Football 2025-26

[charlierc]

3 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

I actually thought Southampton just looked a lot better than Leicester did on the eye test. Point total was awful for a long time but they looked like they might be capable of building on it to come back up and be competitive, while Leicester were just awful.

Tbf I was surprised by the amount of people who thought Leicester would bounce straight back up this time. Their performances after appointing van Nistelrooy in particular were awful, they had no money, the squad looked much weaker than it did 2 seasons ago and there was the risk of a points deduction. Even if they had their 6 points back, they'd still be down at the bottom end of the Championship and not 100% safe.

 

Ipswich were the one of the 3 I thought looked likeliest to come back up. As @pink_triangle said, Southampton were on the back foot thanks to Will Still and there was also a period with their current boss when they went 7 games without a win. But yeah, the more this season has gone, the more they look pretty together and that they have something that they can work with.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

The reasons/excuses for Liverpool’s shocking “performances” this season are hilarious. I saw it late last season, before the transfers. The team is getting worse by the game and it’s totally down to Slot. Tactically inflexible, undertrained players leading to lack of match fitness, excessive holidays during the season (him and the squad), no connection to the City, club, players or fans (doesn’t work for a Liverpool manager), no passion or charisma etc 

See I think its an oversimplification to say Slot is the only factor. Of course he is one, and I expect he will be sacked if Liverpool don't qualify for next season's Champions League. It's also fair to question on whether achieving CL qualification by itself is enough. I would also put to Slot a question on why he's tried to copy PSG's tactical approach in a league that doesn't allow teams to control games in the way they can do in France with a budget higher than everyone else (he has said on multiple occasions he wanted to emulate what PSG can do, hence why this can be questioned).

 

However, there's more to it than that imo. Several key players have not been up to the level they showed last season, a lot of the new signings have failed to show the promise they showed at other clubs, all of them have been in games this season where they've looked like they can't be arsed and the recruitment department's choices last year have created what is on paper a pretty unbalanced squad. If I were a Red, that would give me doubts on whether they've justified getting free reign to plot what will almost certainly be yet another expensive rebuild in the summer. Losing Alexander-Arnold when he was so integral to a lot of attacking build-up also hurt more than it looked at the time.

 

I thought about this after something I watched the other week, but I think you could question if, in modern football, managers are as integral to teams as they used to be given the amount of people above and beneath them involved in sculpting what a team looks like, and how at a lot of clubs, the manager is just a head coach rather than a Fergie or Wenger type who does the lot.

 

I'm not here saying Slot is some kind of wronged managerial hero who should have all the time in the world - he's clearly not doing good enough right now. But its not a vacuum where that's the only problem. It's like me blaming Liverpool's poaching of Isak for why Newcastle are doing badly this season - sure, it's a big factor, but there's more to it than that.

Edited April 5 by charlierc

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, charlierc said:

However, several key players have not been up to the level they showed last season, a lot of the new signings have failed to show the promise they showed at other clubs, all of them have been in games this season where they've looked like they can't be arsed

Again in my opinion largely down to Slot’s inability to manage and motivate 

[thetime]

5 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Again in my opinion largely down to Slot’s inability to manage and motivate 

 

Proof in the pudding next season, when Alonso comes in. Salah gone, Dijk on the wane and 35 in July and Alisson coming up to 34. 

 

Perhaps Alonso will get consistency from Wirtz. 

[lost]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

 

Perhaps Alonso will get consistency from Wirtz. 

 

It does feel like the prem pays "sure thing" money for bundesliga signings when history generally shows that isn't the case. Sancho, Nkunku, Simons, Werner, Malen all came with similar reputations.

[kaosmark2]

5 hours ago, Skip997 said:

The reasons/excuses for Liverpool’s shocking “performances” this season are hilarious. I saw it late last season, before the transfers. The team is getting worse by the game and it’s totally down to Slot. Tactically inflexible, undertrained players leading to lack of match fitness, excessive holidays during the season (him and the squad), no connection to the City, club, players or fans (doesn’t work for a Liverpool manager), no passion or charisma etc 

Liverpool aren't my team and I saw a bunch of these problems last season. Alexis MacAllister has looked knackered since February 2025 and still hasn't recovered, and I mentioned last season how there was no rotation of the midfield 3 leading to that. I don't think everything is down to Slot at all, but he's clearly part of the problem.

 

4 hours ago, charlierc said:

See I think its an oversimplification to say Slot is the only factor. Of course he is one, and I expect he will be sacked if Liverpool don't qualify for next season's Champions League. It's also fair to question on whether achieving CL qualification by itself is enough. I would also put to Slot a question on why he's tried to copy PSG's tactical approach in a league that doesn't allow teams to control games in the way they can do in France with a budget higher than everyone else (he has said on multiple occasions he wanted to emulate what PSG can do, hence why this can be questioned).

