Arne Slot | ex-Liverpool manager | The Bald sack watch is over

[RobinLFC]

This is just utter delusion. It's like you think being 5th in the Premier League and getting to Champions League quarters is the absolute floor for this Liverpool squad.

It very much is, yes.

Speaking from experience of seeing a club go through a similar transition, they can go a lot, lot lower than this, and it's not mostly down to the manager.

You were successful from 1992 until 2013, what was the common denominator in the period? There's only one, and it was the manager. Even focusing on this season only, you were downright bad up until a certain point when one thing changed. It wasn't the players, it was the manager.

And don't get me wrong, I don't think a new manager would immediately have this team competing with the likes of Bayern and PSG. But we should be competing for the title domestically, it doesn't take much these days, not like Arsenal and City have bene particularly impressive, on the contrary. A down season is always possible, but if you just watch our games, it's painful how devoid of ideas the entire team is, there's no purpose, no end goal to what we are doing, no structure, and that is all on the manager first and foremost. I'd say the bare minimum is installing an identity onto the team and trying to carry that out in games, but we don't do any of that.

 

[DennisReynolds]

I don't think every player is underperforming - they are just not that good. Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Gakpo, Ekitike, Kerkez, Marmedasvhili, Jones etc.. are all playing at least to their general level. So too probably is Van Dijk, now that he is just past it physically. Blaming Slot for Salah's drop in form is also a bit much. He's still been getting in plenty of good positions, but his finishing, and final ball has just become terrible - that's down to the player.

Slot's weakness is his failure to get a relatively average team to be better than the sum of their parts. But he has been badly hamstrung in this by being handed a very unbalanced squad that lacks pace and width (so difficult to play well in transitions or on the counter), but also lacks alternatives to the two failing CBs (so very hard to set up solidly).

More nonsense, why do you keep defending the guy and refuse to address valid criticism? I'll summarise:

We're unfit, yet regularly have days off so he can go back home to his family. To compound that issue, his squad rotation is non existent, and he's openly said he only trusts 12-13 players, so it's no wonder we look absolutely toast physically.

Every single player* has declined from last season, whether they were at the club or not. You could put a few down to aging, but not the whole squad and not to the extent those older players have declined.

We play boring football that none of the fans want to see, the atmosphere is dead as a result. I'm not saying Anfield is a fortress every week, but it's as consistently quiet as I can remember it being, but I can't blame anyone who goes to watch us play slow, aimless football. No player knows what they're supposed to be doing, and he keeps moving players about so no one gets any rhythm.

His man management skills are abysmal - has fallen out with a few players that we know of, probably more that we don't. No real surprise when he never accepts any blame and throws players under the bus regularly.

More on the blame thing...he's blamed opponents all season for not playing like PSG, then tries to park the bus when we play them, and doesn't even do that well.

I could go on, but just watch this clip and have the fecking gall to tell me this is a side that is being managed well:



*Szoboszlai is better at set pieces, about the same in open play.

 

[MaMa given red]

You mean absolute ceiling , otherwise you're making his point.

He's trying to make the point that Liverpool fans think it can't get worse than this, when in reality it can.

Slot has worked miracles to win the league in his first season and get them to 5th and a Champions League QF this season.

All their best players (Salah, VVD, Alison, Robertson) are past it and the new guys look flaky at best.

They are currently at the stage we were at under Mourinho (It's not the players its the manager) they are about to find out it IS the players that are the problem.

 

[RobinLFC]

He's trying to make the point that Liverpool fans think it can't get worse than this, when in reality it can.

Slot has worked miracles to win the league in his first season and get them to 5th and a Champions League QF this season.

Being 5th in the league during a season where Spurs are a relegation candidate in April and Chelsea are in an even worse state than we are is not an accomplishment, let alone a "miracle". Nor is getting to the CL QFs in the new format, the one hurdle we had to overcome was Galatasaray and even then we lost in Istanbul after a gutless, awful display.

All their best players (Salah, VVD, Alison, Robertson) are past it and the new guys look flaky at best.

