Liverpool Banter 2

19 Mar 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Why Preseason Conditioning Shapes Tactical Success

19 Mar 2026 07:16:27
Here’s a conspiracy. Arne, inspired by PSG last year as we all expect, gave the boys an easy half of the season. Few holidays, less intensity. With new signings thrust upon him as head coach, this has been like an extended preseason.

Much like PSG last year, we now turn the tap on.

Things click.

Come the end of the season… hello. We’re suddenly sitting large with old big ears at our side.

In all seriousness, where does he rank if we do pl and cl in his first two seasons?

‘Mon the reds.

19 Mar 2026 07:51:48
I like how you're thinkin', Noel. Deluded, but I like it! I'm fantasising myself: all the big in-form teams neutralise each other and Liverpool finds itself in the final against Arsenal. I'll get my coat. . . .

19 Mar 2026 07:57:47
Fully onboard with that kind of optimism, Noel. That's what being a football supporter is all about, right?
Last season, particularly after half an hour of the game, who would have thought a 1-0 win was what Liverpool would bring back to Anfield from Paris?
But then, who felt like there was a good chance the boys would finish the tie off at Anfield?
Football is about drama and highs and lows, and, while PSG will undoubtedly be favourites, it's 11v11 and anything can happen.


Cracking win last night. Some cracking goals.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

19 Mar 2026 07:58:57
Into the quarter finals of two cups. The double is on!

19 Mar 2026 08:01:08
I barely watch any football outside of Liverpool, and that's not been a great watch this season.

However, after Sunday's performance I decided to give the City/Real & Barc/New game a try prior to ours.

Have to say, what a bloody fantastic 3 games they were to watch (all 3 were littered with embarrassing play acting, sadly), but some of the football and skill on show gave me a thankful reminder on why football is/was the most entertaining sport in the world.

19 Mar 2026 08:12:40
I can't lie, in 2005, I was sure we wouldn't survive the next team en route to the final. But we did!! So stranger things have happened!

19 Mar 2026 08:34:28
Honestly, just the difference in our gameplay when we're actually pressing the opposition made me happy in itself.

19 Mar 2026 09:05:17
Noel, I see what you did there, lol. Well done, mate.

Now to me, the bigger conspiracy could be that Arne binned the PL just so he could win a CL, the season after. Just like Klopp did in 18/19 & 19/20.

19 Mar 2026 09:38:26
NoelMatip, If we play like that for the rest of this season, we will win the FA Cup and Champions League, and probably finish 3rd. In that scenario, Slot is un-sackable and Xabi will be back down the Job Centre.

This is why I've been so infuriated with Slot, because we have an elite team and squad. That side last night was also missing Isak and Bradley as well, who I'd argue make our best XI with everyone fit. Anyone who's been defending Slot and saying the team isn't good enough, I hope they were watching last night and now realise just how good we are when we play with speed, aggression and intensity.

Galatasaray are lucky it wasn't double figures, to be quite honest, as 10 nil would not have flattered us at all. Their keeper was probably man of the match, and Salah and Ekitike forgot their shooting boots.

More of the same, please, Arne. Please don't put the handbrake back on.

19 Mar 2026 10:10:24
Great result and goals, but I'm not getting carried away by last night. Gala have an average away record in the Champions League. I'll be chuffed if we do it again in Brighton, early kick-off.

19 Mar 2026 10:19:05
We've had a few false dawns throughout this season. Beating a bad Gala side isn't much to brag about, it's a nice confidence boost, but I don't think it's gonna be the corner turner that some people hope it is. Would love to be proved wrong though!

19 Mar 2026 10:22:59
Don't get carried away, it is only Galatasaray. Sunderland would beat them.

19 Mar 2026 10:42:00
100% MK, if we can keep that up for the rest of the season, we will be fine.

19 Mar 2026 11:47:48
Starseeker, you're saying that Sunderland would win the Turkish Super Lig two years in a row (and it's looking like a third this year)? That's a pretty big claim.

I don't think anybody is 'bragging' about beating Gala. It's the manner of the win and how we choked the life out of the game, giving them no chance whatsoever.

If we had simply limped over the line, nobody would be cheering. It was the most Liverpool performance we've seen all year, after everybody was saying that Slot's entire football DNA was allergic to that type of football.

