All Aboard the Slot Express

[justme]

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is set to stay at the club, despite Ajax being interested in the Dutchman. (Mirror)

[Red October]

It looks like there's been some falling out.

VVD first half v PSV looked like he was trying to get Slot sacked.

Salah got dropped after this game, then had his pr moment shortly thereafter. Seen as a player push against Slot.

Then MacAs pr piece, keeping things to himself, maybe it's teamwork.

We also had Klopp, pop in with some return to footy talk also, and all of the above before new years.

That's some amount of pr pressure imo for Slot to have faced over the season.

Even as Salah & Robbo depart with well earned send offs.
There's swipes around standards, and this with the Isak out news broken via the scum/rag from somewhere.

Slots carried himself fairly well given the pressure.
If he gets only 2 seasons at LFC winning number 20 and falling to CL football the next year, he can walk away proud of his job. Not been an easy season this year.

Alonso would be the right fella for me. He's had the experience of drama at Madrid and knows he has a dressing room to sort out. Worked with Wirtz & Frimpong before.

LFC & Madrid had similar failings this year. Application. Dressing rooms and egos.
What a waste of a season.

Yes it is a lot to carry and many times we as fans can be very harsh on the manager. He's had no luck with injuries this season and probably a lot of the change in personnel wasn't down to him. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. I'd imagine we were under pressure to sell any players who had value so that we could reinvest. It seems like we've tried to do too much in one window and that's not Slot's fault either.

However, having said all that, he's still the manager and has to get a tune out of the players we have. What's been disappointing is that we don't seem to have a clear idea of how we want to play.

If you look at the players we have, there's definitely enough there to get a decent team together even despite the injuries this season. He dropped Ekitike when he was our best player. He persisted with Kerkez when he was struggling. He keeps playing Szob at RB when he's our best midfielder. He keeps playing MacAllister. He keeps playing Gakpo on the wing. Understandably he didn't want to drop Salah but maybe he could have gently eased him out. Playing him every second game or something to manage the ego. I wouldn't blame him for the whole Salah thing personally. Salah has a big ego and it was always to going to be tricky dropping him. What he might have done was move him more centrally and use him more as a 10. Maybe stick Wirtz out on the right if he must.

[jr81]

Salahs comments on sky are concerning. He says his biggest fear is the dropping of standards at the club. When he arrived he didn't see players working out before training or many staying behind after. He said it changed as he would come in early and stay late and the work ethic of all others changed. He now says his biggest fear is a drop of those standards. All the stories about how "light" our training is could be what he is referring to. He is ready seen a drop in the standards and is warning us all.

[Steveo]

I’m amazed that so many are amazed... I really am. I don't know what many of you have been 'watching' all these years... but it was never about us having the best players... we never did. Klopp is on the record saying exactly that. In fact... most of our strongest side doesn't even make Pep's best Premier League 11... and I only say that to highlight what it took and what is actually needed under these owners - to compete.

It was the epic efforts of Jurgen and the right players willing to operate at 110% week in and week out... on the training ground and in the games... that gave us the glory years. HOWEVER... those years were invariably followed up by a crash... and this Boom and Bust is the direct result of penny-pinching owners. They are sat on an asset that has multiplied 14 times... FOURTEEN TIMES what they put in... and they still have us paying back on infrastructure at a record pace.

It's why nutters like me have been bangin' on about it for YEARS... because it was obvious all the way through if you were actually watching. What Salah is saying now equates exactly with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s comments when he first arrived at Klopp's Liverpool... the sheer shock when he found the work involved and the running expected.

In short... we massively over-achieved... and now finally... more than just a few folks have realised why. It wasn't the data anal'ists... it was graft... massive graft and determination to deliver for the manager and the fans... coupled to the belief and courage instilled to go and compete until they dropped. That was it. Yes we landed some great players... but the sum of the parts isn't getting close to 90 points under different management. No chance... no way

[jozza800]

Again, how do we compete without a messianic manager?

[Steveo]

With F$G and their ridiculous model for an 'elite' club... we don't. That simple.

Beyond that... Owners who will actually fund the club relative to its ambition....it's legacy as the nations most successful. Do we need a Roman Abramovic for that..? No... but you do need that passion. Otherwise it really is just a case of wait and hope we strike gold again.

