Liverpool FC Premier League Champions 25/26 - Talk /Gossip/Rumours

Yes, because they haven't played in a month and have no match sharpness or rhythm. We were expected to believe that Isak was not able to perform to his level for months and months on end just because he missed pre season. Well ok if that is true then it also has to be true that any player needs games in a row to be able to play at his level. None of our squad players have been given that chance all season or last. That is down to the manager. Klopp always spoke about this.

Gomez has been injured for most of the season,there was a time in the autumn when he was named on the subs bench even though he was injured(not sure why that was). And whenever he plays a game for us he breaks down again. He is a disaster this season as a squad member tbh.

Just on Macca,happened to come across this stat,he is matching his numbers for last season as regards G/A. So maybe this is why Slot is persisted with him. Can't remember too many complaining about his performances last season

United weren't great either. None of ourselves, Chelsea or United are playing well for a full game or consistently. All three will drop plenty of points between now and the end of the season.

Finishing a Cup Final with Quansah (21), Danns (18), Elliott (21), McConnell (19) and Clark (19) showed a lot of trust.

Some managers would have just left the "stronger" players on and risked losing the game with tired legs.

The positivity coming from the manager to the players and to the fans to create the atmosphere is something lacking with Slot.

I don't expect him to be Klopp but there has to be something from the sidelines to get the energy going on the field and in the stands.

Been away for a while and laughing at the chats about overplayed youth players.. While overall correct, I'd avoid using Michael Owen who ignored club doctors to get himself ready for the World Cup as an example, and as for Rooney, or as I used to call him, the Premier Leagues Ricky Hatton(!)

March will be huge for us…. and April. As you say, we should be looking at 12 from 12 there. Even the April fixtures should be 7 from 9 minimum. We need to be in a strong position ahead of May where we have a tough set of fixtures. We face both teams fighting for top 5, and then high flying Villa away.

Chelsea have Arsenal and Villa away next month, before Newcastle at home and Everton away (both tricky games), we absolutely MUST be looking at getting ahead of them come the end of the March. TBH, it doesn't get much easier for them in April… ManCity and ManUtd visiting them. After that though, the only tricky one for them is us at Anfield. I'd hope we are a couple of points clear of them by then but we need to capitalize on the next 4-5 weeks of fixtures.

ManUtd have the easier run in from here. Their only "big" games are against us at home and Chelsea away. On paper, with their recent form they should be taking 4th spot. It'll come down to how long the new manager bounce can hold for.

Football is changing, and unfortunately not for the better.

You could see it coming last season, particularly with the drastic drop-off from City. At the time, it seemed that it was mainly a personnel and form issue. But in reality, their system as a whole was beginning to be compromised. Liverpool managed to get away with it to a certain extent, largely because many teams appeared to take them for granted early on after Klopp’s departure. They also had Salah in exceptional form, dragging them out of holes when needed.

But this feels like just the beginning. I expect most, if not all, teams in England to adapt to this style of football next season, and that is a depressing thought. I cannot remember sitting down to watch as many outright poor games of football as I have this season.

Like tiki-taka before it, gegenpressing is now dead, replaced by this new, cynical approach. It is a numbers game in the middle of the pitch, overload central areas, pack it with bodies, and dominate the second ball (its is almost straight out of a rugby textbook). The idea is simple, go long, compete aggressively for the knockdown, and swarm the loose ball.

That leaves a side like Liverpool at a crossroads. Slot wants his team to dominate possession and control the tempo, but that is extremely difficult with the current personnel, especially away from home, where opponents often field four or even five central midfielders. How many times this season have Liverpool struggled to lay a glove on the opposition simply because they were outnumbered in midfield?

For teams that genuinely want to play football, the solution seems obvious. You need two highly technical, athletic players at the base of midfield, players comfortable receiving under pressure when overloaded and aggressively pressed. You also need genuine pace out wide to keep opponents honest and pinned back.

At times, Liverpool’s lack of pace has allowed teams to commit even more bodies centrally, confident they can recover if their midfield overload is broken. Salah alone often kept teams honest last season.

Unless the top sides adapt technically and athletically, this trend will only continue, and the quality of football will continue to suffer.

Villa also have Europa League. Emery to work his magic there maybe

We won 6 in a row in the 21/22 season and 10 in a row later the same season.

In the league?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/spielplan/verein/31/saison_id/2021

Or am I missing something?

I get it, and we probably haven't needed to, and an easier run of 6 games I don't think we've had either. The players and manager take things game by game and with this in mind they will expect to win every one. From a mentality perspective getting a good run going and winning each of those games will be the expectation. Do or die really.

Having said that it is hard to maintain form as you say, and perhaps we drop a couple of points, and make them up elsewhere. Overall we should just be looking for some sort of consistency, and weaker teams is the best chance to get it going.

Pretty interesting article on Rio, sort of on balance reflects the disparity of opinions on here. He wants to play as much as he can (obviously), but is also happy with the relationship with the manager, and the progress. Not sure if the full interview is available anywhere. Couple of highlights:

"The plan is to manage his workload and be "careful", as Slot says. Ngumoha has two days of training a week where he is off the pitch. "

"I think it has gone really well. I am learning a lot every day playing and training with some of the best players in the world. I can't ask for much more as a young kid. So I just think I need to carry on proving, working hard in training and showing what I can do to the manager."