‘Cocky’ Liverpool will be relegated unless they sack ’embarrassing’ Arne Slot | OneFootball

Arne Slot needs to try something different to help a Liverpool side clearly missing Trent Alexander-Arnold. But grief apparently cannot be used as an excuse.

Send your thoughts on Arsenal, Chelsea, grief and whatever else to theeditor@football365.com.

A memo to Arsenal fans

Quick note to my fellow Gooners from the morning’s Mailbox: we’ve just had perhaps the most satisfying Sunday to Wednesday in our recent history and are certainly watching the best version of Arsenal in 20 years. As part of the enjoyment, you absolutely do not need to write in wondering what some anonymous Internet freak makes of it all.

Hell of a fun week, my liver is screaming at me. Let’s hope we can finish it as well as we started it. Tim

Tasty

Some superb saltiness from Kimmich and the gang after that game; “Oh it’s not real football, Arsenal aren’t the toughest football team, they don’t play it properly” etc etc.

Mate, Bayern had nothing. For all that possession, they looked a threat precisely one time and played a litany of loose balls.

Second half, they couldn’t even do that. We chased them silly, created all the chances and frequently cut through them with ease. Then their headlossess did the work for us.

Poor Neuer, bless him, 39 years old and never been brushed during a set piece before, poor little duckie didn’t stand a chance against nasty, towering Timber.

See you in the knockouts, lads. Tom, Leyton

I was happy hating him

Ashley Cole, take a bow. Thoughtful. Intelligent. Insightful.

I am shamed and I didn’t know he went through his career like that. And he’s still here I got one millionth I d have quit and had a tantrum

It’s compulsory viewing stick to football the man is impressive and I never knew

Watch Roy  Keane shut up and admire someone for an hour and a half

And I might be old school but if I see Roy Keane actively admiring someone, I do. Ivor

The difference between him and Herr Klopp is that Klopp at least came up with solutions; his plan was to have Trent move to DM when we were in possession. Slot is just doing the same thing over and over and hoping it works out. 9 losses in 12 games – newsflash – it ain’t working.

At this point try anything. Teams are just stacking their box when we attack and then leaving two outlets, so we keep getting countered after our shitty crosses have been cleared.

Switch to 3 at the back. Switch to a 4-4-2. Switch to a 5-0-5 if the plan is to only play long balls.

Please start Chiesa. Please drop VVD. I’ve heard Endo and Gomez don’t even wear their matchday kit when on the bench because what’s the point.

Just do something. We were destroyed by a f**king Dutch team.

I get the grieving excuse. But the way it’s going now, we’re gonna get relegated. And then what? “Oh, it’s okay, we were grieving.”

This is why we LFC supporters should always appreciate when it’s going well. But no, we got cocky. Told everyone how great we were going to be.

Now we are the laughing stock again. Reeks of “this year is our year” mentality.

Appalled by our current state. Wik, Pretoria (Kerkez is at least trying), LFC

?The big problem

Are Liverpool missing Trent? I would assume none of the fans would admit it, but watching him for England and Madrid (a bit) he’s never looked like a natural right back, centre mid, or wing back. Just a whole heap of brilliant footballing skills in the wrong shape to fit into the perfect symmetrical jigsaw that we think formations have to be in England.

But Klopp was never fussed about that. Sarah scores the goals – so just stay up front. Trent makes the attack work – get into midfield and down the line as much as possible. Gap at right back? One of the centre mids plus the right centre back keeps their eyes on it. Etc etc. Use the difficulty, as Michael Caine says, make a positive of players’ idiosyncrancies, don’t squash them.

But now Trent has gone, there is a Trent shaped piece missing from Klopp’s team – Bradley, Frimpong, Gomez and Szob don’t fit, and the players connected to it are not doing the same job now – Konate, Sarah and Mac Allister are all playing badly.

Just a thought? Neil Raines

What you sow

I don’t claim to have a crystal ball but I found myself a bit skeptical when Liverpool renewed the contracts of a couple of 30+ year olds, at exorbitant fees.

Extending players contracts for exorbitant sums at that stage in their careers rarely seems to work. Players can now put their feet up and I’m sure it creates some disharmony in the squad. Is it coincidence that the two players who have dropped off the most for Liverpool this season just signed new contracts?