19 Mar 2026 11:22:15
Taxi for MK Scouser!!

19 Mar 2026 13:56:30
Not getting carried away either, RobbyRoll. I've seen this movie too many times this season.

19 Mar 2026 15:11:37
MK, I get what you're saying, but you're basically putting all of the blame on Slot and saying he's been holding them back all season. In your world, if it was up to the players, they'd play like that every game, but I just don't buy that.

You could also argue that last night the players finally responded to what Slot is asking from them every week. You could argue that they have struggled for motivation in the league, and they only turn it on for the latter stages of the CL because it motivates them.



The truth is probably somewhere in between. I do think the players have struggled for motivation this season for a few different reasons, and I do think Slot has struggled to find the right balance and team structure, which has affected our intensity. Perhaps Slot has even struggled for motivation himself?

After the ultimate highs of last season and the ultimate lows of the summer, it wouldn't be surprising for quite a few to drop a level mentally. Slot included.

19 Mar 2026 15:38:31
No one cares what you're buying Beckers

19 Mar 2026 16:03:02
Can we not just say that both Slot and the players have been responsible for how this season has gone? But that they still have the chance to remedy the mistakes and win some silverware?

{Ed025's Note - or can we just say that if the team plays like it did last night for the rest of the season then they may be able to salvage this season, yet it does not excuse the inept way they have gone about things up to now?..

19 Mar 2026 16:44:07
That's a fair assessment, ed025, I'll take that.

{Ed025's Note - nice one PB..

19 Mar 2026 17:09:27
No ones saying it does Ed.You seem more upset about our season than Lfc fans do😁.But what's the point of a victory like lastnite if the old"but what about how poor they'vebeen all season" rhetoric just gets brought out.Im sure both the players and manager are disappointed with their performances this season and realise how poor they'vebeen.But trust me all would be forgiven if old big ears ended up at Anfield this season, no matter what people say.im not saying we'll win it its just there's enough giving out on here when we lose.We've got two Cups to go for after the International break, can we not look ahead at trying to bring one of them home instead of just looking for a reason to moan.

{Ed025's Note - it would be great if you won the CL FM and im sure most fans would be happy with that, but the defence of the Premier League title has been very poor mate and after the money spent on players nothing short of abysmal, so questions have to be asked why im afraid, thats my opinion anyway..

19 Mar 2026 18:35:48
Our defence of our title has been poor, I agree. Every team that wins the league is gonna spend vast sums that summer, but it doesn't guarantee anything, though. Be amazed if Arsenal don't spend big this year, as they've spent big for years now under Arteta, building a seriously strong squad.

Doesnt mean they'll win it next year. Our squad needed serious money spent on it, and still does, I'm afraid.

19 Mar 2026 06:40:44
Read a post just now saying why didn’t we buy Eze instead of Wirtz.

Talk about recency bias. Eze is a good player but has only recently begun staying games again for Arsenal.

Wirtz was just finding form before his injury, and when he’s back to that form will be key to us winning games. His creativity is exceptional.

{Ed078's Note - if he doesn't turn out to be a generational talent, I'll eat my hat. And, as a scouser living in Oz, I have a few to choose from.

19 Mar 2026 07:33:19
Let's put it this way. Are Arsenal about to build their team and offense around Eze? He hasn't started many big games for them, and some games he doesn't even get off the bench. Liverpool are about to build, and are in the process of building their team around Wirtz.

The roles they play for their teams, and the planning around them, are vastly different and show their stature in the game at large.

19 Mar 2026 07:42:16
Can't both players be very good.

Wirtz, in his first season in England, took a while to settle, and is in double figures for goals (6) and assists (9), so his return has been pretty good for cost and wages.

Eze is in his first season in his step up to a big club, and got dropped from the line up (apparently) because he wasn't risk-averse enough for Arteta, and is currently on 9 goals and 6 assists.



Eze has clearly been better value for money, but I predict both will go from strength to strength for their clubs, and both will have better seasons again next season.

19 Mar 2026 07:43:41
You can't even compare the 2. Eze is yet another overhyped English player who is simply above average.

Wirtz will be one of the best players in the world. He's won Player of the Year twice in one of Europe's top leagues, and is the first name on the team sheet for one of the big international teams.

