02 Oct 2025 12:11:35
Lots of noise about the team, slot, new signings etc. In amongst all that, my hope is that Slot and the coaching team hold their nerve and stay their course.
I believe what we have been seeing is normal teething issues for a team that has made as many changes as we did.
But when the 'poor' performances seem to be a trend I guess it's fair that fans start to get a bit edgy about things. I hope this isn't the case for Slot but I am seeing a couple things that do worry me in this regard
Dom at RB - yes, he can do a job. just like how Fabinho and Hendo did a job at CB. It's not sustainable and it weakens the strength in our team which is the midfield. We had three players available yesterday who could play RB, but Slot went for Dom.
Wirtz at LW - Slot's comments post-Palace were that the idea was to start Wirtz wide and the overload the midfield. This screamed of over-tinkering to me. Just play the lad at 10, and give him the run of games to build his rhythm and confidence.
The theme for the above is that it looks to me like the coaches are tinkering at the margins to find something that will make everything click into place. Where in reality, I just think the team needs consistency and certainty over what we're doing.
Defense needs time together. Dom is not a long term option at RB, so play the available RBs at RB so they have time together and learn how to play with each other.
Wirtz needs time at 10. I do think Macca is so undercooked that it's hampered Wirtz's transition into the Prem. But, despite the perception that Wirtz is struggling he is creating 2 chances per game and actually is some unlucky finishes away from better G/ A numbers than he has. all ifs and buts obvs, but just pointing out that he isn't the disaster signing that some fans, our fans included are saying
My message to Slot and anyone else who wants to listen - stay the course. Don't get distracted and start trying to play 5D chess. The team need time together, tinkering at the margins will just hamper that
YNWA.
02 Oct 2025 13:01:05
The biggest thing for me is at the end of the last season it was clear we needed two things. A CB capable of playing straight away, a RB capable of being a first team player straight away (and comfortable defending in a back 4) a deep-lying midfielder to take the weight off Gravenberch and provide more "bite" when we need it.
For whatever reason, we didn't sign a CB, a deep-lying midfielder and signed a RB who is very much a wing back.
Before anyone else left, this is what we needed and I'm scratching my head a bit that we've spend all that money and not addressed those areas properly.
Of course, it's still early, we are top of the league and we could "click" at any minute but for me personally (and I'm of course in no way as knowledgeable as the people in charge), I'm not sure why those areas weren't addressed.
02 Oct 2025 13:33:40
I think all of our expectations have been raised after winning the champions league and the huge transfer window. We are in a good early position and things will improve. Off to the Palace EPL game with my lad so hoping for a good response in the coming weeks.
02 Oct 2025 13:45:00
I think you are right Faith, Wirtz is definitely lacking confidence and is trying too hard.
If you look at his first few games in preseason he was floating about, everything was quick and first touch passing was brilliant. Now he seems to take a touch and just wait for someone to take it off him. I’ve been there as a player and your mind is going 100 miles an hour and it makes you freeze. That split second is the difference.
He just needs to play in the position we bought him for and he will get more comfortable and start to play his natural game.
I also agree about Dom at right back. He first played there because Bradley and Frimpong were injured and that’s the only reason he should ever play there. That being said we don’t know the conversations Slot is having with the other members of the defensive line. I’m thinking Konate in particular. Is Konate saying to Slot that he feels his poor start is due to not getting support from the full back and that he feels more comfortable with Dom there than Frimpong or Bradley? Perhaps but whatever the reason Dom is not a long term option there so don’t put him there.
TBB I would disagree with pretty much everything you said.
It was not clear that we needed a CB who could play straight away. We won the league last season with 4 CBs and had very few issues. We sold Quansah and brought in Leoni so we were ok. Guehi, I believe was an opportunistic signing that we felt we didn’t particularly need but might as well do as he’s an international CB who is his club captain and was available at a fraction of his real value. I think Guehi was one that we were signing a year earlier than we actually would’ve liked and he will form part of the VVD succession plan. He plays on the left of a back 3, why would we target him to play on the right of a 2? Makes no sense.
We signed a right back in Frimpong and we already have a right back capable of defending and playing in a back 4. His name is Connor Bradley. He’s just been injured and is not fully up to speed yet but he’ll get there.
Finally the DM. We have Endo, Dom, Macca and Grav who can all play that role if needed. Yes to varying degrees of success but they can all play there. I’d love to have a Wharton or Baleba sitting on the bench for when Grav is injured or needs a rest but that’s just not realistic. Grav will play the vast majority of games so the cover has to be someone who can play various positions to get games, like Jones, Dom or Macca or someone who is happy to sit on the bench for most of the season, like Endo.
