29 Dec 2025 23:30:26
No offence ment to UMonstouse and or any others using the term deluded. Harsh maybe but please accept my reasoning.
Lots of comments point to Klopp time.
Firstly I would say very rearly did I see a continual demise's in the team. We had bad form yess at times. But I for one could not wait for games. I wanted us to be playing 3 times a week, as I felt it suited our rhythm
When we had an international break or a week off we always had an under par performance.
However look back on my
Posts. My concerns about team setup pace of play have been mentioned since the PSG game last year. I firmly believe our team were super fit, a fitness that Klopp
Gave them. If you like they had the miles in their legs! Slot then over played the first 11 for the games between PSG away and at Home. Coupled with the extra time and the emotion of losing the chance of a champs league and prem title we effectively stumbled. I honestly don't think we have recovered.
The football last year was good, but never in the first half! Always the second. Slott has an ability to spot were we need to change. Implement it at half time.
Not this year! He h
Ias under trained the team. They don't have legs. If people think we are on the up? You are sadly mistaken. I love you all sorry for a long post and using the terms.
30 Dec 2025 00:29:50
Look people that don't see beyond the end of their nose are not worth arguing with. It's bad and very bad.
30 Dec 2025 01:30:56
Chrisymate , why are you apologising for saying the word deluded, some of them are very deluded, some more than others . its only a word and if they're offended by that, I'd dread to think how they've made it to adulthood.
{Ed078's Note - you should see some of the stuff that doesn't get through :) (not much on the Liverpool page, granted).
30 Dec 2025 02:01:04
Just be you mate, it doesn't matter what words you use or what you say, as long as you're you? you're real. Don't worry about what other people think.
30 Dec 2025 04:40:01
My own feeling is that folks who insist that we have the squad to dominate the league and Europe are deluded. We are at least two players away from that, in my opinion. Yes we have a team stacked with talent on paper. But there is such a thing as form, momentum, fitness (and this includes injuries), confidence, and plain and simple lack of a certain skill set in key areas given the way we want to play. Still, given all these factors, we are above Chelsea, who have spent much more than we have in aggregate and whom some folks on here have called a 'top team' up there with arsenal and city this year.
People who simply parrot the pundits saying we spent all this money, why do you need to spend more, aren't really helping matters imo. We lost our number one progressor of the ball and didn't replace him, robbo, our number two progressor, is getting on in years, we have nobody to rotate with konate.
30 Dec 2025 06:12:33
Everyone's opinions are fine and whilst there's nothing technically wrong with saying something is deluded if that's what you think, bear in mind that you have no idea what kind of day someone else on here is having. This is or at least should be a safe space for many. Your words and how you describe the mindset of someone else's opinions can have more effect than you know. I think it's very decent and mature of you to recognise that.
For me it's simple - read back through your post before you hit send. If you have put something that is needlessly derogatory or have described something in a way that you wouldn't like if they did so to you, I would advise to remove it. We are all very capable of having debate and disagreement without putting someone down for having a different subjective opinion.
For my part, I agree with every point you have made.
30 Dec 2025 06:57:17
Hmmm, I’m not sure that’s correct to be honest. We have signed at least 3 players to replace players hardly used last year when we won the League last year, Surely that alone gives Slot more options and make his squad better than last year?
I can accept injuries to a certain extent but all teams need to deal with that and not just Liverpool but form, formation, confidence are all down to Slot .
We were also above Chelsea last year and we did spend £450 million in the Summer. People were also saying Robbo was done last season even in a League winning team.
30 Dec 2025 07:03:10
Slot had turned us all from belivers to doubters. And it's his negative football that has done it. Im still in the slot out camp. Chrissy is right, we use to look forward to games, now most people can't be bothered watching. And it's down to slot.
30 Dec 2025 07:29:56
In this day and age it’s easy to be offended if you’re constantly looking to be offended.