We bought one of the best LBs in the league last season to cover for Robertson. Fair enough if you say that he's been subpar this season, he has, but again imo that's mainly due to Slot because we know he has a higher level to him, and he showed it at a lesser club (under a better manager).

Alisson isn't past his best, he's just injured a lot these days. And while you can argue that Van Dijk and Salah are past it, the enormous drop off in quality isn't just an age thing, it's a deeper issue than that.

They are currently at the stage we were at under Mourinho (It's not the players its the manager) they are about to find out it IS the players that are the problem.

Then how do you explain your improvements under Carrick compared to what Amorim was trying to have you do? And let's not forget that these players WON the league last season, so we know the quality is there, unlike the situation Mourinho had to deal with (if you think it was the players).

 

[brozonis]

More nonsense, why do you keep defending the guy and refuse to address valid criticism? I'll summarise:

We're unfit, yet regularly have days off so he can go back home to his family. To compound that issue, his squad rotation is non existent, and he's openly said he only trusts 12-13 players, so it's no wonder we look absolutely toast physically.

Every single player* has declined from last season, whether they were at the club or not. You could put a few down to aging, but not the whole squad and not to the extent those older players have declined.

We play boring football that none of the fans want to see, the atmosphere is dead as a result. I'm not saying Anfield is a fortress every week, but it's as consistently quiet as I can remember it being, but I can't blame anyone who goes to watch us play slow, aimless football. No player knows what they're supposed to be doing, and he keeps moving players about so no one gets any rhythm.

His man management skills are abysmal - has fallen out with a few players that we know of, probably more that we don't. No real surprise when he never accepts any blame and throws players under the bus regularly.

More on the blame thing...he's blamed opponents all season for not playing like PSG, then tries to park the bus when we play them, and doesn't even do that well.

I could go on, but just watch this clip and have the fecking gall to tell me this is a side that is being managed well:



*Szoboszlai is better at set pieces, about the same in open play.

I don't agree. The team was carried last season by the quality and experience of Salah, Van Dijk, Alexander Arnold and Alisson. One has left, one is never fit and the other two have entered into a massive, sharp decline. I don't think the manager is primarily responsible for any of that.

The rest of the squad are just not that good. Gravenberch and Konate, for example, may have had a good five months at the start of last season, but now have regressed to the level they have shown during the rest of the 6+ years of their career. That is inevitable, because they are just not that good.

It's not so much that I'm defending Slot, it's just that I don't think your criticisms are valid. Slot has made mistakes for sure, but the problems run far deeper than the manager. What I can agree with, is that the fans have been terrible - particularly at Anfield. Pure entitlement and very little actual support these days.

 

[RobinLFC]

It's not so much that I'm defending Slot, it's just that I don't think your criticisms are valid. Slot has made mistakes for sure, but the problems run far deeper than the manager. What I can agree with, is that the fans have been terrible - particularly at Anfield. Pure entitlement and very little actual support these days.

They pay more than enough money for their seats to show the team and owners how dissatisfied they are with the performances. And that's something that happens at every club, not exclusively at Liverpool.

 

[Denis' cuff]

They pay more than enough money for their seats to show the team and owners how dissatisfied they are with the performances. And that's something that happens at every club, not exclusively at Liverpool.

Can’t disagree but… customers

Everywhere

 

[MaMa given red]

Being 5th in the league during a season where Spurs are a relegation candidate in April and Chelsea are in an even worse state than we are is not an accomplishment, let alone a "miracle". Nor is getting to the CL QFs in the new format, the one hurdle we had to overcome was Galatasaray and even then we lost in Istanbul after a gutless, awful display.

We bought one of the best LBs in the league last season to cover for Robertson. Fair enough if you say that he's been subpar this season, he has, but again imo that's mainly due to Slot because we know he has a higher level to him, and he showed it at a lesser club (under a better manager).

Alisson isn't past his best, he's just injured a lot these days. And while you can argue that Van Dijk and Salah are past it, the enormous drop off in quality isn't just an age thing, it's a deeper issue than that.

Then how do you explain your improvements under Carrick compared to what Amorim was trying to have you do? And let's not forget that these players WON the league last season, so we know the quality is there, unlike the situation Mourinho had to deal with (if you think it was the players).

