Liverpool FC - Talk /Gossip/Rumours 25/25

Imagine Alonso at the helm and the first 3 results in the league are won one, drew one, lost one and then imagine the crowd reaction. People would be miffed but everyone would sensibly argue for giving him time to right the wrongs of this season. Now imagine Slot at the helm with the same set of results and imagine the crowd reaction.

Slot has no credit left in the bank, we'd just start the season with all the toxicity we see now. Even if he won the first 5 the toxicity would be always there, waiting to rear it's head.

Without signing a contract extension he'd start the season with everyone knowing he's gone eitherway the following summer. The definition of a lame duck manager.

He simply has to go on June 1st and not a day later.

Yeah I agree a lot on that too.

Because of the way the season has panned out, and the toxicity at the moment, we still need to remember that he is a league winning manager and he is owed that celebration still. If they do announce a parting of ways I think he will get that thanks on the final day of the season.

My one fear with Alonso is we won't see a huge improvement in how we are on the eye.

His closest comparison managerial style in the league would be Arteta.

If you look at what he did best at BL, and then what he tried at Real. His sides are very positional, structured, and controlled in possession. Patient build up from the back with technical defenders with an obvious love for inverted wing-backs/full-backs.

TBH its not a million miles from what Slot wants either!

Some Real players and fans lost patience with it very quickly. He'll obviously get more time from our fan base but I'm not sure how much grace we have left after 1 season of dross.

Id love a manager like Flick or Enrique who's sides thrive on chaos and constant movement. But I can't see us tempting any of those across.

Flick? Jesus wept, that high line of his would have the Royal Liverpool hospital coronary care department overwhelmed. Not for me.

Quite a change in tone from Pearce today. I really hope this indicates that something is shifting behind the scenes.

Dunno about Iraola. No doubt Bournemouth have been excellent to watch and he’s done well with what he has but Liverpool would be a big step up in terms of expectation. Also he doesn’t seem to be pushing for a much bigger job at the minute.

Does he have the ambition and drive though? Hes being strongly linked with Palace. Fine club but feels almost like a lateral move for him.

If Slot goes and I doubt he will, then it has to be Glasner for me. Wont be fancy stuff but he gets results and knows how to put a squad together. He is also not a yes man, which may be what is needed with all the men above him.

Glasner? He'd have trenches dug around the Anfield pitch by December from where he'd launch grenades at the owners. Falls out with owners everywhere he's been. Just no.

Pearce now deciding doesnt matter how late you arrived at the party being there is all people will remember.

Alonso’s BK weren’t a high-intensity, high-pressing side. He played with a back three and wing-backs, and the whole philosophy was about controlling the game through the middle before progressing the ball out wide.

The system was incredibly efficient because he had top class ball-playing centre-halves in Tah and Tapsoba. Both were comfortable carrying the ball out from deep, drawing pressure onto themselves and then breaking lines.

That central buildup was the key to everything.

He wanted the team to build patiently from deep, manipulate the opposition shape, and then get his wing-backs to the byline. Frimpong and Grimaldo were basically the main attacking outlets once the structure had pulled teams apart.

There was also a mad stat from their title-winning season where Wirtz had the highest number of touches in the league, and nearly 50% of them came in his own half. That tells you everything about Alonso’s approach, he wanted his best players involved in progression from the very start of moves.

It was much more about control, structure, and progression than constant pressing or chaos.

I saw BL and Wirtz play live 3 times that season. He was probably one of the best players I seen in the flesh in the past 20 years.

But because of what you just described I couldn't and still can't see how Slot was planning on getting the best out of him in a Liverpool shirt. There was times that season where he was the first receiver of the ball from the keeper.

Wirtz is not a traditional No.10 where he'll just try link up with his front man. He has to be, and needs to be on the ball the whole time and the other 10 players need to play to his tune. I don't know if that will ever be possible for him in the PL.

Reminds me of the AVB links all those years ago

Does anyone believe that at HT, or FT, Slot loses his sh it in dressing room??? Like Jurgen would, Pep would , Arteta would. Say what you like, call him comical, or whatever, but they're top of league and in CL final, while I can't see us beating Villa, or Brentford. We're so fortunate that Bournemouth have City next, and that hopefully City can beat them, as if Bournemouth did win last two, and we Lose to Villa and draw at home to Brentford, it will be Bournemouth in 5th, and deservingly so . Players need pushing always, as they are on crazy money, and live great lives, if you don't demand it, you won't get it. There has to be standards, Slot can't just wish there to be, or hope there to be, you have to DEMAND IT 24/7 OR ELSE!

If Bournemouth beat City, they deserve 5th