30 Dec 2025 08:05:00
Lack of fitness is the biggest issue. Elite athletes and winners are always at the peak of fitness. Secondly having such an unbalanced squad is impacting the problem. Poor management of transfers and what was required in the summer has also been a major issue, the CB problem not being resolved and a true DM or enforcer type to help out was a glaring missed opportunity. I would love Slot to succeed but the squad that has been assembled for him is not helping him.
I was one of the first to congratulate Hughes and Edward’s with the summer signings but missed the obvious problems that we would have throughout the season. Unless Hughes gets this right any manager would struggle, not just Slot. Fitness is on Arne and his team, squad is on Hughes, both need addressing.
{Ed001's Note - That is not really true about elite athletes. In most sports, they will aim their peak fitness for a particular tournament, such as the Olympics. They build towards that throughout the rest of the year.}
30 Dec 2025 08:12:43
PatrikBurgher - Agreed, but I think we need a lot more than 2. 2 helps us to get back to being competitive, but to be dominant we need 2 new first team CB's, a pacey skilful winger with a proper ability to take on their man (2 if were not going to play Rio) and a complete midfielder with power, pace and a really strong read of the game, somebody who can not just put a tackle in but knows exactly how and when to break up the game. Somebody who knows how to drive the rest of the team, I don't see any passion on that pitch, apart from Hugo and Dom but they're not the type to light a fire under your arse. I remember watching the man u game and thinking, this is the biggest rivalry in England?!
The Irish Rover - Replacing players doesn't automatically make the squad better. as we've clearly witnessed this season. We brought in 2 first team strikers to replace 2 first team strikers, we brought in a starting RB to replace a starting RB, we brought in a starting LB because our starting LB is in his final year, pushing retirement, we weren't even sure if he was going to stay and our backup LB went out on loan, we lost Elliot on loan from midfield and brought in Wirtz.
So I'm really not sure who you're talking about when you say "hardly ever played" because last season Tsimikas payed 29 games for us, Elliot played 28 games, Nunez 47 and Jota 37.
Willing to admit Elliot didn't get a huge amount of minutes but Tsimikas averaged just under 60 per game, Darwin just under 45, Jota 50 and Elliot averaged 30.
30 Dec 2025 08:35:02
Chewy your average minutes for those players are way off mate.
Are you talking just games they started?
Tsimikas only started 18 games out of a possible 50 odd and Nunez played 32% of league minutes and Jota 33%.
30 Dec 2025 08:42:44
Replacing players that aren’t used makes the squad better. Ekitke for Darwin, Wirtz for Elliott just as an example.
30 Dec 2025 08:47:14
Nunez squeezed 1100 minutes in the PL last season, Elliott 360 minutes. Without looking I’m guessing Wirtz and Ekitke have more minutes already. Players Slot trusts with game time hence making his options stronger. It’s not that difficult.
30 Dec 2025 09:01:40
I honestly feel like if we are going to persist with slot, we aren't going to be using conventional wingers anymore, especially after Salah leaves. At the beginning of the season I wrote a piece on here predicting that mo and flo would be withdrawn wide players playing as left and right sided 10s with frimpong and kerkez giving us width and pace going around and behind the block. That is what we are beginning to see come into fruition now. I think that if we were to get a replacement for mo it would be somebody like yildiz who can play wide but actually comes inside to play as more of a 10, though olise is somebody who can come inside or out as a wide player.
I really do think a midfielder and a center half or two will see us right back at the top. Finding a midfielder who can tackle, pass and isn't injury prone in a way that Wharton is for example is easier said than done though.
30 Dec 2025 09:02:13
Ed01 - to be clear we are talking about footballers, they have a pre season to get them at a decent level from the get go. Additional conditioning and management is done to ensure they progress throughout the season without a drop off. We are unfit and it needs addressing. Problem is we are unlikely to catch that missing 10% up now.
Top athletes in other sports and disciplines can train themselves in for specific dates / tournaments, footballers can’t, they need to be ready from August to May. We were clearly not ready, one main mitigating factor yes, but we are still miles off fitness wise.