What if Liverpool didn’t renew these contracts at such inflated fees? Where are they going to go? Not to another EPL team. Is Salah going to leave for Saudia Arabia in a World Cup year?

My own team is bleeding cash with the Rashford, Sancho, Casemiro, etc. contracts and they can just phone it in week upon week.  Call Fernandes bluff. You are 30+. You seriously thonk you can maintain the level you need for the World Cup in the Saudi league?

Teams with no huge contract disparities and few superstars, show fight, spirit and all play for each other (i.e. Bournmouth, Sunderland, etc). They may not win the league, or even trophies, but then, neither will we.

Time will tell if MUFC, and other teams, will have learnt this lesson. Adidasmufc  (I’d rather see us 10th playing young hungry players than these slow, old, fat, lazy, overpaid, spineless…)

A salute to all ‘small club’ supporters

As a Liverpool fan spoiled with trophies winning and have expectations to win one or two trophies every seasons. I used to think that what is the enjoyment in watching football for small clubs fans with zero expectation of winning any trophy in a season. Now when Liverpool has forgot how to play football again, I realized that our next match has become a very important one. Maybe Liverpool will win the next match and that is what holding me through this horror season.

It will make me respect small clubs fans more when they celebrate their big wins like winning a trophy because Liverpool next win will be celebrated for me like it is more than one match. Mudashiru LFC Ibadan (No midweek match for Man Utd, pass me the seat for the chairman of all crisis clubs)

Only my way of grieving is right, actually

For the last time lads, what happened to Jota was a tragedy. It’s very sad. Continually suggesting that this is the reason for Pool demise is an utter nonsense though and need to stop.

I get that you’ll use it to hide your many current footballing issues but it’s getting a bit pathetic now.

People die. Naturally, unnaturally, too soon, too late sometimes. It’s sad but that is life and if you’ve not worked it out by now then you’ve not been paying attention.

Jota was a squad player. A nearly first teamer and by all accounts a decent chap. It’s not the massive hole in the squad they are telling us it is.

Are the players sad, shocked and upset? Yes. Probably for a week or so but the pain does get easier.

When my old man died suddenly a few years ago I couldn’t wait to get back to work to distract myself from thinking about it.

When my business partner died before his 30th birthday in a car crash we didn’t sit by and watch our company burn to the ground.

We cried, said goodbye and got on with life.

You get over it because life goes on. I still miss them both. But I don’t mess up work because of it. Dan

Liverpool and the grief angle

As things have turned sour since October, the number of Liverpool fans bringing up Diogo Jota’s death seems to have correlated inversely with their PPG ratio. Now I understand the nature of grief, and the variety of impacts in both the short and long term. For the likes of Andy Robertson, who by all accounts was close to him, I have nothing but sympathy.

However, it does occur to me that Liverpool as a club are no stranger to tragedy – Heysel and Hillsborough were of a horrific scale, and the club bears the scars to this day. You could argue that both of those incidents should have had a more profound impact on the players at the time, as the loss of life and the weight of ongoing public scrutiny must have been exhausting.

Kenny Dalglish has spoken at length about how he was affected by witnessing both of those events. He says he isn’t the same to this day. And you can understand it – I can’t imagine being caught up in a maelstrom of death and controversy which drags on interminably.

BUT, Liverpool went on to win the league in each of the seasons following those disasters. If you look at the 6 year period from 1985-86 to 1990-91 that straddles both stadium incidents, their finishing positions read 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd. As a club, they kept their standards ridiculously high on the pitch while navigating a horrible experience for all involved.

There are all sorts of arguments you could posit for those impacts being different to the Jota death – closer to the players as an individual, players having different temperaments today vs. the 80’s etc. But the “free pass for this season” argument has started to gain some weight as Liverpool’s form goes into freefall, and that seems like taking things a touch too far.

Even if we ignore the fact that these guys are by their nature single-minded, highly paid professionals, there are at least 6 players in that squad who never kicked a ball with Jota on their side. If we stretch the logic to say that they’ve walked into an environment where they’re surrounded by ever-present grief, it still doesn’t excuse their form as they should have personal motivation to excel. Ekitike seems blissfully unaffected while the others struggle miserably – are we supposed to believe he’s completely lacking in empathy while Wirtz, Mamardashvili et al are drowning in it?

