sparse.

I might do a lengthy thread intro post in future, on the amount of change, which, in my limited opinion, is about a few things.

Firstly, an attempt at a transitional phase whilst still remaining competitive - hence keeping Van Dijk and Salah.

The club seems to believe we can make big changes whilst still having a chance at the one or two of the four "elite" trophies we can try to win while they're still here in the next 2 seasons. There are 2 Champion's Leagues and 2 Premier Leagues to have a stab at before they (probably) depart and the club seems to feel we can integrate full-backs, a young keeper, a young centre-back, a young Trequartista whilst still being there or thereabouts with the bigger pots. Not a great start so far in terms of performance, but if we treat that as a 24-month spell, I'd happily take 7-10 months of teething trouble if we become an elite outfit (with a considerable drop in average age) further down the line in the remaining 14-17 months. No guarantees though - we could as easily fail as win.

Secondly, the blueprint/model change. Slot appears to be somewhat obsessed with the 24/25 PSG side and I am not surprised to see hints of emulation with us - rotation in midfield positions in the game, issues with misplaced passes as individuals try to grasp new roles/positioning and we lose the muscle memory of Klopp's years and of last season etc - pressing triggers etc seem way off, so we're clearly working on new bits and pieces. All adds up.

Then Richard Hughes and David Woodfine (under Michael Edwards) seem to also have identified (recent) PSG as a good template and seem keen to address an issue we had last season in terms of firepower. We often won matches by a single goal, whereas we have seen sides like PSG and Man City have matches wrapped up by 60-70 minutes via being 2-0 or 3-0 up. Slot has been entrusted with working with an.....unusual.....balance of players and it will take time. Besides the attacking intent, we are dealing with the fact that -

Isak likes the left half-space.
Ekitike likes the left half-space.
Wirtz likes the left half-space.
Gakpo likes to cut inside and drift into the left half-space.
Robertson and Kerkez will both underlap into the left half-space when Gakpo mixes it up by hugging the touchline.

This compounds other issues, such as individuals in poor form, our defensively weaker right-hand side, Salah forgetting he's a footballer and so on.

If we're committed to the change, then we should commit 100% and play through an uncomfortable period for the benefit of the years to come - in my view. I totally understand here-and-now thoughts mind. Ideally we can manage both.

Lastly, you touched on something in another thread that I think I might (?) have mentioned in pre-season on here, can't remember, but regularly chat to a mate about - and strongly agree with you on as a prospect for some matches - a Diamond.

I'd be all over (not every match) using -

..................Grav
..........Szob......Mac
...................Wirtz

With mix-and-match strike partnerships of Isak and Ekitike, Salah and Ekitike, Salah and Isak, etc and the likes of Chiesa or Gakpo being able to play in almost any of the Wirtz/Isak/Ekitike roles for the sake of rotation. Kerkez and Frimpong can take turns to bomb forward (not both at once) while Mac covers the gap on the left, Szoboszlai the gap on the right. We would be narrow, so it's not without flaw - but could definitely work for certain games.

Anywho, life's a bit wild at the mo - probably pop my head in some time near the Man United match or the European game after if energy/urge permits.

Later dudes.

[CCTV]

@CCTV

Comparison with the Last Decade's Champions
To put a title win with 84 points into perspective, let's look at the points totals of the Premier League winners over the past ten seasons:

Season Winner Points
2023/24 Man City 91
2022/23 Man City 89
2021/22 Man City 93
2020/21 Man City 86
2019/20 Liverpool 99
2018/19 Man City 98
2017/18 Man City 100
2016/17 Chelsea 93
2015/16 Leicester 81
2014/15 Chelsea 87

84 points is great - but most of us know why it was enough. And it cost us in the other competitions - as Slot has admitted.. 84 points only wins the title the year the Foxes won it.

Worth noting that Brendan Rodgers Liverpool took 84 points in 2013/14 and second place - and within 15 months he was sacked.

After 34 games in 2024/25 Cituae had 61 points & Arsenal 67 & LFC 82.

After 34 games in 2023/24 Cituae had 79 points & Arsenal 77 & LFC 74.

After 34 games in 2022/33 Cituae had 82 points & Arsenal 78 & LFC 59.

After 34 games in 2021/22 Cituae had 83 points & Arsenal 63 & LFC 82.

