23 Feb 2026 08:15:33
"I thought he did well, I'd still like to see more. When you have players like Cody (Gakpo) producing what he is every week, it's hard to replace him"
Slot on Rio
I had to Google to double check but is a real quote!
Lord give me strength ?♂️?.
23 Feb 2026 08:25:36
Just about sums Slot up. Clueless.
23 Feb 2026 08:26:23
Rio produced more end product in 15 minutes than Gakpo did in 75 minutes. Chiesa was pretty shocking when he came on, but I bet he made a similar number of high intensity sprints in his 15 minutes to what Gakpo did in his 75, so at least he tried.
Gakpo was an absolute pony. Slot's got a blind spot to his performances and it is truly baffling. The only thing I can come up with to explain it is that they're really good friends outside of work.
23 Feb 2026 08:32:47
That isn't a real quote, thankfully. It's from a satire account on Instagram. Doesn't change the fact that it might as well be real, though, as Slot quite clearly believes it.
23 Feb 2026 08:40:05
Oh, it's even real? Apologies, everyone. I thought I did due diligence, but clearly not enough. Hard to know what is real these days. Again - my bad. ?
23 Feb 2026 08:55:24
Ah, thanks, @DK. I could not believe the quote came out that way after the shambles we just watched from Gakpo and the whole team yesterday. Thankfully, you're here to clarify.
23 Feb 2026 09:02:53
Oli, even if the quote is fake, it doesn't change the fact that Slot left Gakpo on that pitch for 77 minutes. He should've been hooked at HT, or at the very least, 60 minutes.
We were sleepwalking into a draw or defeat before Rio and Chiesa came on and actually put in some effort. Rio was the one who suddenly had them panicking and dropping off, though.
23 Feb 2026 09:13:29
Agreed, MK. I like Slot as a bloke and I still do not fully want him out, but some of his selection decisions are completely baffling, especially the wing situation. Gakpo is repeatedly stinking the joint out, Chiesa is only ever given a chance at RW when he is much better on the left, Rio looks more threatening than everyone and gets the least minutes.
Strange, to say the least.
23 Feb 2026 09:16:51
I found it interesting that Rio was playing a lot on the right. I don't know if it was just where he found himself following set pieces, etc, or whether it was deliberate. Even though the quote is fake, it's clear that Slot thinks extremely highly of Gakpo, but it did make me wonder whether Slot would consider trying Rio on the right instead of Salah.
23 Feb 2026 09:21:31
Does Slot just see what he wants to see? Has Gakpo got dirt on him? It's beyond a joke now.
23 Feb 2026 09:52:50
Glad Slot did not mention how good Gravenberch was, along with Gakpo. Both were very poor. Slot must be seeing a different game than us fans. YNWA.
23 Feb 2026 09:54:35
I appreciate that every team has a whipping boy, but for a team that won the PL less than a year ago we seem to have elevated the whipping boy to an art form - Konate, Jones, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Isak, and, of course, the coach. The list seems to be growing by the day, and I'm struggling to differentiate between the People's Front of Liverpool (Slot out) and the Liverpool People's Front (Bin the players).
To place our current situation into context, we have just gone level with the fourth and fifth placed teams (CL qualification). We are in the last 16 of this year's CL, and we are progressing in the FA Cup. There's no disputing that we are not playing well, not least when measured against the massive expectation of the fans (on this forum at least), but we are, comparatively speaking, a lot better off than the overwhelming number of clubs in our league and the other major European leagues.
The journey's bumpy at the moment, but I think that the criticism is overstated and not all warranted. I've said a number of times that Slot should have gone, and I still hope he does, although it's not going to happen until the summer at the earliest, so I'm happy to hold onto the handlebars and see how the journey turns out. I have to say that I think we will win some silverware, although my optimism has no basis in logic. I suppose that's what fans do. ?
23 Feb 2026 10:12:08
We need a proper DM, as they bullied us in the midfield.
23 Feb 2026 10:28:41
It does worry me how many of you get caught out with fake posts and false information.
23 Feb 2026 10:42:08
Oh MKS, don't get it twisted. I'm not disagreeing with you at all on Slot and his decisions yesterday, not in the slightest. That was an absolute ship show of a perf. from darn near the whole team. One of the worst displays I have seen in the last 4 years, and trust me, we have had some disgraceful stinkers even under Klopp, and this ranks near the top. The manager? Mate, if anyone thinks for a nano second that he deserves to keep his job, CL spot or not, they need to seek help, ASAP. Also, there is no point talking about Gakpo, as I think he is a victim of what the manager is asking from him, because he has NOT been this bad in the past 2 years, IMO.
Look, Slot has told us that Gakpo will play when fit, come hell, high water, a tsunami, earthquake, a heat wave and a snow storm, so again, what's the point slamming him? If he had not come on and taken the fight to them, we would have snoozed our way to a draw, or an off chance, or a loss. Get this guy out as soon as the season ends, period.
23 Feb 2026 10:52:22
For me, Dhfc, a 'proper DM' wouldn't make us any better. He'd just be running around, getting bypassed, and would be of little use to us, no matter how good he is. Out of possession, we are far too stretched; the gap from front to back is way too big for one person to patrol. Until we get a better team structure, we are actually better having press resistant, ball playing midfield players. The only way to defend the cavernous gaps we leave is to not give the ball away.
You saw yesterday how easy it is to get at us when Curtis kept giving the ball away. The gaps are so big that we lose the ball, and one pass puts them straight at our back 4 in tons of space. It's why other teams find it much easier than we do to keep the ball, and they always have an option. We are just so stretched we can't get pressure on the ball.
23 Feb 2026 11:51:10
Only just read it was fake news, but it's something you expect Slot to say about his golden child.
23 Feb 2026 13:05:22
Fatwallet, that's how people believed it. Can you blame them?
23 Feb 2026 15:23:58
Even if it isn't true, I still believe it lol.
23 Feb 2026 16:31:36
If Slot thinks Gakpo is playing well, it must mean he is playing the way he wants him to. He is slow and lethargic, with little to no attacking threat.
23 Feb 2026 17:57:28
Get him out. I've never in all my life heard so much nonsense from one manager. He makes Arteta look completely normal.
23 Feb 2026 22:26:55
Slot made the change and got the result. He included adjusting the set-up part way through the first half. So we got the desired outcome. I think it's really unfair to then say that he should have done that earlier, and use that as criticism.