21 Oct 2025 14:04:36
Are the Akira or Carra posts inferring that the board are forcing Slots team selection or did I misunderstand?
If it is true it is very worrying, like something you'd see in Spain or at Utd.
21 Oct 2025 14:37:32
Well, we were already told that when Slot was hired, his position would be Head Coach, and not Manager. So I'm assuming that he had far less input into transfers as Klopp did by the end of Klopp's tenure. But even Klopp took time to accumulate more and more power and authority within the organization. You could tell easily by the increasing confidence he used to speak with during interviews and pressies, over time.
But I agree with you that if "they" are not asking Slot for his opinion, or at least some input, into outgoings and incomings then it's a little shortsighted. Clearly, there are differences in the way Klopp and Slot like to play football, and that has to be factored into player selections.
21 Oct 2025 15:49:37
Surely a good coach should be able to coach good players and work on formation and tactics etc? I mean that’s what he’s hired to do.
It’s not as if Liverpool have just went out and purchased a load of duffers.
The club just spent £100s of millions on new talent so he ain’t hard done by .
Anyway, pretty sure Slot would have a little input at the very least.
21 Oct 2025 15:51:02
It wasn't a Carra post, was it?
I thought it was about Jamie Carragher. All I've seen him say is that we don't have enough defensively minded players and he's right.
I said the same last season but we won the League! But the players we brought in in the summer are not known for winning the ball back, are they? Even with TAA leaving you could argue that we are weaker defensively than last season because one of the midfielders has probably played more there than the two right backs we thought we had.
Akira was talking about the folly in giving big contracts to van Dijk and Salah. Our captain and top scorer. The majority of folk on here wanted all three players that were out of contract in the summer to stay. I certainly did.
Akira is also using the benefit of hindsight about these contacts that are still in their early stages.
Where does hindsight come into it?
I'd be interested to know who the external third party that advised the club not to sign them is, too.
21 Oct 2025 15:52:31
I think you may have misunderstood. If the board were forcing team selection I doubt we would had the player that they had just spent £115m on sat on the bench for the last 2 games.
If anything Akira made it sound like it was senior players causing trouble. He suggested that Slot was having to play Salah despite his woeful form but I think that was more because we don't have another RW rathe than board pressure but I may be wrong.
21 Oct 2025 16:23:37
I would assume a quarter of a billion pounds worth of talent in Wirtz and Isak would be expected by everyone at the club to be first names on the team sheet bar injury.
21 Oct 2025 16:39:17
From Akira, 20 October. The last line reads to me that if we continue losing the board will have to let Slot pick 'his' first team, does it not?
I have to say in hindsight infact to his credit arne slot would have been right as he advised bidding farewell to vvd and salah last year when asked about his opinion but club decided to negotiate mega contracts. And hence the moaning.
Its almost impossible for the coach to put vvd and salah on the bench in fact he does not even have an option in players to replace either.
But if results continue board will have to accept the fact and stop the moaning and let slot decide on his first team.
21 Oct 2025 16:59:45
We wouldn't have won the League last season without van Dijk and Salah but Slot wanted to bid them farewell? I'm not having that.
I reckon that those that are unhappy about van Dijk and Salah re-signing are associated with other clubs.
And how reliable is Akira's hindsight after just eight League games?
21 Oct 2025 17:18:38
I doubt any manager would work under them circumstances. Pen pushers telling you what players to play. Even worse if we are to think he had no input into players being bought and sold. If that was the case why not let Hughes manage the team.
21 Oct 2025 17:58:10
Maybe that's why he was signed as our Coach and not our Manager?
21 Oct 2025 18:23:39
I don’t know - go back to the way Mo was reacting on social media to the sales of Nunez and Diaz (in particular the fans appearing pleased at that) . It felt very pointed.
I suspect there was some unhappiness at taking a scalpel to a title winning team.
21 Oct 2025 18:43:01
Too much for this lot
If you cannot get simple power dynamics that's on you. There are players at the club than bigger than slot.
Also taking posts out of all context is easy. What I said was there is no problem off the field and i assure you things will change soon. Everyone just skipped on that to set their own narrative to cater to an opinion not fact. Yea in hindsight its clear we would have been better off without salah and vvd and it would have a nice farewell for both with a league title and we could have replaced both as we had half a billion pound to spend. What’s so hard to grasp here?
Glad to be a reader. Wont post except for transfers.
21 Oct 2025 18:45:18
I can only say that Akira is talking thru his rear end. No way on this earth that anyone picks the team but Slot.
He is right that we don’t have options but I’m pretty sure if we did then we certainly wouldn’t have Isak, Wirtz etc.
I mean you can’t have it all.
Virgil and Salah got new contracts and Liverpool spent the money else where. To me it’s not rocket science.
21 Oct 2025 19:02:37
How can you say 'in hindsight' when we didn't even replace van Dijk and Salah, Akira?
21 Oct 2025 19:21:24
As I said in another post Slot had to be on board with the plan. It's not an arranged marriage he has to have some say since he has to work with the players and get a tune out of them.
I don't like to talk about players that are no longer with us and I was ok with Diaz leaving. But with this persistence with Gakpo we've lost a lot. I wonder if Diaz saw that and hence pushed for the move.
21 Oct 2025 19:27:45
Akira I think most on here appreciate your insight so don't lose sight of that. I disagree that we'd be better off without Virgil and Mo this season unless you care to elaborate on your statement?
I can't imagine there are not issues within the squad. But they are pros and should accept the manager's decisions even if they don't agree with it. I don't see how Ekitke could be upset with Isak but I do see how he could be upset with Slot. Same with Frimpong, Wirtz, Chiesa, Robbo, Gomez, Kerkez, Jones, Bradley, Dom, even Virgil. He's making them either look poor or not using them. Just me looking in from the outside.
21 Oct 2025 20:30:11
Does anyone actually believe that Edwards and Hughes have no power, compared to Slot? My guess is that this huge spend is mostly on them and their vision and Arne has to fit into that power dymanic.
I can't see how Arne would not want to renew two players who were great last season, as we all did. Both of them were immence for the most part, and the two year contract means, if form drops off a cliff this season, we can rinse the Saudi's for 180m for the pair.
I can full believe that Edwards and Hughes weald more power than Slot and who would turn down some of the best players available?
The question is now, is Arne truly as great as everyone thinks he is? We are about to find out.
21 Oct 2025 21:23:40
Doc, Slot app doesn't have the final say on transfers but I'm sure he has a big say.
I'm happy to see Mo and Virgil extended. Mo will not continue to not find the back of the net or a teammate. Virg I don't see as an issue he's still class. If Mo can't turn it around and we can get a decent fee for him next summer, then great. We have other players who can step in and do a job until then.
I agree we're about to find out.
21 Oct 2025 21:37:26
I very much doubt the owners will be telling Slot how to pick his side. Their hands off approach is probably one of the things they do very well.
21 Oct 2025 22:20:19
Although the full backs do look a bit lost at times the main problem for me is the set up and form of those in front of them. The press is poor and uncoordinated, and the midfield shape is all over the place. If you’re a defender in that type of situation you’re always on the back foot and nerves set in. We’ve made quite a few ordinary teams look great offensively this season and our goal difference sums that up.
Hate to say it but Arsenal look like they’re well ahead of us, mainly because their defensive set up is excellent and they’ve added some talent in front of them. We’ve stockpiled attacking talent but can’t play them all at the same time, and have neglected to buy proper defensive talent including at centre mid.