We won’t be paying £100m for Wharton just for cover. If Macca or Dom were to leave then absolutely, but we are stocked in midfield right now so there’s no room for anyone else.
That’s my take, I think it’s too easy to look at the first 8 games and say we needed this, that and the other instead of what we got. We had an amazing transfer window and we have an excellent squad that just needs to settle in to the season.
02 Oct 2025 13:57:07
My expectation was that as great as the window was (and the strategy involved in getting those specific players for those positions in the long term), we would still need to go thru the process of adaptation, gelling together and even more, being able to handle the loss of a team mate who was loved by the players, coaches and fans. Those were/ are real things we needed/ still need to navigate.
What I was surprised about was the way we handled adversity on the pitch that led us to winning those games even at the mast minute. That showed that even tho, a lot of work needed to be done, we still kept our fortitude and mentality and confidence in our ability to pull out results while we continue to improve and develop. Tinkering can be good BUT not too much and for no reason. Szobo at RB with both RB's fit is doing too much, IMO.
So like @Faith, we are still in this process so we just have to stay the course and continue to work hard and improve. Panicking only makes things worse esp. this early in the season with 7 wins out of 9 under our belt already.
02 Oct 2025 14:14:13
Robbo - I get what you're saying but for the amount of games Grav played last season, it was clear there was no one capable of deputising for him. The guy was running on fumes and Slot clearly does not fancy Endo there and Macca has been very poor playing there. Without doubt, we needed a deep-lying midfielder and one that was more robust as we were at times, bullied in there last season.
I don't know why you don't think we clearly needed a CB. Konate has never been consistent, Gomez always injured, Van Dijk getting too old to play every minute of every game and Quansah was clearly not rated by Slot. A glaringly obvious position to strengthen for me.
We lost Trent and Bradley has never demonstrated he can stay fit. Another obvious one.
02 Oct 2025 14:55:49
Agree with you Faith. Slot should hold his nerve rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater and start tinkering with everything.
02 Oct 2025 15:38:48
It’s a game of opinions I guess TBB but for me the obvious ones were a replacement for Nunez, a replacement for Jota (RIP), a left back to replace Tsimikas and rotate with Robbo, a right back to rotate with Bradley and a young CB to replace Quansah.
All of which we got and we got Wirtz because once he’d chosen Liverpool as his preferred destination it would be stupid not to sign him.
I’d be happy to have another top quality CB and a top quality DM and another right back, left back and a world class right winger too but none were absolutely necessary in this window.
We recruited in the positions we had to recruit in and got one of the most exciting young talents in Europe to boot. To go back and say we should’ve done this and we should’ve done that is just revisionary nonsense and is only because Konate, Frimpong and Wirtz haven’t hit the ground running this season.
Im not disagreeing that we might need to sign those players I’m just saying that there were more important positions we had to fill this summer.
02 Oct 2025 15:48:27
Indeed, Pelican. Never bow down to outside noises cos majority of them couldn't do the job and make tough decisions in real time, that managers like Slot do.
02 Oct 2025 19:03:24
Hard to judge Frimpong until he's had a run of games. I'd start him and Robbo with Gomez at Chelsea and drop Kerkez and Konate. We need some steady old heads at the back. I think the criticism Wirtz is getting in the press is unjustified. At times he's showing some class touches and passes. I think the bigger issue is Salah and Gakpo being so out of form is not helping him. But for now, sort the leaky defense and build from there.
03 Oct 2025 12:09:55
Anybody who doubts Wirtz should remember the first few months that Beardsley had when he arrived. It took him 3 months to find his best form and he was a very similar type of player to Wirtz.
Don't worry about Wirtz. He is class and everyone will realise how good he is in a couple of months9.
03 Oct 2025 12:11:38
TBB - by all accounts we’re were moments away from Guehi wearing red. The outcome in that case doesn’t then mean that we’ve not identified the need.
Robbo - you’re right we don’t know the internal comms. But devil’s advocate if I’m Slot and Konate asked me that my answer would be “we’re looking at some other CBs who can make it work” lol
It’s way too early to abandon the RBs we have and I think this talk of Frimpong not being good enough is silly. He care in, got injured and has been in and out since. Assuming he’s fit, play the lad at RB and get him up to speed. Or play Bradley then bring Frimpong off the bench to ease into it. Whatever can we stop the tinkering!