The context is that you made lots of changes and the biggest one (Isak) hasn't been fit all season. You've had to play the vast majority of the season with Ekitike as your only forward.
The reason you played Galatasaray was because of how well you did in the group stage, beating both Madrid clubs and Inter etc.

Kerkez was good for Bouremouth but he's a million miles away from being a prime Robertson.
Alison being injured a lot is the same as being past his best. If he can't stay fit then he needs replacing and his replacement isn't very good.
The drop of in quality IS an age thing. Salah looked like a Soccer aid player against Man City and Van Dijk is almost 35. how long do you expect him to go on for?
Van Dijk's drop off is similar to Rio Ferdinand's around the same sort of time.

The main issue was the system. Amorim's refusal to move away from 3-4-3 cost him big time. The game where he played a back three of Shaw, Heaven and Yoro was one of the dumbest things i've ever seen!

You'll see when a new guy comes in.
Most of Liverpool's team is either completely past it, injury prone or massively overrated. You could find yourself in a similar situation to Spurs next season.

 

[NoLogo]

Long may he stay.

 

[NoLogo]

The main issue was the system. Amorim's refusal to move away from 3-4-3 cost him big time. The game where he played a back three of Shaw, Heaven and Yoro was one of the dumbest things i've ever seen!

I still think playing Bruno as a DM and not even giving Mainoo or Ugarte another chance was way dumber but then it's just a chain of stupid selection decisions and trying to put square pegs in round holes but let's not talk about him anymore.

 

[golden_blunder]

I don't agree. The team was carried last season by the quality and experience of Salah, Van Dijk, Alexander Arnold and Alisson. One has left, one is never fit and the other two have entered into a massive, sharp decline. I don't think the manager is primarily responsible for any of that.

The rest of the squad are just not that good. Gravenberch and Konate, for example, may have had a good five months at the start of last season, but now have regressed to the level they have shown during the rest of the 6+ years of their career. That is inevitable, because they are just not that good.

It's not so much that I'm defending Slot, it's just that I don't think your criticisms are valid. Slot has made mistakes for sure, but the problems run far deeper than the manager. What I can agree with, is that the fans have been terrible - particularly at Anfield. Pure entitlement and very little actual support these days.

You know that both things can be true at the same time?

Yes they have players aging out etc

Yes slot has them playing slow slow football and shapeless formations that may work in the Dutch league but like ETH he is being exposed as not good enough

Like ETH i believe that some of their players do not believe in the direction of travel and are not buying into his methods

But being Dutch and a ‘modern’ manager means that he is too arrogant to change his ways

 

[TheNewEra]

The context is that you made lots of changes and the biggest one (Isak) hasn't been fit all season. You've had to play the vast majority of the season with Ekitike as your only forward.
The reason you played Galatasaray was because of how well you did in the group stage, beating both Madrid clubs and Inter etc.

Kerkez was good for Bouremouth but he's a million miles away from being a prime Robertson.
Alison being injured a lot is the same as being past his best. If he can't stay fit then he needs replacing and his replacement isn't very good.
The drop of in quality IS an age thing. Salah looked like a Soccer aid player against Man City and Van Dijk is almost 35. how long do you expect him to go on for?
Van Dijk's drop off is similar to Rio Ferdinand's around the same sort of time.

The main issue was the system. Amorim's refusal to move away from 3-4-3 cost him big time. The game where he played a back three of Shaw, Heaven and Yoro was one of the dumbest things i've ever seen!

You'll see when a new guy comes in.
Most of Liverpool's team is either completely past it, injury prone or massively overrated. You could find yourself in a similar situation to Spurs next season.

I agree, I said last summer something similar that the window would feck the balance and Liverpool fans would be royally pissed.

I assume they'll get CL football but if they don't the fallout will be even greater.

They need to replace their whole back four and need 2 midfielders and there's never a 100% hit rate. Klopp was an elite coach too, there aren't many Klopps and Guardiolas around, I don't see them really competing for a while.