Eze has never been mentioned in the Player of the Year, and it's touch and go whether he even starts for England.

He probably won't.

It's amazing how one good goal can make everyone completely forget what's gone before. If the keeper saves that, Eze is still crap, but he doesn't so Eze is the second coming. Hyperbole.

19 Mar 2026 09:00:36
Eze has not come to a new country to play football. He has moved to a new club and has done really well.
Whereas Wirtz has come to a new country, had to settle into a new home away from his family, and most of all, he has had injuries due to the Premier League being so difficult to come to terms with.


Both players are fantastic footballers and will go on to achieve great things, but we have not yet seen the best of Wirtz. The best is yet to come.
Ps, what a touch for Salah's goal.

19 Mar 2026 09:10:05
Wirtz was superb last night. Beautiful through balls and reverse passes. More of that please.

19 Mar 2026 09:12:45
Fully in agreement with you there, FM. Great to watch the team up it last night too!!!

19 Mar 2026 09:15:25
Longterm pls, is that the same Eze who had been getting into the Arsenal 11 for weeks prior to now, according to Arsenal fans? Recency bias, for sure.

As for comparing the two, @Varry is on point. After last season, there was no one on this earth attempting to compare Wirtz to Eze. Comparing Wirtz and Eze is just people trying to elevate his profile because they know he ain't at that level. Also, I would never put Eze and Wirtz in the same sentence, regardless of who is having the better season.

Man's not even better than Cherki.

Eze is a good player, a big fish in a tiny pond at Palace. That's all it is. And No big club is building their team around Eze, as PB said either.

Scoring goals vs a dreadful Spurs team will never make him anywhere near "Flo" and his raw artistic ability on the ball. Not now. Not ever.

19 Mar 2026 11:11:34
Apologies. I meant my reply to VB, not FM, but I'm sure I agree with him too!!!. 🤫 🥳

19 Mar 2026 12:58:26
Wirtz and Eze aren't even in the same debate. I'm sorry, but at Wirtz's age, Eze had just moved from QPR to Crystal Palace and scored 4 goals in his first season for the Eagles.

Wirtz at that age moved to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen after completing an unbeaten domestic league/cup double in Germany, not to mention winning Bundesliga Player of the Year.



By the time Wirtz is 27, I'll go out on a limb and say he'll have multiple Ballon d'Or top 10 finishes. Eze, on the other hand, will retire with zero.

19 Mar 2026 13:59:08
"Wirtz and Eze aren't even in the same debate."

It's like saying Machine Kelly was a better rapper than Eminem just cos he dissed him (Eminem) in one of his tracks. Clout chasing rubbish, me thinks.

19 Mar 2026 06:35:47
After what was probably our best performance of the season, the post game comments are too negative for me.

I get that we don’t have much time to recover and it’ll be hard to play the same as well against Brighton, but why say it.

You’re almost alerting everyone including Hurzler to the fact that we’ll be back to low intensity off the ball defending and painful to watch overly cautious build up.

Why not just stick to the same style and bring on subs where necessary to keep the style going.



Even combining the styles so we have spells of intensity would work.

Either way, saying it won’t be possible before the game is stupid. Say it after the game by all means, but even then, how you say it is important. This was too negative last night after what was a great performance.

My other question would be how did Klopp manage it game after game? This proves it’s possible.

19 Mar 2026 07:23:07
To be fair, against Brighton this year, we have been able to play our game without too many hindrances (okay, in the game in the league, we gave them more chances than we would have liked and were lucky not to concede). They are the kind of team that tries to play as well, and they are a team that Slot can execute his style of football against pretty well.

That being said, I agree that we should stick with the 4-4-2 and the high press. It fits our players the best in terms of how they like to play and how they have been trained, and the spacing between the players helps everyone, with the midfielders closer together and Salah not being marooned out wide.

Slot's 4-3-3 just isn't the optimal setup for us right now, and I think even he can probably see that. He said in his postgame comments that even though he knows the 4-4-2 has been very effective, he hasn't always been able to deploy it properly in consecutive games because key players get injured for the game after.

19 Mar 2026 07:23:24
As in Slot's or posters?

19 Mar 2026 07:48:31
It's all posturing, mate.

Of course we'll go out to play like that, but you want them to think you're weak when you're strong.

