03 Feb 2026 16:07:07
Excited by the evolution and improvement of this partnership between Ekitike and Wirtz. I hope it is successful for many years to come.
I am also excited about the young CB depth for the future with hope that the club bring in an established CB over the summer. Leoni, Jacquet, Duke, and others seem like very good signings and I hope they progress well.
There is a ton of young talent in the side and I hope we get the most out of them. My hope is that Szobo and Grav extend and we have many exciting days ahead.
03 Feb 2026 16:56:47
My hope is that Slot turns things around and long term we pursue the 4-2-2-2 formation we've seen recently. In ideal world I want next seasons team to look something like:
Isak, Ekitke
Wirtz, Szoboszlai
Wharton, Gravenberch
Kerkez, Virgil, Jacquet, Frimpong
Alisson
But I'd also like Slot to accept that in some games we might need to drop one of the strikers for either an out and out DM or even a 3rd CB. I also want him to move with his family to Liverpool. I just don't see how you can be fully invested in a project but jet off on the regular. How is he ever going to fully integrate the academy if he can't put in the extra hours to oversee the work they're doing, because he's got flights to catch?
Ultimately, I do still think we'll end up changing managers for Alonso in the summer, but I still hope Slot can rectify things if the club has made the decision to wait and review in the summer. Because if he stays beyond that review in the summer, it means that we've had a successful run in the 2nd half of the season and maybe even won the Champions League or FA Cup.
03 Feb 2026 17:11:58
Depends on how often the journeys are, no man should be expected to be on the job 24 hours a day. And we shouldn't want that, look at the toll the job took on Jurgen. Arne's here nearly two years, if his family havnt moved by now i doubt there moving.
03 Feb 2026 17:43:19
Does anyone actually know how often Slot flies back to the Netherlands? Is it every other week or just during the international breaks? Because if it's just during the international breaks I struggle to see why it's an issue.
03 Feb 2026 18:05:30
All this Netherlands nonsense is getting tiresome!
We all know he is 100% dedicated to the Club
In Ibiza.
03 Feb 2026 18:07:52
I put a coin-sized pet tag on him. It's thrice weekly ?.
03 Feb 2026 18:07:56
I think with the players long term would something like this, 4,2,1,3 formation
Ali
Frimpong Leoni/ jacquet vvd Kerkez
Grav Szob
Wirtz
Salah Isak Ekitike.
03 Feb 2026 18:31:00
I can't imagine he's only seeing his wife 4 or 5 times a year during international breaks. And if that is the case, that's also very unhealthy and won't end well for him on a personal level.
Not to mention that International breaks (when the squad is quite thin of senior players) is often when the academy will be drafted in to make up the numbers, thus making those breaks some of the best opportunities for the first team coach to work with the younger players and build relationships with them.
It's quite clearly an issue either way that prevents a manager from being fully committed to a long term project. I want Slot to succeed here still but it's not going to happen if his hearts not fully in it; something that won't be possible with his wife and kids in another country.
03 Feb 2026 18:47:03
Im with you, LiverpoolFC8. This is becoming tedious, tbh. Good grief.
03 Feb 2026 19:16:38
I don't have an issue with living in Manchester and flying to Holland. If his private life deteriorates because he's separated from them that that will affect his clarity of thought. He needs focus and he needs time out mentally to be with his family.
He must be going back fairly frequently otherwise he wouldn't need to live near to Manchester airport IMO.
03 Feb 2026 19:50:26
Slot has said previously in bits to the press that his wife comes over for a few days every couple of weeks and his daughter is/ was studying English in Manchester and will be or has stayed a few months. He didn't uproot the family as not to disrupt the kids final year of education. In my opinion a solid decision from a husband and wife. I would speculate if a new long term deal was presented then the family would move over.
From an outside perspective I would say he has made good choices and has been successful proffesionaly, a league title in the first year wasnt what anyone expected. Yes it can't have been easy and maybe he/ they have suffered for it but we live with the choices we make, there will be decisions made in the summer, whichever way it goes he has my thanks for last season and the way he handled the tragedy in pre season.
03 Feb 2026 22:18:23
Agree 100% with Scouser.
04 Feb 2026 00:33:52
Doesn't Pep live apart from his family, and also Mourinho often did I think. It's probably fairly common with foreign coaches given the average time in a job is so short. It's probably also easier for the older ones who don't have school age children to uproot.
If you were the Notts Forest manager would you even sign a six month lease on a house, I'd probably stay in a hotel on expenses.
04 Feb 2026 07:02:11
It's fairly common in all walks of life.
I have worked away from my family for 24 years, it's hard at times, but you have to do what you have to do.
I got to go home on a Friday evening, Slot gets to go home on a Monday 06:05am flight to the Dam on EasyJet (Roughly £30 one way)
It's life.