 

However, there's more to it than that imo. Several key players have not been up to the level they showed last season, a lot of the new signings have failed to show the promise they showed at other clubs, all of them have been in games this season where they've looked like they can't be arsed and the recruitment department's choices last year have created what is on paper a pretty unbalanced squad. If I were a Red, that would give me doubts on whether they've justified getting free reign to plot what will almost certainly be yet another expensive rebuild in the summer. Losing Alexander-Arnold when he was so integral to a lot of attacking build-up also hurt more than it looked at the time.

 

I thought about this after something I watched the other week, but I think you could question if, in modern football, managers are as integral to teams as they used to be given the amount of people above and beneath them involved in sculpting what a team looks like, and how at a lot of clubs, the manager is just a head coach rather than a Fergie or Wenger type who does the lot.

 

I'm not here saying Slot is some kind of wronged managerial hero who should have all the time in the world - he's clearly not doing good enough right now. But its not a vacuum where that's the only problem. It's like me blaming Liverpool's poaching of Isak for why Newcastle are doing badly this season - sure, it's a big factor, but there's more to it than that.

 

I got criticised for saying Salah doesn't do much for 80-85 minutes of a game and his performances are getting padded by penalties, but I think that's showing a lot now. Bear in mind Klopp had fallen out with Salah in his final season for not pressing enough. I think Salah's downturn this season was predictable. Losing players like Diaz and Jota who did a lot of pressing work didn't help at all either, and adding in Wirtz/Isak who aren't intensive pressers without adding more cover for Gravenbach to rotate adds to the exhausted midfield problem that was already there. And as you say, TAA was important to attacking build-up, and while he stepped forward out of full-back, he was also often covering midfield duties.

 

The drop off of Konate/Van Dijk was harder to see coming though, and Allison's injuries have been worse, but Salah/MacAllister/Robertson/Gravenbach and a lack of pressing from the front line I think was somewhat predictable, it's just the huge transfer spend and the glamour of big attacking signings meant people thought there would be a positive refresh not a transitional season.

[charlierc]

15 hours ago, lost said:

 

It does feel like the prem pays "sure thing" money for bundesliga signings when history generally shows that isn't the case. Sancho, Nkunku, Simons, Werner, Malen all came with similar reputations.

Tbf my club spent big cash on Woltemade which even the Germans who watched him thought was a bit of a gamble on our part. Shame as he started really well but has been over used and now just looks knackered, as well as the odd situation where Eddie Howe wants him to be a central midfielder instead of the striker we signed him to be.

 

Tbf it tends to be a 50/50 thing on whether a signing works out and there have been good arrivals from the Bundesliga. But it is definitely a curiosity that the flop rate seems higher. Indeed, I actually think there's more of a success of players going from Ligue 1 to the Premier League, even if that thought is based on vibes as much as any coherent analysis.  

[charlierc]

12 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Liverpool aren't my team and I saw a bunch of these problems last season. Alexis MacAllister has looked knackered since February 2025 and still hasn't recovered, and I mentioned last season how there was no rotation of the midfield 3 leading to that. I don't think everything is down to Slot at all, but he's clearly part of the problem.

 

I got criticised for saying Salah doesn't do much for 80-85 minutes of a game and his performances are getting padded by penalties, but I think that's showing a lot now. Bear in mind Klopp had fallen out with Salah in his final season for not pressing enough. I think Salah's downturn this season was predictable. Losing players like Diaz and Jota who did a lot of pressing work didn't help at all either, and adding in Wirtz/Isak who aren't intensive pressers without adding more cover for Gravenbach to rotate adds to the exhausted midfield problem that was already there. And as you say, TAA was important to attacking build-up, and while he stepped forward out of full-back, he was also often covering midfield duties.

 

The drop off of Konate/Van Dijk was harder to see coming though, and Allison's injuries have been worse, but Salah/MacAllister/Robertson/Gravenbach and a lack of pressing from the front line I think was somewhat predictable, it's just the huge transfer spend and the glamour of big attacking signings meant people thought there would be a positive refresh not a transitional season.

When we beat them in the Carabao final last year, it definitely did have the sense that insufficient rotation meant we were playing them at a good time as everyone was just knackered. Feels like some teams can just manage European commitments better, even moreso with the bulked up Champions League. 

 

That right side of TAA, Henderson and Salah really worked because the first two could do all the dirty work on the right flank and leave Salah as the luxury player up top who just had to focus on scoring goals. To a degree they had that in the first two thirds of last season, but it seems like Slot wanted something more like a 4-2-3-1, where the number 10 becomes the attacking fulcrum and Salah's position now has requirements that don't suit him. Admittedly, it's been noted that wingers in general in the Premier League aren't scoring as much this season across the board and there seems to be a shift back to big strikers or set pieces like football had 20+ years ago. 