 

[MaMa given red]

I agree, I said last summer something similar that the window would feck the balance and Liverpool fans would be royally pissed.

I assume they'll get CL football but if they don't the fallout will be even greater.

They need to replace their whole back four and need 2 midfielders and there's never a 100% hit rate. Klopp was an elite coach too, there aren't many Klopps and Guardiolas around, I don't see them really competing for a while.

From what I've seen they won't even be in Europe next season.

They struggled against Spurs at home and have a really difficult run in. I can see them dropping right down to about 8th or 9th. The players are clearly trying to get the manager sacked.

 

[Zlatan 7]

Seen bits of his presser and it seems his tactics for the return leg is just rely on the crowd

 

[brozonis]

You know that both things can be true at the same time?

Yes they have players aging out etc

Yes slot has them playing slow slow football and shapeless formations that may work in the Dutch league but like ETH he is being exposed as not good enough

Like ETH i believe that some of their players do not believe in the direction of travel and are not buying into his methods

But being Dutch and a ‘modern’ manager means that he is too arrogant to change his ways

Of course both things can be true, at least to an extent. But, in my opinion, Slot's cuplability is being way overstated by Liverpool fans, while the decline of key players and bad transfers are being downplayed.

Slot is playing slow football, because he has a slow squad with aging key players. He's got no width, forwards who can't press well, and a midfield who (apart from Szoboszlai) don't have the legs. I'm sure if he still had Nunez, Diaz, Jota, a younger Salah, he would have switched to a much more physical, direct style ages ago. But with Wirtz, Jones, MacAllister, Gakpo, Chiesa and Salah whose legs have gone, it's just not possible.

 

[Jim Beam]

This is on Slot. No way they are this bad, I thought at least United fans will recognize a manager that is doing very poor job. Then again, we always had few different. Wish he stays as long as possible.

 

[Witchking]

If they lose to PSG at home (don't think it's possible honestly, liverpool are nailed on to win their 7th Champions League), and see a couple of other losses in the league, i am sure they get a new care taker till the end of the season and Alonso comes in for the next.
All i need is for Slot to be there when Liverpool visit Manchester. Need to do the double on these basterds. We hardly win at Anfield and need to capitalize when we get such chances.

 

[caid]

Of course both things can be true, at least to an extent. But, in my opinion, Slot's cuplability is being way overstated by Liverpool fans, while the decline of key players and bad transfers are being downplayed.

Slot is playing slow football, because he has a slow squad with aging key players. He's got no width, forwards who can't press well, and a midfield who (apart from Szoboszlai) don't have the legs. I'm sure if he still had Nunez, Diaz, Jota, a younger Salah, he would have switched to a much more physical, direct style ages ago. But with Wirtz, Jones, MacAllister, Gakpo, Chiesa and Salah whose legs have gone, it's just not possible.

I agree with you to a large extent. Liverpool have form for dropping off badly after a good season and the performances across the board are down. Its not just aging players, its not just new signings. Guys like Maccallister, Gravenberch, Konate and most others have been varying degrees of bad. Szoboslai has been an exception where he's gone from being a weak link they spent 100m on upgrading, to their best player and i dont think his performances in the 2 seasons have actually changed
Management is about momentum and belief though and Slot has neither of them. He should and almost certainly will go.

 

[brozonis]

This is on Slot. No way they are this bad, I thought at least United fans will recognize a manager that is doing very poor job. Then again, we always had few different. Wish he stays as long as possible.

Yeah, because changing the manager has much such a huge difference at United over the past decade or so. If the board don't have a coherent transfer strategy and no transition plan to replace the aging spine of the team, then the manager has no chance. We've seen exactly that here, and now Liverpool are in the same boat.

 

[Jim Beam]

Yeah, because changing the manager has much such a huge difference at United over the past decade or so. If the board don't have a coherent transfer strategy and no transition plan to replace the aging spine of the team, then the manager has no chance. We've seen exactly that here, and now Liverpool are in the same boat.

They didn't made a huge difference because they were also doing a poor job. Every single one of them deserved to be sacked sooner. They also, aside from ironically Moyes, did feck all once leaving United.