I don't really listen to anything said in press conferences. You can bet your life the players are getting a different message.

19 Mar 2026 08:23:24
Sorry, JK23, I mean Slot's.

19 Mar 2026 08:53:42
Long term, no worries, mate. Not seen/heard his presser, but it's on the play list for the office today.

19 Mar 2026 09:08:20
Patrick, I have posted a number of times. 442 is without doubt the best system to play. It gives you defensive solidarity, it allows players to attack knowing it is safe behind them. You can still push your full backs up when needed.

Until Terry Venables came up with his stupid Xmas tree system, every trophy won by any team was 442: Shankly, Revie, Paisley, Fagan, Graham, Ferguson and many more. YNWA

19 Mar 2026 09:47:53
Long term view - Galatasaray were happy to spend 90 minutes breaking the game up, rolling around on the ground and playing for a draw. Brighton won't be doing that. They'll bring a totally different game. I'm not backing Slot's tactics, nor am I a fan of his word choice in most pressers, but he is correct in assuming we can't exactly approach the game on the weekend the same way we did last night. That doesn't mean that we can't go out and play with the same intensity, the lack of which this season has clearly been due to Slot's intensely possessive style of play.

Hopefully he gives the lads a little more freedom on Saturday.

Varry, Slot doesn't play mind games (when he's not talking rubbish). He's very matter of fact in his press conferences, particularly when talking tactics. But I'm not surprised you haven't noticed, since you said yourself you don't pay attention to pressers.

19 Mar 2026 09:57:41
Great performance, that. No press baiting. No slow passing out from the back. Direct, fast, aggressive, and incisive football, as we have come to expect in Europe at Anfield under the lights.

I think we ran 118km, which is much more like a Klopp 1.0 team.

19 Mar 2026 12:05:42
Lots of verticality and route 1 football, with Kerkez or the center halves launching it straight up to Ekitike or Salah when they were in a position to run at their defenders, or peel off in behind, yesterday, FPF. It didn't always come off, but we got into a fair few dangerous situations that way, especially in the first half, FPF.

19 Mar 2026 05:16:09
Let’s not get carried away - decent performance against a poor side. I have no doubts that PSG will put us to the sword in the next round with the way we are playing.

All focus needs to be on the league and finishing top 5. Victory last night means nothing imo if we don’t beat Brighton on the weekend.



Slot is doing what Ten Hag/Ole did for years. Poor run of results until everyone is fed up then a couple wins to stay execution before another poor run of results. Manager still needs to go before the standards slip and we become comfortable not challenging.

19 Mar 2026 06:29:36
Great result & cracking performance. Good to see the crowd finally get a game at value for money.

Same performance again Saturday, please.

19 Mar 2026 06:40:16
Well said @Jk.

At the end of the match, I was really pumped up and couldn't wait to get at PSG. About an hour later I was pretty pee'd off that we can play like that but not do it most of the time. But now I'm psyched up again... bring on Brighton. It's defo not been easy being a fan this season.

19 Mar 2026 06:58:01
100% JK, biggest difference yesterday was the energy in the stadium.

We were feeding off what we were seeing on the pitch.

If the lads bring it, the crowd will bring it. And, from now until the end of the season, that could genuinely make all the difference in our outcomes.

19 Mar 2026 07:29:35
Decent performance? 5+ xG vs 0.18 xG in a Champions League knockout game when we were 1 down is not anything to be sniffed at. Give the coach, players and fans their due. Everybody was pulling in one direction and gave everything to get a result. We could have scored 10 in that game and it would not have been an unfair result.

It's a bit ridiculous calling Slot the equivalent of Ten Hag or Ole; neither of those came close to winning the league. You're saying that you would sack Slot now 'before standards slip'?

Of course we shouldn't go overboard and say that Slot has saved the day, but aren't we allowed to celebrate an excellent performance and, more importantly, a thoroughly entertaining one? That was Liverpool football last night at the most raucous stadium in the world.

All this stuff about 'yeah okay we did fine but I'm deeply worried that we'll forget how much of a fraud Slot is' is tiresome. I feel bad for you if you can't get all the enjoyment possible from a game like last night.