[Steveo]

And sticking to Slot...and his Express..

[CCTV]

I’m amazed that so many are amazed... I really am. I don't know what many of you have been 'watching' all these years... but it was never about us having the best players... we never did. Klopp is on the record saying exactly that. In fact... most of our strongest side doesn't even make Pep's best Premier League 11... and I only say that to highlight what it took and what is actually needed under these owners - to compete.

It was the epic efforts of Jurgen and the right players willing to operate at 110% week in and week out... on the training ground and in the games... that gave us the glory years. HOWEVER... those years were invariably followed up by a crash... and this Boom and Bust is the direct result of penny-pinching owners. They are sat on an asset that has multiplied 14 times... FOURTEEN TIMES what they put in... and they still have us paying back on infrastructure at a record pace.

It's why nutters like me have been bangin' on about it for YEARS... because it was obvious all the way through if you were actually watching. What Salah is saying now equates exactly with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s comments when he first arrived at Klopp's Liverpool... the sheer shock when he found the work involved and the running expected.

In short... we massively over-achieved... and now finally... more than just a few folks have realised why. It wasn't the data anal'ists... it was graft... massive graft and determination to deliver for the manager and the fans... coupled to the belief and courage instilled to go and compete until they dropped. That was it. Yes we landed some great players... but the sum of the parts isn't getting close to 90 points under different management. No chance... no way

Heres a quick combined 11

Alisson
Trent Kompany VVD Robbo
KDB Rodri David/Bastardo Silva
Salah Halaand Mane

Ali, Robbo, VVD, Salah & Mane are definitely the best in their position from the Klopp v Pep era.

#Sorry19noHendo

Again, how do we compete without a messianic manager?

By buying good players and having everyone pulling in the same direction, to the success of LFC.

The quality of squad available to Slot this season was/is on par with last seasons.

The output from the team, miles apart..



In Klopps latter seasons, many of the domestic cup successes were down to the much maligned squad.

We beat Barca 4-0 minus Bobby & Mo, Shaqiri & Origi stepping in when needed and delivering.
Origi the blues destroyer.

This year many of Slots problems are down to star men of last season, including himself, not being on the same page. I expect Slot'll leave in the summer.

Theres some hope/rumours Konate might extend.

Think MacAs played his way to a Real Madrid move

Salah leaves, as does Robbo. Legends.

[CCTV]

Yes it is a lot to carry and many times we as fans can be very harsh on the manager. He's had no luck with injuries this season and probably a lot of the change in personnel wasn't down to him. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. I'd imagine we were under pressure to sell any players who had value so that we could reinvest. It seems like we've tried to do too much in one window and that's not Slot's fault either.

However, having said all that, he's still the manager and has to get a tune out of the players we have. What's been disappointing is that we don't seem to have a clear idea of how we want to play.

If you look at the players we have, there's definitely enough there to get a decent team together even despite the injuries this season. He dropped Ekitike when he was our best player. He persisted with Kerkez when he was struggling. He keeps playing Szob at RB when he's our best midfielder. He keeps playing MacAllister. He keeps playing Gakpo on the wing. Understandably he didn't want to drop Salah but maybe he could have gently eased him out. Playing him every second game or something to manage the ego. I wouldn't blame him for the whole Salah thing personally. Salah has a big ego and it was always to going to be tricky dropping him. What he might have done was move him more centrally and use him more as a 10. Maybe stick Wirtz out on the right if he must.

Theres loads Slot could have done, but he's carried himself fairly well all things considered.

I think he'll be gone in the summer. It’s just gotten that sour and flat, and Alonso is expected.

[RedMagic]

Theres loads Slot could have done, but he's carried himself fairly well all things considered.

I think he'll be gone in the summer. It’s just gotten that sour and flat, and Alonso is expected.

Slot has carried himself well? Really?

I'd say he's done the exact opposite. He's made countless errors this season yet he has failed to acknowledge them. He has told opposition teams how to play against us, he has made more and more excuses as the season has progressed, with some of those excuses being quite ludicrous, and he has become increasingly tetchy.