 

Certainly, I was surprised at the amount of people who had Liverpool as title favourites. Yes, they'd just won the league and signed lots of talented players but to me, it just felt like they had an unbalanced squad. Only 3 CBs and a lack of options in left wing both felt like trouble waiting to happen. It's why I think the recruitment department has to carry the can too. 

[kaosmark2]

5 hours ago, charlierc said:

When we beat them in the Carabao final last year, it definitely did have the sense that insufficient rotation meant we were playing them at a good time as everyone was just knackered. Feels like some teams can just manage European commitments better, even moreso with the bulked up Champions League. 

 

That right side of TAA, Henderson and Salah really worked because the first two could do all the dirty work on the right flank and leave Salah as the luxury player up top who just had to focus on scoring goals. To a degree they had that in the first two thirds of last season, but it seems like Slot wanted something more like a 4-2-3-1, where the number 10 becomes the attacking fulcrum and Salah's position now has requirements that don't suit him. Admittedly, it's been noted that wingers in general in the Premier League aren't scoring as much this season across the board and there seems to be a shift back to big strikers or set pieces like football had 20+ years ago. 

 

Certainly, I was surprised at the amount of people who had Liverpool as title favourites. Yes, they'd just won the league and signed lots of talented players but to me, it just felt like they had an unbalanced squad. Only 3 CBs and a lack of options in left wing both felt like trouble waiting to happen. It's why I think the recruitment department has to carry the can too. 

Lack of DMs as well. They covered it last season by having the same 3 8s doing good defensive work between them, but by adding in Wirtz and getting less pressing from the wings (selling Diaz), that furthers the imbalance. I rate Wirtz highly and think he is a player you can build a team around, but part of that is signing a high quality defensive mid to enable him. 

[thetime]

8 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

I rate Wirtz highly and think he is a player you can build a team around, but part of that is signing a high quality defensive mid to enable him. 

 

I also rate him very highly, fully expect him to fly next season if as expected Alonso arrives. 

 

 

 

 

[charlierc]

3 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Lack of DMs as well. They covered it last season by having the same 3 8s doing good defensive work between them, but by adding in Wirtz and getting less pressing from the wings (selling Diaz), that furthers the imbalance. I rate Wirtz highly and think he is a player you can build a team around, but part of that is signing a high quality defensive mid to enable him. 

Wirtz has moments where he looks like a brilliant player but yeah, as happens when you have creative players who are there to be creators rather than the kind of player who can do it all, you need a high action pressing player to compliment them, and they don't have that.

 

Maybe that'll be on the list for whomever is in charge in the summer. 

[Gnomicide]

Slot's Liverpool have played Alonso teams twice in the last two seasons and come out on top both times. I'm not convinced he's the right man for the job, I doubt very much it's Gerrard either. 

 

Salah's drop off has been remarkable. You can put that down to not having Trent behind him but he was phenomenal for most of last season, not just his goals, but assists too. He's still getting chances but it's like all confidence has gone. That chance he had against City went out for a throw-in. 

[kaosmark2]

9 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

Slot's Liverpool have played Alonso teams twice in the last two seasons and come out on top both times. I'm not convinced he's the right man for the job, I doubt very much it's Gerrard either. 

The work Alonso did at Leverkusen was excellent, but his reputation is largely off his first 2 seasons there. The Real stuff is weird, that club has only really had 2 properly successful managers in about 20 years (Zidane/Ancelloti).

 

If things don't go well at Liverpool his reputation will take quite a hit, but I think writing him off based off those games and an awkward stint at Real Madrid where he had no influence on signings is a bit silly. He built a team that went invincible in a season and broke Bayern's hegemony over the Bundesliga.

[Skip997]

1 hour ago, Gnomicide said:

Slot's Liverpool have played Alonso teams twice in the last two seasons and come out on top both times. I'm not convinced he's the right man for the job, I doubt very much it's Gerrard either. 

 

Salah's drop off has been remarkable. You can put that down to not having Trent behind him but he was phenomenal for most of last season, not just his goals, but assists too. He's still getting chances but it's like all confidence has gone. That chance he had against City went out for a throw-in. 

That was the other Liverpool, before Slot completely broke them.

 

Gerrard is definitely not the long term solution, but he may be able to inspire them for a few games. Said it before but to Slot it’s just another job, this doesn’t work at Liverpool. You have to embrace the culture and the city. You have to have a good connection with the fans and club or else develop one. You certainly can’t effectively keep living in another city. No idea if Alonso is the answer, but he’d definitely change the atmosphere at Anfield 

[Gnomicide]

1 hour ago, kaosmark2 said:

...but I think writing him off based off those games and an awkward stint at Real Madrid where he had no influence on signings is a bit silly.

 

Yeah, I was being a bit flippant. It's more his time at Real that would worry me than those two specific games. It seems a lot of fans think he'd come in like some sort of messiah, who knows, maybe Real was a step too far.

