Liverpool must sack Slot before Chelsea appoint Alonso | OneFootball

Liverpool fans are urging the club to wake up and sack Arne Slot before they lose Xabi Alonso to Chelsea…

Reds fans have taken the 4-2 defeat at Villa as well as you would expect.

Slot cops it, so do the players, while the nightmare scenario plays out before their eyes.

As ever, get your views on any subject in to theeditor@football365.com…

Slot out Thanks for last year Arne..but please f*ck off now, this is approaching Hodgson levels of sh*te.

…This is actually beyond a joke! We have lost as many games as Leeds! Slot can’t coach! He’s taken us so far backwards I would rather we brought Roy Hodgson back and watch that turgid crap! If his first team doesn’t work, just throw all the strikers on and pray for a f*cking miracle! Get this Dutch tool out of the goddamn club!

And Alexis Mac Allister: About as durable as a wet tissue being used after somebody’s had a dodgy curry! I cannot believe the turgid football, the defending, the lack of creativity, the lack of attacking endeavour! Last season was a fluke, last season it is so blindingly obvious it was Klopp’s team and their muscle memory, I feel sorry for Hugo, for Dom, for Rio, for Mo. The rest of them I feel sympathy for but jesus, they’ve either downed tools or they have drunk so much of the Slot Kool-aid that they are staggering around pissed on the pitch…its the only thing that makes any sense! Get rid of the Dutch idiot!

Why not give Will Wright a shot upfront? We know Gakpo is well out of form so he’s pointless! Why not move Gakpo out left and play Dom as a false nine? Why not push Salah as the nine and take that Dutch idiot (Gakpo) off? Why not try some f*cking tactics!!!!!

Jeez I’m mad. Cowlick

…Slot simply has to go. There is nothing other to discuss. Patricio Del Toro

It could get worse Liverpool have 1 point out of a possible 24 from away games against the top 9 this season.

How many more times can we cover the same story? This Liverpool is setting records for being dreadful at the same pace that Mo used to break scoring records.

Slot might take over at Real Madrid next season and he could win 10 European Cups in a row and be talked about as the greatest football manager to have ever existed but I just think he’s lost the crowd to such an extent now; with the mix of terrible football and whatinnthenameofallthatisf*ckingholydidhejustsay sound bites that it’s never going to happen at Anfield. It’s time to move on. I really hope it’s time to move on because the leaks from Hughes and Edwards seem to suggest it’s not time to move on.

And please can this team put it all into that last game to secure champions league football next season. That said watching that defence tonight I don’t think they have enough combined brain power to remember to breathe unless someone tells them to so effectively I’m really just hoping Man City beat them mid week because you wouldn’t back this Liverpool team to do anything other than capitulate in the face of anything resembling a challenge. Minty, LFC

Bet on Bees As if we needed another sign the season was long destined to be doomed, another Liverpool number 8 has lost his footing to drop crucial points at the business end in May. Mark these words now, Brentford to win at Anfield next weekend to finally put paid to this utter sh*tshow of a season. Eric, Los Angeles CA

Generationally bad I’m 68 years old and have loved this team since I was a lad of 8 watching the 1965 cup final with my dad. What I see with this group of players is appalling. No pride in the shirt, commitment is pathetic. Could you imagine Paisley spending the amount of money Slot has and losing 19 games? Watching mistake after mistake week in week out with the same feeble excuses, he is nowhere near strong as a manager to improve this situation next season. He has to go I’m afraid. Leslie

Alonso is right there, lads Why is Liverpool not seriously considering Xabi Alonso? Liverpool have been utter rubbish for most parts of this season, the football is painful to watch and does Arne Slot even knows what’s he doing on the touchline? He looks absolutely clueless on how to extract the most from this team. The football is absolutely painful to watch.

I’ll admit that I am a big fan of Xabi Alonso the player and when he made the move into management I started following his career. I did not watch much Real Sociedad B games but when he joined Bayer Leverkusen I started watching their games. And for those of you that are not familiar with his Bayer Leverkusen team that went invincible, I implore you to watch some of their games in that season. Alternatively watch tactical analysis of Xabi’s Leverkusen team on Youtube. There’s a few decent videos of it. The “never give up” mentality they had. The last minute winners. Mesmerizing exciting attacking football. Jeremie Frimpong’s tireless running up and down the wing for 90 mins. Florian Wirtz the heartbeat of that invincible team. A team that was in danger of relegation before Xabi arrived. And he got them playing like champions. Xabi then went to Madrid and I honestly thought he would do well there. They had a good start to the season, suffered a blip where they drew 3 matches in a row to mid table teams (Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona), lost the Super Copa final 2-3 to Barcelona and was ousted from that basketcase of a club in January due to a combination of Perez not wanting him the first place and player power in the dressing room. And look where Madrid are now. Trophyless for the second season in a row. But that’s a topic for another day.

