Liverpool banter 10

06 Oct 2025 11:52:08
If anyone needs cheering up after a horrible week for us have a look at the own goal in the Cardiff met fc vs Bala town fc game.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goalkeeper assist an own goal like that before (although you could argue storm Amy gets the assist)
Nice little reminder that footballs just a game and it’s meant to be fun and enjoyed, even if you lose 3 on the bounce.

06 Oct 2025 12:48:26
Barca just got turned over 4-1 by Sevilla, lewandowski missed a pen and they let in two goals in added time because of their high line. We're not the only top team suffering unexpected results.

06 Oct 2025 13:41:04
Different teams. Different issues. It's football.

06 Oct 2025 16:17:06
unexpected results, completely different to performances, only overshadowed by a plethora of late goals . Some might say that they could see these last 3 results coming because of our previous performances 🤷‍♂️.

06 Oct 2025 18:09:32
Watching Spanish footy are we PB?

06 Oct 2025 10:30:50
What’s people’s thoughts on robo. Have we let the wrong RB go out on loan? Kerkez looks like he needs time to settle. But robo looks so far gone to me that am questioning bringing back KT.

06 Oct 2025 11:26:37
I like Tsimikas as a person but honestly he isn't good enough to play for Liverpool, even as a backup. I would look to integrate one of the kids like Beck, Scanlon or Chambers before him because a backup left-back is just a waste of a non-homegrown spot in the squad.

06 Oct 2025 11:28:22
mate, that's a lot!

if it were me, I'd be starting Kerkez and bradley and bringin frimpong off the bench into RB in second half.

Robbo on late in games and rotate in for cup games.

Give the defense a chance to play together.

06 Oct 2025 11:47:52
Agreed Faith. Slot needs to decide on a settled back 4 at least. He seems to have settled on Vvd and Konate as the two CBs but the constant rotating of FBs isn't helping the team. All of them have their flaws but get them to work together as a unit and learn how to cover for one another. That's the missing key here.

06 Oct 2025 12:01:43
Kerkez with his performances has not improved the lb position. He's only 21 so you give him plenty of time to adapt and improve. Hato would have been the better option in hindsight. Covers lb and cb. I preferred him but the club wanted to spend a small fortune on a lb that had a decent season in a team that suited him.

06 Oct 2025 12:18:19
Agreed that a different profile of player would have been ideal for LB. Although Kerkez was completed earlier, there was earlier talk of Frimpng which seemed a matter of when not if. So with that assumption, I too had hoped we'd brought in someone like Hincapie, Inacio, Hato for that LB role and then can eventually move into LCB. all idealist thinking tho.

06 Oct 2025 12:43:47
Absolute nonsense batman, what has Hato done at Chelsea to warrant such a comment? The full backs, like the midfield 3, need to work out when one goes and one stays, in order to stop being so open to breaks or leaving spaces for the ball just to be dropped in and chased.

If Salah is going to remain upfield and not chase back, then it should really be the RB who stays back more, and szobs needs to stay in midfield and stop swapping him from RB to midfield halfway through games.

In my opinion, kerkez has played better than both Bradley and frimpong for the reasons I've stated above, he has more protection on that side (van dijk and Gakpo both do well covering and getting back to defend in transition) .

06 Oct 2025 12:55:16
Hato made sense even with Kerkez. Kerkez is only 21 and Bradley has all the pressure on him now Trent has gone. I know having two new players in defence takes time to settle and if we include Frimpong than that's 3. Don't think it helps that the team aren't performing well and everyone is under pressure to do so. Think we made to many changes and I would have kept Diaz as his work rate is exceptional. I know everyone states he wanted to leave and made it public? But we could have offered him a better contract and extended his current one. Why would anyone swap the premiership to go play in Germany!

{Ed001's Note - he rejected a new contract. He left because he wanted to move and had been trying to get a move for years.}

06 Oct 2025 13:44:22
Spot on, Rugby. Last season when Salah had the license to not track back, we had Szobo and Grav and even Macca covering that space. That is not happening now cos you know what? Szobo is not playing RB now.

Therefore, it is up to Slot to get a settled back 4, settled FB pair, play midfielders in midfield and defenders in defence, up the tempo in our play and go from there.

06 Oct 2025 18:12:25
I didn't know he had rejected a contract Ed001. Do we know why? Although it hardly matters as he's gone. Can't see why anyone would seek a move to play in Germany.