19 Mar 2026 07:35:07
Yesterday's performance is exactly why the club needs new leadership on and off the pitch. I have said it numerous times this year: this is the best squad we've ever had, and it can't be allowed to sleepwalk through games, months, and seasons. Slot shouldn't allow it game-to-game, and Virgil shouldn't allow it minute-by-minute. Both need to move on.

19 Mar 2026 07:49:54
This is not the best squad we've ever had, that is ridiculous imo. Klopp's all-conquering side had a prime Ali, a prime Virgil, prime Matip, a healthy Gomez, Wijnaldum, Hendo, Milner and Ox, all playing the best football of their lives, the two best and most creative fullbacks in the world by far, the best left-sided winger in the world in Sadio, Bobby, and the best right-sided winger in the world in Mo.

That was probably the best front 3 in Premier League history. All of them were in impeccable fitness, with the only major injury in those two or so years being Joe and Matip picking up small injuries every now and then.

19 Mar 2026 07:57:35
Well said, Patrik. The vast majority of football fans will never get nights like last night. We should enjoy them when they come.

I don't know about anyone else but if we get that version of the team and Slot from now on I'd be more than happy for him to stay.

Do I think that'll happen? Absolutely not, because it's not him, but let's wait and see.

19 Mar 2026 08:01:20
Oh, and I forgot to mention Fabinho, who was for close to two years the best defensive midfielder on the planet who could somehow get his legs to stop any counter attack wherever he happened to be on the pitch.

19 Mar 2026 08:25:40
20/21 season we won FA Cup and EFL Cup double.

Lost to Vini Jr with a single goal in the UCL final.
Lost to MC by 1 point on the last matchday.

That was the best squad we had ever had.

19 Mar 2026 09:13:44
Agree with Patrik. This is not the best squad we've ever had. For our starting XI during the 19/20 season, you could make a case for not swapping 9 of those players for any other player in the PL. Can we honestly say that about our current starting XI? No chance. And our backup players don't come close to what we had then.

19 Mar 2026 09:17:31
I think that is a bit disrespectful to prior Premier League LFC teams, who played some fantastic football and won European cups when every round was a straight knock-out, not where you have several games to get you through.


Patrick, football never started in 1992. Yes, the side you nominated was an excellent team, without doubt, but being old enough to have seen from the 60s to present day, we have had some fantastic world-class players and teams.

19 Mar 2026 09:17:56
To me, enjoy the game, the perf. (which was not decent, btw, so stop the cap), and the whole occasion. The players, the manager and the fans deserved that experience, and hats off to those concerned.

On to Brighton.

19 Mar 2026 09:18:12
Lads, don't forget the 77-78, 81-84, or 87-90 teams. They were all exceptional too!!!!!

19 Mar 2026 09:27:26
Spot on, Shanklys Ghost. But did football exist before the PL?!

19 Mar 2026 09:59:50
Brummyred - Completely agree, a win at Anfield against a Galatasaray without a single fan in the stadium, when they have 13 losses in 15 away European games, is nothing too impressive. Thinking that a good performance against a poor side will translate to a game against the Champions of Europe is no less than delusional. It's a great boost of confidence for the lads, but not much more than that. Hopefully Arne had a bit of a lightbulb moment and realises he needs to let off the reins a little.

But at the same time, he did say we couldn't play that way against Brighton, which to some extent I do agree with. Gala were happy to roll around and play for a draw; Brighton won't be. Still, there's no reason we can't go out there and play with the same intensity. We'll see what happens. I'm hopeful, but not expecting. We've had good performances followed by shocking ones too many times this season for me to be convinced that any one game is a turning point, let alone against a piss poor Galatasaray.

19 Mar 2026 11:13:53
Great win lastnite. Infinitely harder test in the next round against the Champions, but if everything comes together and we get a bit of luck, we're certainly capable of doing them. On the squad thing, absolutely nowhere near the best squad we've ever had.

19 Mar 2026 11:15:59
Only for the select few of us, Rome!

19 Mar 2026 12:01:49
Albey, I started watching Liverpool in the 'Spice Boys' era and my favorite players as a boy were McManaman and Fowler, so I can't speak to the squads before then, with the likes of Barnes, Rush, Aldridge, Souness, Whelan, Dalglish, Hansen, Heighway, Kennedy, Nicol, Grobelaar etc.

