03 Aug 2026 10:44:51
Look guys let's not overreact to a friendly while missing a whole team of key players, but one thing I truly hope many of you saw was how average Chiesa, Elliot & Jones are. If this is how these 3 play when they are trying to "fight" their way into the starting line-up then I dread to think how they play when they are assured of their places.
They need replacing asap, new players, academy players, whatever works, but Elliot & Chiesa & Jones clearly don't work.
03 Aug 2026 11:31:51
I don't think anyone's overreacting; in fact, I think people have been pretty nice about conceding 4 goals unanswered from a 2-goal lead. All yesterday did was tell us what we already know. Certain players simply aren't good enough, and we have some critical holes to fill.
03 Aug 2026 11:50:49
Agreed. We've actually been very understanding given that it's a mere pre-season friendly with the sole purpose of getting minutes and fitness. But taking in 4 goals in a half is not exactly something you slip under the carpet either. I've taken it as a warning.
03 Aug 2026 12:03:49
How are people blaming Elliott so much? He barely played 20 minutes, and even Dom had a stinker playing in the 10 role in the second half. The CAM can't do anything if the midfield pairing is useless. We lost total control with Jones-Gravy, and the No.10 was only chasing shadows.
Tbh, I felt Wirtz was also okay without being great in the first half, but it was his first game back. The 10 role is really difficult in this system, because you don't see as much of the ball as these players like, since the focus is on building through the wings.
03 Aug 2026 12:33:20
Not really arsed about preseason results esp. in a situation where the oppo. played majority of their starters and we only played like 3 or 4?
When the raft of changes starts pouring in, you can stick a fork in it re: result and focus more on what positives were on show and based on the highlights of the fist half, I did see very good and encouraging signs as well as the lessons we can learn.
Apart from all that, I don't really care, as much.
03 Aug 2026 13:19:48
Oli, you watched a pre-season game? Completely out of character for you, if we go by your annual summer posts. Treading in new waters, man. ?
03 Aug 2026 14:38:16
Why is Elliott getting flack? Because he is so unfit, the game passed him by and even when he did get the ball, he gave it away cheaply. 20 minutes or not, it was a terrible 20 minutes.
03 Aug 2026 14:46:01
People clearly forgetting the year we won the title under Klopp, we lost every game in pre season and had "glaring holes", but signed no one and won by a canter.....
03 Aug 2026 15:18:26
And that means nothing because hindsight is always 20/20. I can only observe and comment on a game by game basis. I'm pretty sure everyone else is like that too.
Letting 3-4 losses go and assume we'll win the league, because it happened once in the past, is something I simply can't do.
03 Aug 2026 21:14:32
Yet, you forget it's pre season, 90% of the first team are missing from it and, eh, it's pre season.
03 Aug 2026 22:09:16
Okay. You can tell me which competitions are okay to lose and which ones not to. ?
Who or what on Earth is an Iriola?
04 Aug 2026 10:14:12
Ali, VVD, Leoni, Jacquet, Mac Allister, Ekitike, Isak, Gravenberch, Wirtz, Bradley etc didn't play or had half a game having just come back from holidays. All would be starters or very close to starters this coming season.
The purpose of pre-season is to get some mileage into the legs in semi-competitive matches and to take a look at youngsters who may be considered as potential squad players or are ready for a loan as the next step in their progression.
There are different objectives at the start of pre-season that are nothing like the imperative to win at all costs in a CL Final, as an example.
So yes, Array, as fans, we want Liverpool to always win but at times - like pre-season - losing is an opportunity to find weaknesses and, hopefully, come up with solutions to identified problems.