16 Mar 2026 14:37:29
So many aspects (in fact, pretty much all aspects) of our play are so frustrating at the moment, so I don’t know why I picked this one; I think it’s possibly because the contrast and the gulf between how good we used to be at it compared to what we’re like now is so stark.
We used to be electric on the break. It was almost like if we got a 4 on 3 or even a 3 on 3 break away from an opposition corner or a quick Alisson clearance, it was a near certainty we’d score. Salah and Mane were unstoppably quick, Firmino’s movement would be so clever and the likes of Robertson, Trent and Henderson had the engines to burst forward in support. But more to the point, the quality of the execution was impeccable. The choice of the pass, the timing of the distribution and the quality of the delivery were perfect. Right now I have no confidence at all that we’ll score when we break away. We still have a lot of breaks where we are 3 v 3 or even have an overload, but we always seem to mess it up.
The pass is made at the wrong time or to the wrong option and, most infuriatingly, a basic pass that just needs to be weighted correctly goes astray or goes behind the on-rushing attacker. There was a great example yesterday when Ekitike led the charge. I can’t remember who was coming up on his left shoulder, but all it needed was a simple 10 metre pass in-front of the runner and we’d have been in 1 on 1 with the keeper. But Ekitike managed to roll the pass just behind the team mate who then had to check, reset and pick a pass, by which time Tottenham had recovered behind the ball.
I don’t disagree that a lot of the problems at the moment seem to stem from Slot and how he wants to play, but this terrible execution of basics on the pitch can’t be the manager’s fault. It’s fundamental stuff – no excuse for it.
16 Mar 2026 14:53:37
I very much agree with you, RR.
16 Mar 2026 15:02:32
Genuinely, I don't think this group of players are trying for the manager.
Most of our shots (Gakpo, Salah, Rio, Ekitike, etc.) were closer to going for throw-ins yesterday than they were on target.
Zero effort and application.
But we all know where the buck stops!!!
16 Mar 2026 15:56:42
I agree, JK23, if you watch the Spurs goal, there are only 3 players back vs 3 Spurs players, with a lot of ball watching from midfield.
16 Mar 2026 15:59:10
Totally agree, RR. I remember the occasion from yesterday. It was Chiesa that Ekitike gave a horrible pass to. We are nowhere near what we used to be like on the break, when we had, in fairness, a world class front 3. I don't expect us to score from occasions like yesterday anymore, or even get angry at it.
If that had been Mo, Bob and Sadio I'd have been pulling my hair out at not getting the late winner. JK, you may be right on whether they are playing for the manager or not, but that shouldn't enter your head when four of you are running at two defenders in the last minute to get a winner.
16 Mar 2026 16:03:24
The fish rots from the head down, lads. That's the reality. Ask yourself how a really good bunch of players and PL champions can suddenly perform as they are? It starts on the training ground and the set of introductions they are asked to do. The players lack any sort of focus because the intensity has gone from this team, instead we are happy to "try" and play football in our own half and hold onto a 1-0 result.
More intensity equals more focus, and that starts on the training ground, but Slot is persistent on this mundane style of play, and it's costing us dearly.
16 Mar 2026 16:16:38
RR, that stuff didn't happen naturally, though it was coached. I'd agree that the raw materials were much, much better. Mane and Salah, and Trent and Robbo, for a few years, were as good as anyone in their respective positions.
The players we have in those positions now (including an over the hill Mo and Robbo) are half the players, and that's no exaggeration.
The balance in the team was almost perfect, with the basic graft and cover being done by the centre mids.
16 Mar 2026 16:21:51
But, Irish, it's just too easy to say the players lack any sort of focus. This is Liverpool FC; they represent one of the top handful of clubs on the planet, and we are in a s***storm. This is not West Ham or Leicester. Even if, in their heads, they are thinking "he's gone in the summer," unless they are planning on leaving with him, they should have some personal pride and drive and not want to be playing on a Thursday night next season.
This set of players can give anyone in that CL a game if they roll up their sleeves, mostly because there isn't any standout team in it this year. It shouldn't matter what they think of the manager, you're well paid, your team is struggling, so do your job. This is not a post in defence of Slot, before anyone starts. I just think there's a bare minimum of effort that should be put in for 90 mins twice a week.
{Ed001's Note - finally a post of yours I can 100% agree with you on. Just a shame that it doesn't work like that in reality. I think only Szobo has kept his levels.}
16 Mar 2026 16:41:12
I get it, we can't win everything, every year. Even no trophies, sometimes. But all I want to see is a progressive squad. A "Liverpool" team that never gives up, that tells home truths when needed to get the best out of each other.
Drive at the opposition, enjoy beating other teams, and enjoy the game for what it is. Enjoy the fans, Anfield, our culture, breathe Liverpool, and Liverpool will pay you back 10 fold. Is that too much to ask, Mr Slot????
16 Mar 2026 16:47:24
Fm, if they can be bothered, mate, then they can't be bothered regardless of the scenario they are in.
That's not me excusing the players. They are an embarrassment.
16 Mar 2026 16:50:45
Agree with JK, these players have given up n are not playing for the manager. There is no motivation, no fight, no clue really how to sort it, but Im afraid that is down to the manager. Would Klopp put up with it, or would he have found a solution? Look at the teams Rafa had, a sprinkling of very good players, but they fought tooth n nail for the manager. There is nothing from this team, but that is down to the training set up.
Do they train hard enough, do they agree with the manager's tactics, style of play etc, do they believe in each other as players? Yesterday was a prime example that they dont care, but just as bad as the whole set up is, the Hughes n Edwards are overseeing this n have done absolutely nothing when a blind man n his dog could see the change should have been made bfr xmas. All 3 need the axe.
16 Mar 2026 17:05:38
Overkill - I agree that effective break aways come through coaching and practicing movement and high-speed co-ordination between players. Hours on the training ground make it look easy on the pitch. But, when we're talking about failure to execute even the most basic of the fundamentals, a straight forward pass into the path of a player on the overlap to put them clean through on goal, that's not a coaching deficit surely.
16 Mar 2026 16:55:36
Jesus, only took 15 odd years Ed?
{Ed001's Note - might be another 50 before it happens again!}
16 Mar 2026 17:23:20
Agree, some of the passing and link up play is well off. Mo is often very poor as well. I can't explain it. They're all very good footballers. Ekitike looks too laid back at times, maybe he lacks mental sharpness and drive rather than it being an ability thing.
16 Mar 2026 17:23:42
I don't think it's a case of not being bothered, more a case of having the confidence knocked out of them. They are trying to play the way they are asked, and it's not working; it's having an effect. That's the way I see it. ?♂️
16 Mar 2026 17:46:55
Fair enough, Irish, but a lot of the time it's not working because of basic errors. They may be struggling to play the way they are being asked to, as you say, but there are other times where it's through lack of concentration and an inability to carry out even the simplest tasks.
Slot will pay, that much is clear, and he is not blameless. I just hope these players raise their games for whoever takes over next year.