You can make mistakes in transfer window, some of your players might go downhill AND your manager can still do an awful job on top of that. All those things can be true. The fact that you don't see much quality in the team is hugely on him as well.

 

[golden_blunder]

Of course both things can be true, at least to an extent. But, in my opinion, Slot's cuplability is being way overstated by Liverpool fans, while the decline of key players and bad transfers are being downplayed.

Slot is playing slow football, because he has a slow squad with aging key players. He's got no width, forwards who can't press well, and a midfield who (apart from Szoboszlai) don't have the legs. I'm sure if he still had Nunez, Diaz, Jota, a younger Salah, he would have switched to a much more physical, direct style ages ago. But with Wirtz, Jones, MacAllister, Gakpo, Chiesa and Salah whose legs have gone, it's just not possible.

I don’t agree, what you’re seeing is slots style at his previous club. It’s almost the same as ETH at United who piggybacked off Oles tenure and then the next season tried to implement his style and it went tits up. The same thing is happening at Liverpool. You can blame as many other things as you want but he’s lost control, what is it now 16/17 defeats in the season? What he’s selling clearly isn’t being bought by anyone

 

[Zehner]

Don't get how people can overlook all the red flags speaking against Slot this season. There are almost no recognizable patterns of play or automatisms. It's not as if the players miss clear passing lanes or miss easy chances. The player with the ball is fecked because he rarely has any real options. As a result, they pass it backwards until either the keeper or a defender has to go long. But they don't even have players who are good in the air up front. And on the rare occasions one of the attackers ends up in a good position with a bit of space, nobody is making any runs. The box occupation for crosses is terrible as well. All of that are clearly coaching issues.

And there doesn't seem to be any individual coaching either. Ekitike and Gravenberch have been missing the right window to release the ball for the whole season. The defenders take risks in the build up when they shouldn't and avoid it when a midfielder is actually finding the space to be available for a pass. Wirtz retains possession when he could attempt a dribble and always goes for the same type of finish, Gakpo is constantly doing the same trick of cutting inside and launching it into a block, Salah doesn't take his head up in front of the goal and has missed multiple opportunities to set others up for tap ins, etc.

Most of that is up to the coach. His responsibility is to drill in build up structures and eliminate patterns of flawed decision making. There are definitely arguments going for Slot as well but none of them can be seen on the pitch, IMO.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Oh...

 

[NinjaZombie]

Oh...

Wait what? Is he saying PSG "anti-footballed" their way to beating them?

What is he smoking?

 

[Jim Beam]

Wait what? Is he saying PSG "anti-footballed" their way to beating them?

What is he smoking?

He says both Liverpool and PSG played the 'right way' while pretty much every club in EPL is playing low block against them. Liverpool had 26% possession with zero shots on goal and parked the bus.

Crack would be my guess.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Wait what? Is he saying PSG "anti-footballed" their way to beating them?

What is he smoking?

He says both Liverpool and PSG played the 'right way' while pretty much every club in EPL is playing low block against them. Liverpool had 26% possession with zero shots on goal and parked the bus.

Crack would be my guess.

His quotes were from January - see the date of the Tweet. The quotes have resurfaced now after last night's horror show.

 

[NinjaZombie]

He says both Liverpool and PSG played the 'right way' while pretty much every club in EPL is playing low block against them. Liverpool had 26% possession with zero shots on goal and parked the bus.

Crack would be my guess.

Oooh okay now I get his point. But like you say, they were the anti football ones in that PSG game weren't they?

 

[Jim Beam]

His quotes were from January - see the date of the Tweet. The quotes have resurfaced now after last night's horror show.

my bad. Have one eye on the movie. Still hilarious

 

[Zehner]

Oooh okay now I get his point. But like you say, they were the anti football ones in that PSG game weren't they?

I think a lot of the time, parking the bus is less intentional than people might think. Liverpool tried to press high in the beginning but PSG outplayed them easily so they dropped deeper and deeper. Football Meta has made a video on that. Essentially, he tried to press one on one with the wing backs pushing forward to press PSG's full backs but they easily exploited the space that opened up on the flanks. After two or three clear chances, Liverpool dropped deep because they had no answer to that.