{Ed001's Note - I fully agree, but that is what the fitness and conditioning coaches are trying to do. They are trying to dial up the fitness as the season goes on to peak in the second half. The problem is that the base level was set so low, which has left us way below where their fitness levels should have been so far throughout the season. It is a mistake by the fitness and conditioning staff, who clearly learnt nothing from all their years working with Klopp.}
30 Dec 2025 09:09:32
People forget we needed to replace that Trent guy too.
30 Dec 2025 09:37:49
PB, persisting with Slot is not my issue cos the club or those who hired him have a right to allow him to see out the season to see what happens. Also, keep in mind that Slot was their guy and since he won the title last season and we are still in a position (for whatever that's worth) to get CL footie and hopefully win a trophy in addition to not being able to get the replacement they want this season, they won't act. Anyone with any sense can understand these dynamics. No issue here, mate.
What me and many others are peeved about is that how is it possible that we are this crap at playing football (ignore the results for a sec. ) just at a basic level with a manager who won the title and suddenly, seems to have suddenly lost all his modjo? When I watch us play, Im struggling to keep my eyes open cos I am NOT entertained at all. I watch other teams play and I am entertained. IOs it too hard to ask my team to play good footie esp. since I know they can?
We are not fit so can't finish games strong physically and mentally, can't build up play consistently, poor substitution decisions (Wirtz is killing it vs Wolves and then, puts him out on the left as a winger tracking back? ), players look shell-shocked when a high ball drops in the box etc. All of this is a scathing indictment on Slot, Im sorry there is no way to spin this. That's all many of us are saying, really.
30 Dec 2025 09:44:03
My belief is that they didn’t build up a base fitness in preseason because they were mourning the loss of their friend and team mate. Whatever plan was in place was thrown out of the window so they started the season undercooked and have been catching up ever since.
That’s nobody’s fault it’s just circumstance. You can’t crack the whip on day one of preseason when they are mourning the death of their mate just days before.
There would’ve been a period of easing the players into it as and when they were ready which could’ve taken weeks for some players.
Like I said that’s my own belief, I don’t pretend to know anything I’m just trying to put myself in their shoes and imagining what it might be like.
30 Dec 2025 09:55:58
The new Slot coaching approach has made a balls of the season. Conserving energy? Conserving fitness? There's 38 league games and the first is just as important as the last. Step on the pitch in either, and all in-between, without being at top level is only asking for trouble. And we got it.
30 Dec 2025 10:08:35
Come on then hands up who on here mentioned our lack of fitness the first 5 games of the season when we won them all.
Our lack of fitness or more like effort is just 1 part of a bigger problem. Our inability to defend set pieces or pass the ball forward isn’t fitness related.
30 Dec 2025 10:46:50
JK23 - The numbers are accurate, they just include all competitions.
The point Irish made was that the players replaced were hardly used. The figures I posted would say otherwise. Even your own do that. Hardly being used would be like 10%. not 30+, that's a significant number of minutes, especially for a sub/ squad rotation or out of form player. There's plenty of benchwarmers out there who would kill to play 30% of available minutes.
Besides, Liverpool don't just compete in the premier League. Nunez played 40% of all possible minutes across all competitions, Jota only slightly higher than Prem % at 36%, still not even close to an insignificant number, sure Tsimikas only played about 25% of available PL minutes, but he played 50% of minutes across all other competitions. There's no universe in which they were "hardly ever played". I mean look at our most promising young winger "who's development path we refuse to block". now that's what hardly ever getting played looks lie or even Elliot's situation, and I know that's a whole different situation but still, the kid would kill for 30% right now.
The Irish Rover! - Yes, Wirtz and Ekitike are getting more minutes, they're regular starters, they were brought in to be just that. But you're going off on a tangent. The part of your original point I contested was that players were brought in to replace players who hardly ever played. Whilst none of them were performing well enough to lay 70+ minutes a game every game, saying they hardly ever played is quite the stretch. 30-40% of available minutes is a significant number, especially if you're not a solid starter Chiesa or RIo will explain the true meaning of "hardly ever played" to you.
