goodrobotusses

Would have been better had we moved the ball at a fraction of the speed along the backline, and then at the point Mane had the ball on the left and cut inside, he ignored the run on his outside, didn't backheel it into Firmino's path, and instead blammed a shot into the defender's shins.

Meanwhile we have that ex-Arsenal rat devouring us from the inside out like a parasitic wasp larva.

One of the greats. Will be a really sad day when he goes and another leader lost. The team has needed regeneration, not arguing against that, but do worry we're losing a bit of the X factor the Klopp team had, personality- and character-wise.

It's okay, he had concussion.

United appear to have hired Southgate's assistant to assist Carrick…

I think they blew their wad for the year in the second half of last summer. Wirtz, Frimpong and Kerkez (plus Chiesa) were the PSR 2024-25 period signings (up to June 30, 2025), and the second tranche (Ekitike, Leoni, Isak) were this PSR year's budget (up to June 30, 2026) minus the Guehi money. So if we sign anyone, it'll be for the Guehi money or that plus a sale.

According to Ian Graham, the recruitment team were desperate to pursue Alexis Sanchez as the Suarez replacement, but Rodgers dragged his heels, which allowed Arsenal the time to get to the front of the queue. Benteke was also very much a Rodgers buy. The club didn’t want him, as they felt a target man wouldn’t suit our style of play, but Rodgers had been banging on about him for two years. We even signed Lambert as a cheap target man trial run, but his lack of impact still didn’t persuade Rodgers otherwise. That’s how we ended up in the “one for you, one for me” situation of the club’s recruitment bringing in Firmino and Rodgers finally getting Benteke in the same summer. God, Rodgers was a bell.

Arsenal are gonna be the worst PL winners in years. Good at three things: defending, set pieces and falling over at any touch. And Martinelli should have been booted into the stand there, the prick.

Nah, not a train I can get on unless it’s Klopp, and even then it could be a s***show if he does well but doesn’t want to stay after the season is out. All the other candidates are a no-go IMO.

Probably not fair to use Klopp as a cudgel with which to beat Slot, but the team was often more than the sum of its parts under Klopp. Even relatively moderate players could be part of a collective that put the s***s up opponents. Whereas you feel that Slot believes the parts equal the sum, and those lesser players shouldn’t be used unless absolutely necessary.

That’s appalling. Whether it’s fitness or instruction, that’s appalling. Also notable how similar it is to Maresca’s Chelsea, who also have had a lot of sterile possession and a style of football the fans don’t enjoy.

Said a couple of days ago that I’m reserving opinion on Edwards and Hughes until we’ve had a couple more windows and another coaching appointment, but if we were to miss out on the best possible Slot replacement because he wanted more of a say in club matters, that judgement might accelerate. PSG only became this PSG after Luis Enrique was granted a squad without galacticos and their egos and laziness.

This is the thing that is maddening. We are so slow in all phases of the game. We attack like we’re in a queue waiting for a spot at the checkout. “No, no, you go ahead, you’re only buying a loaf of bread.”

This is the most alarming thing this season. That stat about how much more teams are going long against us than against other teams shows that opposition coaches have figured that’s a particular weakness of ours/our system. Slot’s job is to figure out how to beat that approach, and his answer so far seems to be by making us as sterile and risk-averse as possible. But what’s the next step? If he can’t find it, revealing he only has one way of doing things, he’s toast.

To be honest, I could see the difference from the off. In that first half against Ipswich we played the now-familiar side-to-side passing back and forth along the defensive line with the full-backs narrow. Then we opened up second half and TAA started hitting balls into space — that was Klopp-like LFC. It felt like the effective stuff last season was based around TAA getting the ball forward quickly to Salah in space, quick counter-attacks and transitions. The sterile stuff was what was different, the thing that seemed to be more Slot’s thing. Which, in fairness to Slot, did make us more stable and did conserve energy so we remained strong into the second half of games (at least until around February, when we started to tire due to lack of rotation). The hybrid worked. But now TAA is gone and we’re just pure stodge.

My impression of our football last season was quite a lot of no-risk sterility mixed with moments or bursts of really good attacking play, particularly after the half-time adjustments. This season opened with what seemed to be an attempt to up the amount of attacking but it was completely unstable so we’ve been fed a gruel of 95% no-risk sterility since then. We’re probably a bit spoiled by how much exciting football there was under Klopp, but honestly I see more of Benitez in Slot than he’d probably admit himself.

This is the impression I get in Germany too. But, you know, when you come second in your class at the DFB coaching academy to Domenico Tedesco, you’ve got the chops to back up your words.

Surely that’s Colwill when he’s back from injury next season.

As Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until Palace away.”

All well and good, but he and his teams are still not particularly impressive. Tuchel can at least point to a CL win at Chelsea. Still wouldn’t want either for LFC, either way, even if they weren’t busy at the WC until mid-July.

Honestly think Nagelsmann is seen as some potentially elite coach because he started so young, but I’ve never been overly impressed by any of his teams. There seems to be a habit post-Klopp of generally overrating German coaches, but Klopp was a one of one. Tuchel is better than JN IMO but seems like a cup manager and an oddball.

I reckon so too. They’d be mad to hire Maresca. IMO the only serious candidates worth pursuing if Slot goes are him, Alonso or a Klopp return. Think the others out there are sub-par and keep us a CL-qualifying team rather than one that aims to win the PL and CL.

PSG also don’t have/use a player like Wirtz, which made the “PSG is the model” line used in summer all the more confusing when we bought him. If anything, PSG are like a turbo-charged mix of the best of Klopp and Guardiola: great attacking full-backs; attackers who are quick, can beat a man but press like psychos; three CMs who are great at moving the ball but also cover the space vacated by the full-backs and wingers. We’re nothing like them this season.

Short for Chelsea!

Without having even seen the rumours, I think there’s enough evidence to show he’s from the more Mourinho school of squad building. If a kid has shown he is already at the level, he’ll use him, but don’t think he has much time for kids who could develop with game time. If Bradley hadn’t already put in a bunch of good first team performances under Klopp, he might not be a first team player now.