 

[SilentWitness]

Robertson leaving in the summer too. Confirmed. Does really feel like they're beginning their rough United post SAF type patch. The rust and age of those highly successful players has started this season and they'll slowly begin to depart.

 

[dwd]

Robertson leaving in the summer too. Confirmed. Does really feel like they're beginning their rough United post SAF type patch. The rust and age of those highly successful players has started this season and they'll slowly begin to depart.

Unsure what he’s like off the pitch, but on it he has been a total wanker. Good riddance.

 

[Posh Red]

This is just utter delusion. It's like you think being 5th in the Premier League and getting to Champions League quarters is the absolute floor for this Liverpool squad. Speaking from experience of seeing a club go through a similar transition, they can go a lot, lot lower than this, and it's not mostly down to the manager.

Slot has them roughly where they’ve been for my entire life, ie, in and around the European spots. And he won the effing league last season (something they manage every two decades on average)! A brief period of success seems to have bred a substantial amount of entitlement amongst the Liverpool fan base.

 

[Posh Red]

You mean absolute ceiling , otherwise you're making his point.

I think you misinterpreted his post.

 

[Posh Red]

They pay more than enough money for their seats to show the team and owners how dissatisfied they are with the performances. And that's something that happens at every club, not exclusively at Liverpool.

Probably doesn’t help that they have hardly any season ticket holders at Anfield these days. Plastic crowd.

 

[The Firestarter]

I think you misinterpreted his post.

Indeed

 

[Sandikan]

Robertson leaving in the summer too. Confirmed. Does really feel like they're beginning their rough United post SAF type patch. The rust and age of those highly successful players has started this season and they'll slowly begin to depart.

The inexplicable thing is how on earth Slot managed to see a title win out so comfortably last season.
Yes Salah had a big goalscoring season, albeit not being as good as he'd been in the past, but the likes of Van Dyke and Robertson were well on the down last season too. Not to mention some of their previous essential players were long gone.

Although Man City had that mad spell where they seemed to lose every game for ages and melted down until a resurgence late on.

 

[Posh Red]

The inexplicable thing is how on earth Slot managed to see a title win out so comfortably last season.
Yes Salah had a big goalscoring season, albeit not being as good as he'd been in the past, but the likes of Van Dyke and Robertson were well on the down last season too. Not to mention some of their previous essential players were long gone.

Although Man City had that mad spell where they seemed to lose every game for ages and melted down until a resurgence late on.

The competition for the title wasn’t exactly fierce last season, in fairness.

 

[Klopper76]

I love how much you hate him.

It's kind of crazy when I think about it. He's the only Liverpool manager I've seen since supporting the club to have the PL trophy at a full Anfield in front of fans. Despite that, I really don't like him. He says the wrong thing all the time and it's clear the players don't like him either.

Modern football I guess.

We'll be out of the CL next week and I fully expect dropped points on Saturday.

 

[Klopper76]

The inexplicable thing is how on earth Slot managed to see a title win out so comfortably last season.
Yes Salah had a big goalscoring season, albeit not being as good as he'd been in the past, but the likes of Van Dyke and Robertson were well on the down last season too. Not to mention some of their previous essential players were long gone.

Although Man City had that mad spell where they seemed to lose every game for ages and melted down until a resurgence late on.

Van Dijk was mostly very good last season. Robertson was poor and made a lot of errors leading to the opponent scoring.

 

[IrwinwasbetterthanCarlos]

The inexplicable thing is how on earth Slot managed to see a title win out so comfortably last season.
Yes Salah had a big goalscoring season, albeit not being as good as he'd been in the past, but the likes of Van Dyke and Robertson were well on the down last season too. Not to mention some of their previous essential players were long gone.

Although Man City had that mad spell where they seemed to lose every game for ages and melted down until a resurgence late on.

City had an ageing side and Rodri was out for the season. Saka and Odegaard missed pretty much a full season between them, plus players like Havertz too.

Just one of those seasons like when Leicester won it.