30 Dec 2025 10:49:56
JK23 - I mentioned the mitigating factor above. The problem was evident from those first 5 games, you could see the gaps, the lack of tracking back, the lack of concentration at set pieces. All the above can be in some part be attributed to not having the level of fitness required. I remember Cara talking to Slot I think after the charity shield game saying that we can’t play that way, he was talking about being so open on the turnover.
It’s why we can’t see out games, why we can’t recovery mentally after conceding a goal, why we will struggle this season. I do think the lads missed too much with Diogo’s passing, I remember saying to my wife that I would be happy if we just survived this season. I think I need to remember that conversation more often before judging. Have a great new year everyone, here’s to a better 2026 for all.
30 Dec 2025 10:50:24
Got to agree with you there JK. We were certainly mentally and physically fit enough to win games at the death 5 times in a row in the beginning of the season.
And Oli, I struggle to understand why you find watching Chelsea, bournemouth and villa so much more enjoyable than watching us. Bournemouth are in a dismal run and struggling to score, Chelsea often look mechanical and pedantic and villa are a reactive press baiting team that have churned out some excellent results of late but it's not like they have been crushing teams, they have a reliable but predictable way of building up and it can be dismantled, even we managed to do it, or does my memory fail me?
Rogers is in superb form and has won games on his own, is that what you mean? If so that doesn't have much to do with the system, and he was arguably the most disappointing player of the season earlier in the year when villa repeatedly looked like they were never going to score. Imagine if their fans were like ours, the stick Rogers would receive.
30 Dec 2025 10:53:49
Boring, Slow, Cowardly football will never suit Liverpool Football Club.
Never has, Never will.
30 Dec 2025 11:04:20
It is possibly fitness related though JK. Tired legs lead to tired minds which in turn leads to mistakes. Although I would agree that it isn't fully fitness related but fitness definitely plays a part in how we always struggle to see games out.
30 Dec 2025 11:09:11
Olired and Sean Dundee. I agree with both of your posts.
I keep trying to factor in the loss of DJ20 and the constant reminders. Even now I'm still finding myself thinking about it. The effect has to be taken into account on the team. I'm sure expert help has been sought and available to each and every member of the staff. Slot must have struggled with this too.
I totally understand the above but I don't for the life of me see how unfit we are at this stage as the reason. The coaching and analyst staff MUST have noticed the drop off? When we start games slowly ( slots 100% way) it gives teams time to block. the horseshoe playing method just doesn't work. From that point pace of play is set for the game. You can't start slow and finish fast! Especially if you're unfit.
OliRed points out the panick in the defence at the end of games when we have to defend a corner! 100% agree. When we give a corner or trow in away in I dread what will happen. It's honestly like watching kids playing. We are all over the place. The fact we don't have any legs at the end of games is awful. In years gone by we won not only by being better, but by being fitter.
Hopefully we can finish the season stronger, with a good run in CL FA cup.
YNWA.
30 Dec 2025 11:20:48
Chewy I’d love a sit down debate with you over this mage as you’re confusing out of me. How can you say numbers are accurate when you first stated Jota averaged 50 mins a game and his overall game percentage is 36%. 50 out of 90 isn’t 36%.
I’m not being passive aggressive here I actually think it’s a great discussion and would be a good one over a beer.
I actually agree with points of your arguments. It’s just I believe your initial numbers were way out that’s all mate. If Tsimikas was averaging 60 min games then that means Robbo would be at 30 yet the numbers tell you he played more games and minutes at LB.
Good discussion though and fully expect you to counter argument.
30 Dec 2025 11:24:21
Charlies again another good debate and I’m not saying we are fit. For me it seems like more of a lack of effort, concentration and application over just fitness.
We beat Real whilst looking extremely fit and then fell off the wagon a week later.
