22 Jan 2026 19:29:06
Last night was a great performance but we can't get carried away. They played completely into our hands. It was like playing Ange's Spurs.
22 Jan 2026 20:49:07
After 4 consecutive draws in the league it will be nice to get back to winning ways on sat and get 3 points.
If we lose and other results go against us then we could see us drop from 4th to 9th.
If we win and Villa don't we could see the gap close down to 4 points.
22 Jan 2026 21:39:58
Let's just enjoy the moment.
22 Jan 2026 21:40:50
In fairness flidby if that's the case we've a very good chance in the champions League seen as we'll play more and more teams that play completely into our hands as we go further in the competition.
22 Jan 2026 22:12:14
Florian, you may have a point, at this point it appears hard to do but….
If we win the CL, Slot to stay?
22 Jan 2026 22:41:49
"they did good, but. " you may as well just say that we're sh*t and we know it.
22 Jan 2026 23:01:08
A very good question Kew, I know not directed to me so apologies but it's worth asking.
For me it's less about how he has the team playing against top teams that will try to outplay us, and more about how he finds a way to win against the teams that sit back, as its pretty obvious that's all a team needs to do.
Without that, he could win the CL and the FA cup and I'd still want him gone.
We need a target man (Isak? ) and the rest of the team need to cross more when we get the chance. People say we lack Trent's creativity, but Trent crossed the ball! Sometime you just need to put the ball in the danger zone and see what happens, not try to 'Arsene Wenger' perfect goal it all the time.
23 Jan 2026 05:10:21
If a manager wins the PL and CL in his first two years and the club sack him who, in their right mind would want the job? I'd suggest we stop trying to chalk up points for getting rid and see how the rest of the season pans out.
23 Jan 2026 05:40:17
Could Danns be the target man in tome? Maybe not now.
23 Jan 2026 07:51:00
I'm probably one of Slot's biggest critics on here, but if you can't give credit where it's due, you're just bitter and twisted. The Marseille performance was probably the best we've played since Slot's first 6 months. We were totally dominant, totally in control, and it felt like if we ever needed another goal we could turn the screw at the flip of a switch. The tactics were absolutely spot on and you can only beat what is in front of you. We were moving the ball forward quicker, Frimpong and Kerkez were given license to run at people, the midfield was set up with more defensive balance, and Wirtz and Dom as the dual 10's was absolutely unplayable as their midfield didn't know who to follow.
That 4-2-2-2 just worked. Slot took a risk and tried something new. However bad he's been, give him his praise when it's earned. You don't have to be stubborn and pretend like he didn't finally get it right, unless you're actually hoping he doesn't turn it around because your heart is already set on Xabi?
23 Jan 2026 09:04:50
Absolutely MK, however, I just wish he'd stop going on about pow blocks. He sounds like a bitter ex!
Gets a bit tiresome, as if LFC are the only club who have to deal with it.
23 Jan 2026 09:17:21
I'm not being bitter and twisted. I'm just saying playing a team whose cb was consistently the furthest man forward was nothing to do with Slot's tactics.
23 Jan 2026 09:37:34
I bet if you asked Slot MK he'll tell you he didn't try anything different it was just that the opposition came forward allowing us to play with a shape and a balance.
It's impossible to play a diamond or a double pivot or whatever other formation you choose when the opposition has 11 players inside their own box.
{Ed001's Note - no it's not. It is easier to keep a shape if they are sat back, as no one is being dragged out of place tracking opposition runs. But when you are attacking you don't want to stick to your shape, no matter what it is or who you are facing. It is only relevant when you are defending.}
23 Jan 2026 09:44:44
flidby, that's just the way Marseille play, and they've had very good results doing so. They had scored 30 goals in 12 home games going into the game, they're 3rd in Ligue 1 and had only lost 2 home games all season in all competitions prior to the game against us. They even beat PSG 1-0 at home. They're no pushovers and trying to imply they are somehow a bad team and that's the only reason we won is just coming off as deliberately disingenuous to avoid giving praise.
If it is just ignorance on your part and you genuinely didn't know how strong Marseille are this season, then far enough. Otherwise, I'd say it's you being bitter (maybe even subconsciously) because you feel like Slot could still prove you wrong. I actively want him to prove me wrong. I don't think he will and need a lot more convincing before I'll be back behind his project, but Wednesday night was a very good initial step.
23 Jan 2026 09:47:23
Oh yeah flidby, even Burnley could have beaten that lot, never mind that Marseille are top scorers in ligue 1, were at home in one of the most raucous stadiums in European football, have already beaten psg once this year and took them to penalties in the other game.