I've seen my fair share of games on tape with those teams, but given my age I can't plausibly say they were a level above the teams I have seen play week in week out, though I'd be willing to take anybody's word for it.

19 Mar 2026 17:30:07
All focus on the league to finish top 5?
Lucky you ain't in charge, mate. We're still in 2 cups.

Have a bit of ambition at least.
I bet the players are looking at the cups, and finishing top 5 alone doesn't quite cut the mustard, especially after winning the league last season.

19 Mar 2026 00:23:45
Well guys, haven't much to say bar that was a pleasure at last. So happy to have enjoyed a game tonight. Yup the lads.

19 Mar 2026 09:18:09
A pleasure, indeed.

19 Mar 2026 00:10:12
Yes, we won.
And it was a great performance. The best we've seen all season, in fact.
The team, finally playing with drive and passion, for ninety minutes.
But why has it taken seven months?
And we'll hope that this continues through to the end of the season.
Because we all want to be optimistic, right?
But, eventually, it's the hope that kills you.

19 Mar 2026 06:44:17
As I've just posted, great performance. But why take the shine off it by saying we won't be able to play like that on Saturday.

How about giving it a go before saying that, or play like that in spells.

Or play like that and replace the right players when they tire.



Or revert to playing slow, boring style again, but at least don't highlight that this is what you'll be doing before the game.

Crazy really. Slot needs some training with a good psychologist to improve what he's saying in his interviews to better assist the team.

19 Mar 2026 06:53:48
The team are now fit ... It had to happen.

19 Mar 2026 09:19:10
Hey WDW, don't be too sure. Slot may come out with something contrary to what you just said, should things go bad again.

19 Mar 2026 10:05:21
Exactly. Not to mention the toxic positivity crowd are ignoring the fact that Galatasaray may as well have not shown up, they were piss poor from the get go, ready to spend 90 minutes rolling around, playing for a draw.

West Derby, why has it taken 7 months for the team to be match fit? It's a joke, and I'm talking about conditioning here, not injuries, which is something Slot admitted to himself a couple of weeks ago.

These are elite professional athletes who take only a handful of weeks off every year. The lack of conditioning is unacceptable, and unforgivable.

19 Mar 2026 10:49:13
"Toxic positivity." Wow.

19 Mar 2026 12:12:39
Calm down, @Chewy, it was just a bit of banter, mate.

19 Mar 2026 00:04:27
Good result and good performance but unfortunately I can count those on one hand this season. Our European form has usually been better than our domestic so I'm still of the same opinion I have been for months.

19 Mar 2026 06:09:03
Can count on one finger. That's the Liverpool we expected all season. Play like that and lose is fine, but Play. Like. That.

19 Mar 2026 06:56:38
@Babbity, take comfort, as the old saying goes, you're only as good as your last match.

18 Mar 2026 23:51:38
Fantastic result tonight. I was driving to work and had it on the radio. Could hear the crowd singing, and wished I was there. If you do go to the game get that noise up loud. I was rocking driving in; now imagine the impact to lift those players and the manager.


PSG are going to so tough. I watched them against Chelsea and my word the goals scored from outside the box, they are so clinical. The second leg is at home.
On to Brighton now before City in the cup.

19 Mar 2026 06:09:24
Not one Arne Slot chant was sung. It was telling.

19 Mar 2026 09:20:37
Why was Maca's goal disallowed? I am still baffled why it did not get given when VAR watched; there was no foul on the keeper.
And, by the way, for the Maca haters, he was outstanding last night. YNWA

19 Mar 2026 09:20:47
@RedScarface, maybe cos the fans know that this is one perf. in isolation cos that Spurs game (esp. those who were there on Sun and last night) is still stuck in people's throats.

19 Mar 2026 09:25:56
A small group in the Upper Annie tried to get the Slot chant going, but it quickly faded without anyone else joining in. It said something without saying very much.

19 Mar 2026 11:18:37
We've seen how fickle fans can be. A couple of good wins and they'll be blaring it out again.

19 Mar 2026 12:46:06
Quite a big shout to call match going fans fickle, mate, from behind a keyboard.

After wasting £200 on Sunday, I don't care how fickle internet fans think my criticism is.