[pink_triangle]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

That was the other Liverpool, before Slot completely broke them.

 

Gerrard is definitely not the long term solution, but he may be able to inspire them for a few games. Said it before but to Slot it’s just another job, this doesn’t work at Liverpool. You have to embrace the culture and the city. You have to have a good connection with the fans and club or else develop one. You certainly can’t effectively keep living in another city. No idea if Alonso is the answer, but he’d definitely change the atmosphere at Anfield 

The trouble is you give Gerrard the job and he makes a good go at it, the pressure is then huge to give him the job for next season. I think the only time you consider giving Gerrard the job is if you are in a position earlier in the season where a change is forced, such as when Kenny came in for Hodgson with half the season still to go. I think you let this season play out and pick the best person in the summer.

[thetime]

24 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

The trouble is you give Gerrard the job and he makes a good go at it, the pressure is then huge to give him the job for next season. I think the only time you consider giving Gerrard the job is if you are in a position earlier in the season where a change is forced, such as when Kenny came in for Hodgson with half the season still to go. I think you let this season play out and pick the best person in the summer.

 

I think the 100m they will lose on no champions league, getting gerrard in for 6/7 games might give them enough bounce.

 

 

[lost]

Issue with Wirtz for me is Szoboszlai. Szoboszlai deserves that play maker role on current form so you play Wirtz out of position and he looks poor or you play Szoboszlai out of position and he gets frustrated and the R.Madrid rumours then become more likely.

 

Wirtz and Isak both felt like luxury signings when Liverpool needed a holding midfielder and maybe two centre backs instead. You can't hold that over Slot as apparently he doesn't get much of a say in signings.

 

Edited April 7 by lost

[pink_triangle]

9 hours ago, thetime said:

 

I think the 100m they will lose on no champions league, getting gerrard in for 6/7 games might give them enough bounce.

 

 

Then he gets the job next season and his “passion” approach gets found out and they miss out next. I think long term thinking is needed, wait until the end of the season and give it to the best man.

[thetime]

40 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Then he gets the job next season and his “passion” approach gets found out and they miss out next. I think long term thinking is needed, wait until the end of the season and give it to the best man.

 

Long term thinking at clubs? If that was the case, clubs wouldn't sack manager so frequently. 

[Skip997]

38 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Long term thinking at clubs? If that was the case, clubs wouldn't sack manager so frequently. 

Liverpool traditionally don’t sack managers frequently or easily, this along with “credit in the bank” from winning the league last season may be why he’s still the manager 

[charlierc]

54 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Long term thinking at clubs? If that was the case, clubs wouldn't sack manager so frequently. 

Pretty sure at some clubs 'long term thinking' means 3-4 months. 

[kaosmark2]

1 hour ago, lost said:

Issue with Wirtz for me is Szoboszlai. Szoboszlai deserves that play maker role on current form so you play Wirtz out of position and he looks poor or you play Szoboszlai out of position and he gets frustrated and the R.Madrid rumours then become more likely.

 

Wirtz and Isak both felt like luxury signings when Liverpool needed a holding midfielder and maybe two centre backs instead. You can't hold that over Slot as apparently he doesn't get much of a say in signings.

I think Szoboszlai is a box to box midfielder who can play as a play maker, and Szoboszlai roaming forward from deep to link with Wirtz could work if you have a dedicated DM. But yeah, I agree, it's fundamentally forcing players out of position to accomodate luxury players, while also selling Diaz, who for all he's a winger, was one of Liverpool's hardest pressers last season.

[charlierc]

53 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

I think Szoboszlai is a box to box midfielder who can play as a play maker, and Szoboszlai roaming forward from deep to link with Wirtz could work if you have a dedicated DM. But yeah, I agree, it's fundamentally forcing players out of position to accomodate luxury players, while also selling Diaz, who for all he's a winger, was one of Liverpool's hardest pressers last season.

At the very least it's not a great reflection on their squad building that he's spent much of this season at right back. But Frimpong is more of a wing back for playing with a back 5, Bradley suffered a season ending injury and Gomez's fitness also isn't great so... 

[charlierc]

22 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

The trouble is you give Gerrard the job and he makes a good go at it, the pressure is then huge to give him the job for next season. I think the only time you consider giving Gerrard the job is if you are in a position earlier in the season where a change is forced, such as when Kenny came in for Hodgson with half the season still to go. I think you let this season play out and pick the best person in the summer.

Given Gerrard's record at both Villa and in Saudi, I'm not sure that'll be a problem.

 

Tbf Dalglish had a legacy of winning titles with Liverpool as manager in a prior era and took a team in genuine trouble to nearly making the top 4, so I got the idea at the time. It was their mangled rebuild in the summer that set them back. 

 

... If my memory of 2011/12 is accurate, anyway.