{Ed001's Note - because he wanted to leave.}

06 Oct 2025 10:13:11
Does anyone else think a change of formation would help? I remember Antonio Conte around 8 years ago managing Chelsea. His first few games were average, the then changed formation to 3-5-2 and they went on a 20 game winning streak or something and won the league. That is the decisiveness we need.

I think we should go 3-5-2 aswell for the following reasons:

1. Our defending is not great atm, so sticking an extra centre half (i. e. gomez or endo at the back would help out) .

2. Our full backs are more wing backs. Kerkez, Bradley, Frimpong all prefer attacking to defending.

3. We have 2 really good strikers in Ikak and Ekitike. If 1 of them is out, we can put Salah/ Gakpo upfront.

This is a case of us changing formation to suit our squad personnel.

06 Oct 2025 10:35:06
If changing formation means playing players in their adtual positions, letting attacking fullback you know, attack and deciding whether are a high intensity, pressing team or a one who can play slow, progressive/ possession football and most impotantly, playing players on form instead of playing those who are not (Chiesa in place of Salah) then, I fully agree with a change in formation.

As for the 352, sorry I don't agree. We barely have enuff CB's to play in a CB formation so not sure where we will get the 3 CB's from to play a back 3. Just my opinion.

06 Oct 2025 11:29:34
I'd rather we do something even more radical than change the entire system -

I'd play the player's in their best positions and give them time to develop how they play together.

06 Oct 2025 11:29:50
No, I don't think it's about formations. I think that would only make things more confusing. We need better fitness levels, more time on the training field and patience while the team understand each other's games.

06 Oct 2025 12:50:06
In my opinion, 3-4-3 doesn't work in the PL. I know people will point to palace, but if we're honest, palace play a 5-4-1, and Look to break at speed. That's fine for a team who expect to be defending for larger periods of the game, but doesn't work for a possession-heavy team who are doing most of the attacking, because it's still very open to counter attacks.

Settled team, and clear signals as to who holds and who goes forward in defence and midfield is what is required. Grav needs to play the holder in midfield, even though he's been good going forward, because our other midfielders are aren't disciplined enough to do it apparently. As for the full backs, I've mentioned it above, but it makes more sense for the RB to be the more defensive of the 2 because Salah is apparently instructed not to track back.

06 Oct 2025 09:47:51
Ed's, there are a lot of doubters on the site but I'd like to think it is as a result of disappointment. I think everyone was expecting us to play free flowing football right from the start.
The reality is that it will take some time to get our new players fully integrated and used to Arne's system. The Premier League is a different prospect to some of our new boys so we should all sit back and give them the time they need to show us what they can do.
Like you I think they will come good and show the doubters how wrong they were. Cheers for a great forum.

06 Oct 2025 10:05:29
Don’t think we expected the players to gel together and get free flowing football it was never going to happen. It’s the lack of intensity in the play which is showing up how unfit the players are. In my opinion it’s a backwards step from the Klopp days of being able to go full throttle every 3 days
Up the pool.

06 Oct 2025 10:19:17
Just simple things would help. Like bringing Chiesa on over Endo.

Very Negative, almost conceding Defeat before they’ve even scored yet.

06 Oct 2025 11:08:38
Spot on, Coulred. I think any rational fan knew the process would take time to gel esp. with the tragic passing of @DJ20 and his brother Andre Silva (RIP) .

Now with the new formation and system coming in, it exposes how the team is not only playing (with a system that seems not to suit them) but also, how it is training and preparing for games. Keep in mind that Klopp himself tried this slow, possession style in 22/ 23 and esp. 23/ 24 and it was a huge problem esp. with players who are used to playing high intensity, pressing footie. This part si on the manager.

What we need now is to go back to the way we were playing last season. Get the players in some kind of comfort zone and then, make better selections and game management decisions. Cos playing Szobo at RB (after starting in CM with Frimpong on the bench), moving Grav to CB with Gomez on the bench and persisting with a Salah who is struggling mightily rather than play an in form and hungry "Fede" ain't cutting it.

06 Oct 2025 11:31:38
LFC8 - Slot said something very profound when he was asked why he brought on Endo instead of Chiesa. as part of his response he said ". Needed the control because we were already with Ryan Gravenberch playing as a CB. ”

I heard that and stopped listening, just thought to myself yeah mate exactly. it's like dominos and ill started with the incessant tinkering.

06 Oct 2025 12:17:30
Completely agree with you Faith. Feels like there’s no real plan.

If the plan is just to throw players on, then it might aswel be the Lad in form who’s actually effecting games with the Tiny amount of minutes when he’s been given them.