And we have Slot, who credit where it’s due, won the league last season. We won our first 5 Premier League games and it has basically gone downhill since then. There are mitigating circumstances for Slot with the squad upheaval and Jota’s tragic passing but I just don’t see how the football is going to improve from here on out. And he doesn’t seem to know how to get the best out of Frimpong and Wirtz. But you know who does? Xabi Alonso.

FSG please thank Slot for his service but I don’t think I can take another season of Slot’s football. Thank him for his service and please for the love of God get Xabi in. It has already been reported that Xabi’s first choice is Liverpool. How the f*ck Liverpool is not even considering Xabi Alonso who has the potential to be a generational manager is totally beyond me. Alex, Singapore (I’ll absolutely lose it if he goes to Chelsea)

Fight, fight, fight? I dont agree with a lot of refereeing these days and i hate the fact that wrestling is now part of the game and ignored. But consistency is key. Watkins should’ve been sent off if (and its a big if cause i dont agree with the first yellow) the first yellow is a yellow, the second situation is too. Same game, same player, same ref, same situation. Make it make sense.

Liverpool were jeckyll and hyde. At 0-0 and 1-1 i thought we were going to get it done. Another slip, and suddenly i have to care about the final day.

Personally i dont think Slot can stay. The energy seems off. The thing that irks me the most is the reaction to mistakes and/or going behind. These things happen. Pick yourself up. Fight. Be the player you are. Every time Liverpool concede I see Van Dijk throwing his hands up, head in the air. I see blank faces that just want to get off the pitch. Focus. Fight. 2-1 is not a damming scoreline. But that comes from the top. That’s where I think Slot needs to improve.

All the best to Villa, Emery knows how to win trophies! Nik (UCL pending) Paris

Alexis antics Not sure if you will have a mailbox over the weekend but I was embarrassed for Liverpool seeing their players actively trying to get Watkins sent off and then Mac Allister theatrics to try and get Konsa sent off – he really should be banned for it. Paul

Villa turn up Wowzers. Watching this awesome, free-flowing and marauding Villa performance really makes you appreciate what an unbelievably (literally) great team Spurs must be for beating them so very very easily 2 weeks ago. Mike, WHU

United’s shopping list The greatest gift Carrick has given United fans is a serene end of season, with no jeopardy. The last few years have usually seen some combination of nailbiting and ignominy. So to be in this position with really nothing to fret about and to just enjoy the game is really welcome.

And the icing on the cake which (which we get to both have and eat) is the schadenfreude at the expense of all the Liverpool fans who spent last year giving us gratuitous advice on how clubs should be run and football should be played, on these pages. Let’s hope Slot stays next season.

Which means that we get to indulge ourselves in more idle thoughts such as making a list of one player from each of the other teams I would like to see at Man United. This obviously doesn’t mean that any of these players are available. It’s just a covet list. And it’s not fun if we simply pick the best players, this is really based on what United need at this point. So here goes:

Arsenal – Martinelli. Seems to be permanently in and out of favour with fans and the manager. A tricky left winger with the occasional goal and patches of purple form. We’d take him in a Champions League season.

Aston Villa – Morgan Rogers – not simply picking the best player here, but I think Rogers is the closest thing to a Bruno Fernandes replacement. In the Bellingham v Rogers debate for England, Belingham can get the nod as a better player, but I think Rogers makes others around him better, far more than Bellingham does.

Brentford – Igor Thiago, of course. I know we are ahead of our XG thanks to Casemiro and Cunha’s antics, but a reliable goal scorer in addition to Sesko is going to be a challenge for next year.

Brighton – always liked Mitoma, but right now clearly its Baleba – we’re going to need 3 players in the middle of the park to replace Casemiro!

Bournemoth – A team full of promising talent. Junior Kroupe has a very bright future, but Alex Scott is probably my pick for the same reason as above.

Burnley – Honestly haven’t seen enough or any stand out player, but I’d probably have Tuanzebe back as an auxiliary defender with some versatility, and a player with ties to United. And yes, I’d take him over Mejbri.