After 34 games in 2020/21 Cituae had 80 points & Arsenal 49 & LFC 57.

After 34 games, Slots LFC had comparable points with every other Premier league winners above, namely Cituae.
Klopp could have won in 2021/2022, needed to beat citaue. And in 2023/2024 that could have been anyone of the 3 in fairness in what was a var crazy season. Arteta/Saka might have won it in 2022/23.
The idea our final points total is down to the quality of last seasons team and squad is bollix.
We were on the beach quite literally in Ibiza celebrating, and dropped 10 points out of 12 in our last 4. Out of the CL & FA cup....

Slot ballsed up around PSG. The Southampton selection, PSG at Anfield. The team smashed spurs to win the league, all had a decent time and season ultimately. Our lads were literally on the beaches in Ibiza during our PL end of season run. And you know what with Jotas tragic passing, just as well they had number 20 wrapped up with weeks to go. Not disregarding his death but at least the lads got to celebrate it, even before the parade incident and the Jotas passing tragically.

No - nobody is diminishing the title. But 83 points the season we won it with 99 wouldn't indicate a monster team at all. in fact going out of the CL v Atletico and taking 83 points would have been seen as a significantly less impressive season as the season prior.


I am saying it - we were not that special last season. You went to games right? I did - I didn't get to too many games but saw us live 4 times - and at best we were decent, never special and often matched by relatively ordinary opposition. The team had the smarts and the mentality to win the close games. That's it. The Palace away game - was dour and could have gone either way. The home game v Leicester probably the best we looked and even then... it was as you expect any Liverpool side to handle such a weak side. The game v little Bologna was just poor. My first game post Klopp and they more than matched us. As the away side in Europe - they not only out sung the Kop but they played to my eye the better football. We were not close to the same level as we had been in 2019 or 2020 or 2022 - Not close in fact and no better than we had been the season prior with a huge injury list and a totally new starting midfield.

You can only beat what is in front of you and last season we did just that. However - imo Arsenal had a significantly stronger/deeper squad than we did. Arteta's players were not Klopp players tho, just as Arteta is not and never will be a match for Jurgen Klopp. They had no title winning pedigree in their ranks and no mentality monsters. Slots team (left to him by Jurgen) had every ounce of that PLUS a midfield 4 (4 counting Endo) with its first season under its belt at a new club - 3 of them in a new league.

We took 84 points without any real threat. City vanished 20 points down and despite the fact most on here want to sweep it under the carpet Arsenal with a mountain of injuries and no striker.

Now it is debatable either way as to whether it is easier to make 84 points without a rival breathing down your neck or with no challenge in sight. But I know where my money is.

Last season - we had:
ZERO expectation
Settled squad with no signings whatsoever bar a player Slot refused to use.
City devoid of any impetus to win ANYTHING at all.
Arsenal's campaign severely hampered by a relentless string of significant injuries to their most important players, while we had a relative clean bill of health.


Decisive factors in why our 84 points was attainable and enough imo.

Doesn't diminish anything - and every season some teams suffer injuries and others escape unscathed. Arsenal might have had no injuries and took less points - nobody knows BUT a weaker Arsenal the season prior in a more competitive year took 89 points and came second.

cry harder fam

You didn't concede the league was done, forever. And took a whole day off before forgetting that success. Here you are belittling the side and performance. Psg under Enrique are still a damn good side.

Klopp impressed in his first season. Built an incredible side, and won number 6 & 19. Could and should have won more.

Slot smashed it in his 1st season. Winning number 20. He's in his second season, 1 point off Arsenal after playing 7 PL games. The gap last season was built prior to any injuries at Arsenal. Your reality is absolute bollocks.

You slated the squad last summer September and earned the moniker ArtetaFamTV....

This season.

LFC Played
Bournemouth (h), Toon (a), Arsenal (h), Burnley (a), Everton (h), Palace (a), Chelsea (a)

Arsenal Played
Manu (a), Leeds (h), LFC (a), Forrest (h), Cituae (h), Toon (a), Westham (h)

***Now using BPF's method, assigning league position rank to opponents.*****

LFC played
1,4,6,7,8,11,18=55
Average rank 7.86th place

Arsenal played
2,5,10,11,15,17,19=79
Average rank 11.29th place

That BPF method suggests we've had a harder start than Arsenal. So you shouldn't get carried away just yet fam