23 Jan 2026 10:07:17
The box midfield did seem to work well, I'd forgotten what its like to actually enjoy watching a game. you can certainly argue there formation played into our hands, but they had there chances too. It really highlighted how boring Prem games have become as a spectacle with low blocks teams playing for set pieces and long throws, and the slow side to side probing play patiently trying to break it down. Agree it was good seeing Frimpong etc run at and get in behind that's been a frustration this season, the intensity was better. How it translates back in the Prem when we come up against the low block again I'm not sure. But in CL anyway it works, I did say to my son as mentioned here, what are the chances we stumble boringly to a top 4/ 5 finish but win the Champions league, Whilst I think Alonso is the right man for the job and sort of destined to be our manager. It would certainly be harsh sacking a manager after 2 seasons having won the Prem and CL, and I didn't like the journo asking Slot if Alonso had spoke to him, that was pretty disrespectful, if as is almost certain Slot is replaced in the summer, regardless of the frustrations this season style wise, we have been unlucky injuries wise with Leoni, Isak, Bradley having serious injuries, players out of form and arguably transfer short fulls in key positions in the summer, noting Wirtz Eketike, Isak was good business and I think Kerkez will get better and better, I'm not saying with Alonso available we stick with Slot, but equally if we won the league by not changing much and being injury free, and we are a few defenders and a midfielder short of the ideal squad balance, its arguably true we haven't and won't ever really know what a complete Slot squad 100% would play like and really be able to judge him on 2 seasons.
But I must admit I do feel for him a bit, to win the league have a huge drop off and have a club legend waiting in the wings being pretty nailed on to replace him whatever he does the rest of the season can't be a great feeling but his still trying to get it right and trying things regardless, at least he doesn't really deserve that journo question that was a low blow, if he was given time, the best poss squad and no major injuries who knows what we would be like, we never will know I guess but I think he deserves a bit better then that journo gave him.
23 Jan 2026 10:19:34
Can talk tactics and systems all day, no doubt v important, but main things we done well against marseille which set us up for good performance was: played with pace when needed to, 1st to the 2nd ball most of game, more aggressive, more desire to get back when needed, whenever marseille had a chance r half chance we had somebody throwing themselves in front of the ball.
The bare basics of the game. That my opinion anyway!
23 Jan 2026 10:24:26
I had a look at the heat map for the match and neither Balerbi or Medina were the furthest forward players. Every single player on the pitch except for the goalkeeper were consistently higher up the pitch than Balerbi and Medina
That was a continuation of the Burnley performance and patches from the previous run of games, but we got what we deserved from this one.
23 Jan 2026 10:39:06
To be fair to Slot the way he batted away that idiotic question was quite admirable, with that joke about Xabi calling him up to ask about the team because he was taking over next week, I can imagine most managers would flip their lid after being asked something like that, he just dismissed it, had a laugh about it and then carried on with the rest of the conference.
The one thing about Slot that folks on here always complain about, about him being too cool and unemotional, served him well there.
23 Jan 2026 11:06:59
I was talking about Pavard.
23 Jan 2026 11:33:52
Pavard wasn't consistently their furthest forward player either.
23 Jan 2026 11:54:23
@fidby Pavard played RB and his average position was about level with Medina (well inside his own half with only Balerbi averaging a more defensive position for them).
Compare that to our RB and Frimpongs average position was halfway inside the Marseille half, level with Wirtz and ahead of Szobo with only Ekitike and Salah averaging a higher position.
23 Jan 2026 13:28:49
"It's impossible to play a diamond or a double pivot or whatever other formation you choose when the opposition has 11 players inside their own box. "
So how did Pep, Klopp etc. do it and be successful? Major kop out, this here.
Low blocks have existed for decades and teams (including ours) have overcome them to win games, win trophies and win titles. This is not some new phenomenon no one has ever heard of.
Slot is the only one who talks about it as some kind of unmovable object cos his tactics for this season do NOT work to break them down, end off. As a result, hit is impossible to break them down and makes it sound like he has never seen a team play in a low block ever in his life whereas he played/ coached against low block teams last season and the way we played smoked them enuff for us to dog-walk the league.
Slot's system does NOT work vs a low block cos we don't move the ball quick enuff, no intensity nor pace in our play, no quick movement, don't take risks, poor at offensive setpieces and a lot more. That's it.
Please, let's stop trying to give credence and credibility to the utterly absurd.