Our football his extremely lumbersome in possession and we make other team look fitter because we give them so much time to get into a formation block.
Set pieces I have no idea.
Dracula handles crosses better than our back 4.
30 Dec 2025 11:25:52
PB, what's strange about what? The Chelsea vs Villa game was entertaining to me. B'mouth are known for playing good footie regardless of form or are you going to deny that? If that wasn't the case then why in da heck are some or many on here wanting their manager to replace Slot? Villa have always played good under Emery for the most part so why are you so surprised?
You may think these teams won't get anywhere (and that's not my point) BUT that does not remove from the fact that they play good, entertaining footie regardless of form. Again, don't understand your point. And yes, I maintain that these teams play better footie than us right now. The truth hurts, clearly.
30 Dec 2025 11:37:29
Drac agree mate and I did say fitness was one of the issues.
But we seem mentally and physically ok until we concede and it falls apart. Surely our fitness doesn’t nose dive at the exact same time we concede a goal every week.
There’s been plenty of games this season where for 90 mins we’ve not looked a calamity in defence and not conceded.
We can’t beat Villa and real at the start of Nov and then in the space of 15 days get thumped by City, Forest and Psv and then say it’s because we’re all of a sudden unfit or back in mourning.
30 Dec 2025 12:10:30
JK23 - would the two not be connected? Honest appraisal from me would be one effects the other. Like I said I think the passing of Diogo has more to do with it than we realise. Good debate as always.
30 Dec 2025 12:17:31
Charlie’s of course they could be mate.
No doubts about it the players will be grieving as well as his lifelong best mate Neto at Chelsea. What I mean is when we win it doesn’t affect them but when we lose or don’t play well it does.
I just don’t believe the passing of Jota has affected our ability to defend set pieces and pass the ball forward.
If anything it’s disappointing his team mates aren’t fighting harder in his memory.
30 Dec 2025 14:34:08
I can agree with you on that mate. I am sure Virg mentioned that very point recently, speaking about how they now feel the song at 20 mins can motivate them instead of it being a sad reminder that a loved one will never return. Really good thread, happy to be part of this community.
30 Dec 2025 16:27:08
Oli, they haven't exactly been good recently. And how can you be good regardless of form? That doesn't even make sense. If you're losing and struggling to score, what part of that is good? Not saying that Iraola isn't a top coach in the making with a great tactical philosophy, but I would be flabbergasted if you have enjoyed Bournemouth losing and finding it difficult to score recently over our three game winning streak, I really really would.
And Villa are a decent side but I have never found them particularly exciting to watch. Now I don't find us particularly exciting to watch at the moment but Liverpool are my team and I will always be more emotionally invested into paying attention to the nuances in their game and their development.
To say that Villa play scintillating football suggests to me that you haven't watched them much the last two years, earlier this season they were slow, had no width, and didn't score for a number of games in a row. Now they're getting results you're calling them a top team, this top team were comfortably rolled over by us a few games ago though, and they were playing the exact same way Emery always does.
Next thing you know Spurs will win three games in a row and you will be on here saying they're a better side than us and Kudus is the second coming.
30 Dec 2025 17:17:45
In fairness to Oli he watches Bournemouth live the same amount of times as he watches his beloved Liverpool so I can see why his allegiances are split.
30 Dec 2025 17:30:44
What's entertaining to one is not always entertaining to another, and I think we all need to remember that.
If Oli (and others) prefers the footie other teams are playing to ours, then that is his opinion and he is welcome to it - maybe just lay off calling our football dross every other sentence though? . Personally, I don't mind (in general) our control/ possession based style and think we could have benefitted from a bit more of it in years past. I don't think it is necessarily being done that well at present and I'd like to the shackles taken off more, but hopefully that will come.
30 Dec 2025 09:42:19
ED078.We should have 1 day a year like the purge, to say what we want to say to certain posters . can imagine some of the ranting hahah.
{Ed078's Note - I think I'll be washing my hair on that day.