Chelsea – a team weirdly full of despicables. If they implemented a no a**holes policy, they’d lose a chunk of their first team. Cole Palmer is no angel but he’s obviously another long term Bruno replacement, and there have been noises. So …

Crystal Palace – Adam Wharton obvs. If you asked me last year it would be Mateta in a heartbeat.

Everton: if James Garner hadn’t just signed a new deal he would be welcomed back, but my pick would be Ndiaye. Seriously good on the ball and a Cunha style player with flair and industry.

Fulham – Robinson has had a mixed year but as a willing runner on the left as a replacement for Shaw, he would make sense.

Leeds – Stach of course – the man has seriously good deadball and distance shooting and would help us overperform XG.

Liverpool – this is a tricky and of course controversial choice. Gakpo has born the brunt for a bad season but he’s the player I’d pick – he’s taken it all and kept playing, hasn’t shirked, and really isn’t a centre forward. His best work is on the left, where we need back up.

Man City – Nico O’Rielly is the player I have really admired this season. What an excellent footballer he has emerged to become. He would be an instant upgrade on the very reliable but ageing Shaw.

Newcastle – going with the obvious here – Guimares would add the bite our midfield need with the class of Mainoo and the skill of Fernandes. Although I’ve always had a soft spot for Harvey Barnes from his Leicester days.

Nottingham Forest – while Anderson will no doubt grab the headlines, I’d be happy with Morgan Gibbs White – who again would be a good playmaker-come-scorer to fill Bruno’s shoes. I’ve heard some whispers about Murillo, but he wouldn’t be my first choice from Forest.

Sunderland – The player who has recently caught my attention is Noah Sadiki – again, as a Casemiro cover.

Tottenham – Djed Spence has been a much better player than Spurs’ season suggests. I suspect that’s weirdly true for a lot of Spurs players.

West Ham – the obvious pick is Summerville, given what I’ve said about our left sided needs. I’ve also been a long term fan of Bowen, and would have loved to see him in a United shirt. But I’ll go wildcard here and say Soucek – just to have a senior player not looking for every minute of every game, who we could throw on for 15 mins to get a headed goal when things are tight. Obviously we’re going to be in for Mateus Fernandes after all of this.

Wolves – Mane is the player who has impressed me early season but Joao Gomes is the one making the gossip pages. Wouldn’t mind either, to be honest.

So there you have it, a list largely comprising midfielders, playmakers, left sided players and goalscorers. That in a nutshell is United’s summer shopping list. Ved Sen, MUFC.

De Ligt’s pain Anyone suffering from long term back pain should look into the work of Dr John Sarno. His central argument is that chronic pain can often have a significant psychological component. In some cases, unresolved emotional stress, childhood trauma, internal pressure, or repressed anger may manifest physically, with the brain effectively converting emotional distress into bodily pain as a protective distraction mechanism.

This does not mean structural issues are never real, or that surgery has no place, but it may help explain why some people continue to suffer even after multiple procedures. Tiger Woods is an excellent example. Given the extraordinary family expectations, public scrutiny, and pressure he experienced from a very young age, it is not surprising that repeated surgeries from the world’s best surgeons did not necessarily resolve his long term wellbeing.

With de Ligt, perhaps the pressure of being the great young Ajax captain has taken its toll. It is notable that the injuries only really began to accumulate after he left Ajax for Juventus. Maybe leaving the comfort of being club captain in his home country to suddenly fighting for his place alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci affected him more than people realised. This is the first time it has been his back though. According to reports, it was something relatively innocuous that initially triggered the problem, and after six months with little improvement surgery has now been chosen as the solution.

If something is structurally serious enough to require surgery, would you normally wait six months in the hope it simply clears up on its own? Or have they simply run out of options because nothing else has worked?

Even if the root cause of the pain were partly psychological, surgery could still provide temporary relief. The concern is whether, without addressing the underlying mental strain, the pain or vulnerability simply returns either in the same place or somewhere else.

I think a lot of supposedly “injury prone” players end up trapped in a cycle where they lose complete trust in their body, which in turn contributes to further injuries. Part of Dr Sarno’s teaching specifically focuses on restoring confidence in the strength of the injured area as part of recovery. If you fundamentally doubt the repair job, chances are the cycle continues.

I just remembered there were reports that he and his wife may have been going through a divorce last year. That kind of thing can absolutely be the straw that broke the camel’s back, no pun intended, and the timing does seem to line up. Hopefully he gets the support he needs.