10 Feb 2026 07:24:28
Ed001
In your opinion, what is the core of our collective demise this season?
Some talk about the death of Diogo but I don't believe that is a reason, if anything it should push the players to do better in his memory.
I have it down to 3 key things.
1- Our defence as in Bradley/ Frimpong- VVD- Konate is as weak as p. and all need replacing. I still have doubts about Kerkez but I have seen improvement so he deserves a chance.
2- Slot has meddled with our style and strategies and he is completely out of his depth in the Prem.
3- Our midfield lacks strength and guile and they are far too easy to get past.
Fix 1 with an established CB such as Schlotterback, Bastoni and 2 with Alonso and then 3 with a Ederson or Sidiki or Stiller type and we will be challenging again.
I suppose the right side has to inevitably change this summer too.
{Ed001's Note - 100% on the coaching and tactics. Slot wants to play a way that just doesn't work.}
10 Feb 2026 08:44:00
I think we won the league last year Ed because there was a mix of Klopps style too.
How on earth, come February now, can slot still be insisting on his style? How can a man be so utterly delusional. It is incredible.
{Ed001's Note - I do think he has made changes to it, but he still has not addressed the actual main problems with it - the midfield lacking any bite at all.}
10 Feb 2026 09:18:00
While we are on this topic, what is your impression of Kerkez?
He seems to be hurried/ rushed in all things he does and most of the times comes acorss rash/ clumsy. I mean there is absolutely no poise or control even when there is no threat.
Also Gapko is not helping by being blind. Whenever Kerkez makes a run, Gapko never sees or ignores and just cuts back which makes the run useless and leave us one less in defense.
Though he has time on his end to improve, his general positional sense is not there at all. These is no anticipation of sort and holding positon to cut opposition attacks.
All the pace in the world will not help if there is no positional/ anticipation of how the game is going.
Everyone says he is not being used according to his strengths which is bombing forward, but he just runs with gay abandon.
Absolutely no idea on when to go/ run and when to restrain.
{Ed001's Note - I think Kerkez is fine, he just needs Gakpo to actually pass to him and Virgil to get off his case. Yes, his end product needs work and he is just purely a head down racing forward at every chance, but that can be worked with.}
10 Feb 2026 09:24:38
Just keep Grav deeper as he did last season solves a good bit of that issue.
Why change a winning formula.
He really does frustrates me. What is the obsession with completely vacating the midfield!
10 Feb 2026 09:31:39
The demise to me is slot changing tactics and high quality players who left the club in key positions
Then new players who need a full season to adjust
A serious lack of squad depth an quality in certain areas - more players needed
Plus add the tactics or whatever style we use not working at all
So overall too many changes to have a solid season - if he kept things the same I believe the results would be less painful.
10 Feb 2026 09:45:45
Squad doesn't suit 4/ 3/ 3 anymore.
If we'd have known this was the formation then replacing Diaz was priority.
I just assumed like everyone else the formation was changing and we didn't need wingers anymore.
10 Feb 2026 09:48:27
Slot changing Gravy and Macca round, WHY? , it worked well last season. Then not adapting to the new players and how they should be played. Last season Slot tweaked what he had and it worked, this season he has had to do a lot more and has been left behind, its too much for him.
10 Feb 2026 10:07:57
still maintain that there is a break in synergy between the recruitment and how Slot wants to play.
10 Feb 2026 10:37:56
I think there is a break in synergy on how Slot wants to play and how fans want to see Liverpool play (obviously not the best fans)
10 Feb 2026 10:38:21
@steviep62, that is the part I can't get. keep in mind that Grav in the 6 with Macca ahead of him a bit, won us the title at a canter. However, it is clear that Slot doesn't want to play that way as that is not his style.
Also, remember that Slot wanted Zubimendi in that deeper role, who is not a DM with bite in the tackle because Slot doesn't play with a true DM. Hence, this is why Ed01 kept saying he didn't want Zubimendi because he was more like a Macca in the 6. And now we see why.
W/ o a true DM (with bite and aggresiveness) in the now rough and more athletic PL in this day and age, you will struggle. Slot is yet to get that memo till this day. Ironically, as soon as Klopp figured that out, he got Fabinho and we know the results.
10 Feb 2026 11:32:39
We didn't replace Diaz because we didn't want to block Rio getting minutes. Allegedly.
Seems to me like Slot doesn't want Rio to threaten Gakpo's place in the team, hence why he plays Ekitike/ Chiesa there at every opportunity.
10 Feb 2026 11:51:07
Do we really need a true DM? Grav arguably isn't one and we won the title at a canter last year. Folks on here have been asking for the likes of Ederson, Sadiki, Anderson and Baleba and none of those are really 'true dm' type players in the mould of say, Palhinha, either. Players like Rodri and Fabinho are honestly unicorn players who are mobile, incredibly intelligent, but can play ball and carry with the best of them too.
I'm wondering if there is another player quite like that nowadays, which is why 6s who can do that sort of thing are so incredibly expensive. Bouaddi looks like he could be that player in time, though he doesn't have close to the passing range of Rodri or Fabinho, he very much has Grav's composure to turn and carry in tight spaces.
10 Feb 2026 12:22:31
Said above it's interesting Slot has not been through bad runs of results before.
Maybe he just never had the man management skills to pull the team spirit off the floor and galvanise them.
Maybe the death of Jota had more of a profound effect because Slot didn't have the man management skills to guide them through it? .
Maybe it's more than just tactics because despite tactics I see a lot of low morale, lack of confidence and lack of belief in our play.
10 Feb 2026 12:59:44
CK confirmed it last week and other fans will hear no different.
10 Feb 2026 13:26:49
Agreed, the biggest issue for the team is actually not the defense, it's our midfielders. They look leggy, no bite, not brave enough to demand the ball. Essentially hiding and they are leaving our defense completely exposed. To my eye they are the main culprit (along with slot) as to why this whole season has been a disaster.
10 Feb 2026 15:00:40
The only reason we're struggling this season, is because the manager has changed a champion winning formula to one we're seeing now, this slow play does nobody any favours. Just look at Salah for instance, we all know he will miss a lot of chances but usually comes out on top in the end, now he gets scraps, his confidence is at a low but if we carried on playing the way we have been for years Salah would still be our top scorer.
People just say he's finished n in this system he is, but even a 50% salah in the old system would have still got a lot of goals. that's my opinion anyway.
10 Feb 2026 15:13:13
PB at least from last season, Grav was good in the DM role provided he sat in and screened, something he did so well and was voted Best Young Player last season.
The issue we have now is that Grav is now being played in the 8 with Macca in the 6, which is what Slot actually wants clearly. That is an issue because in the PL, you cannot play a Macca in the 6. You simply can't because in this day and age of the PL where athleticism and physicality are the norm, a midfield with no DM with bite in the tackle will struggle and we see that now.
Now who can we get in midfield with the bite and physicality we need? I have no idea BUT that should be the midfield priority right now, IMO.
10 Feb 2026 18:32:01
Oli, I agree with everything you have in this thread. But I think needing a player in midfield, with physicality and athleticism has been the norm in English football for years.