Isn’t it possible that the other factors being mooted for their drop off are the more pertinent drivers? Slot looks lost in the face of his first real spell of pressure at a club this big. Van Dijk and Salah are in natural decline and their form is unsettling the lesser players. Their gigantic summer splurge has yielded very little. Tactical and individual errors are flooding in as the scrutiny grows each week.

The on-pitch mess bears a huge resemblance to every implosion I’ve watched at big clubs over the past few years (Chelsea, United and Spurs are all good examples). When things start to sour at clubs that size, the slide gains its own momentum and it takes an almighty effort to turn things around. As hard-nosed as it may seem, the “free pass for this season” talk might be giving some of those players an out that’s prolonging the malaise and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keith Reilly

Whilst there is clearly no denying that the passing of Diogo Jota was a tragedy, for those justifying Liverpool’s current form on the players grieving him, are they aware that he died in July? Before the season started.

Whilst Liverpool were on a great run at the start of the season, it was all ‘the boys are doing it for Diogo’. Fair enough. A quick Google tells me that Liverpool won their first 7 games in all competitions.

Now Liverpool are playing like a pile of dog shite, it has become ‘oh, they are grieving Diogo’. They beat Real Madrid in this period! Did they forget Diogo that day?

Which is it?

Yes, it was very, very sad and my heart goes out to the Jotas. But, are you really telling me all these grown men are only now starting to realise their mate (who is still essentially a work colleague) is dead?

Maybe I’m heartless (OK, I am a bit…) but when my mother passed away sooner than expected, I was a bit sad for a short time and then got on with my life. You know, work and stuff. Did I start doing shit work? No. I am an adult.

Maybe Liverpool’s current situation is that they are simply playing badly and they are not as good a team as everyone made them out to be? Perhaps Arnie Slot isn’t as good a manager as he was made out to be? These things happen.

Form, as they say, is temporary. Stu – Unblinkered (and possibly emotionless) Gooner in France

To be Frenk

Afternoon.   I was fortunate to be at the Chelsea v Barcelona game on Tuesday and was delighted with the result.  but just wanted to explain how good one player was..

Frenkie De Jong.   I was seated high up & pretty much on the half way line, so was afforded a great view, being able to see the whole picture. His energy and movement was superb.  He seemed to cover ever single yard of the pitch and was always involved.  His first touch (always away from pressure) and short passing was excellent.  Despite result for his side, he was very, very good.

It was interesting as I saw quite a few positive reviews for Enzo Fernadez and Neta, yet I thought they were (in general) average on the day.  Enzo in particular.  and Caicedo is an absolute machine when out of possession and made some outrageous runs to cover and win ball back, but his range of passing is (was) dreadful.   I mean really bad. Laughably bad.    I have seen step 3&4 players with a better range of passing.

Reece James is NOT and I cannot stress this enough, is NOT a Centre Midfielder.  He’s not a 360 degree player.  I was watching as closely as I could but he didn’t check his shoulders once.   That is basic 101 CM play.  I cannot recall him receiving on the back foot and turning into space. It was either sideways or set back to CB.   (Caicedo & De Jong on the other hand, check shoulders, receive on back foot, turn into space, drive).

James is of course an outstanding player but he should only ever be in CM when moving in there from RB, within the style/tactics that many teams adopt nowadays.

Chalobah. Pains me to say, as I like him, but he is not good enough for a side who have ambitions to win titles.

Cucarella.  Was the best player on the pitch.  His awareness, anticipation and understanding on how to defend 1v1 against Yamal was incredible.  He never stood still – even when ball on other side of the pitch, he was always ready to pounce should Barca switch ball to Yamal.   and when they did, he was there. In his face and his body positioning when facing him up was perfect.  Was a masterclass on how to defend 1v1 against an elite winger.  Was about as good as it gets for a FB, from a defensive point of view.

and Garnacho.   Chelsea sold Maduake and replaced him with Garnacho.    Utterly bonkers.