06 Oct 2025 13:52:00
Spot on, Faith;Slot is causing some of his own problems. He brings Endo on to get more control. Why did he now bring Gomez on to replace an inured Konate and keep Grav in midfield to provide the control and even, bring Endo on to help him secure the result, if there was one to be secured?

One more thing. Why is Slot taking of FB's cos they are on a yellow? Does that mean he does not trust them yet? If he thinks his FB's won't get yellow cards and has to change them whenever one gets one then, we are in a whole other world of hurt, trust me.

06 Oct 2025 14:21:43
Gravenberch goes to centre half because he's more comfortable in possession and can pass the ball better and quicker than Konate, Gomez and Endo.
The biggest problem with that is that we have no one to replace Grav in midfield, then.
I've wanted another midfielder for ages and it would free up Szoboszlai to play wide on the right where I think he is best.

06 Oct 2025 15:12:42
Rigsby, Sorry, that's not a thing I can agree with. Gomez is very good on the ball and a good passer, as well when the oppo. comes and plays his best with VVD next to him. If Slot doesn't trust him then, that's on him cos YLFP injured. Also, Klopp got pelters for playing Hendo and Fab in defence (I disagree cos those were the ones he trusted with young CB's still at the club) in the 20/ 21 season when all our CB's are out. That is not what is happening now (knock on wood) .

If our issues are in midfield then we should NOT be having midfielders (two of our best, btw) playing in defence under any circumstances cos the knock on effect is brutal, something we are seeing with our own eyes. Also with the struggles the team is having with imbalance in midfield, you don't solve that by adding further imbalance to it. Again, makes no logical sense

For me, Slot should just play players in their proper positions and go from there. The over-tinkering is adding to the issues, not solving a damn thing and that's on him. Solely on him.

06 Oct 2025 20:34:10
It's ok if you disagree, OliRed.
I'm just telling you why I think Slot puts Grav there. He doesn't put Gomez there because he's not as good on the ball and with it as Grav is.
If Gomez was very good on the ball and a good passer he might be.
I disagree with you and I'm more inclined to agree with Slot.
Gomez is an average defender that isn't very comfortable on the ball or a good passer of it.
It wasn't that long ago that we had a similar disagreement about Konate.
I told you that he isn't a footballing centre half, prone to rash decisions and often gets bullied by smaller players.
Anyway, my point was that Gravenberch is better on the ball than Konate. And I'll add that Gravenberch is better on the ball than Gomez and Endo.
Feel free to debate those points, though.

06 Oct 2025 21:42:14
I dunno, Gomez at CB and Gravenberch receiving the ball from him at CDM sounds better than Grav at CB passing the Ball to Endo.

that's just me.

06 Oct 2025 23:43:32
If Gravenberch does receive the ball from Gomez though, Faith 😂.

06 Oct 2025 07:48:30
Hi Ed's hope all is well. Just wanted to hear your thoughts on what's going so wrong with A) . Style of play B) . Issues with personnel.
I think people are overreacting we haven't played particularly well which probably should have been expected given the dramatic summer we have just had. I do hope slot gets it right but I don't really understand why he doesn't settle on a starting xi and give the team a chance to build up some chemistry. I want to see frimpong at RB kerkez and LB and ekitike and Isak potentially start together.

{Ed078's Note - Ed001 I'm sure can answer this more comprehensively, but I'm more disappointed than alarmed. The trauma of losing Jota is understandable and to be expected. But, I'm not convinced it's a reasonable excuse for the current performance levels. Yes, new players need time to bed in and adjust, but it's also the established players that are under performing at the moment. I can't remember a worse performance from Salah (who I've defended to the hilt amongst attack) than the Chelsea game, similar Virg, who I hold in the highest regard.
All that said, it's a few games into the season and there's a long way to go. Maybe we need to chill to some degree as it's just a game of footy. When Jurgen left, who would have taken a title in Slot's first year and a chance to trust him to shape his own team?

06 Oct 2025 08:49:56
Ed78, I agree with you. Grief is a very brutal thing to deal with already cos it eats you up whenever it comes and it can be quite devastating depending on the day you are having. I know cos I experience this in real time hence, it is part of the issue, IMO.

Having said all that, multiple things can be correct at the same time. The way we are playing at a fundamental level is so flawed, it's frightening when you look at things in depth. I can't tell you if we are a pressing team or not. It seems one presses and the rest don't follow and this was evident on the first goal with Macca pressing gets done and the rest drop off.

Then, we have a RB playing RW and a CM we need is playing RB. then, we replace an injured CB with a DM who we need to progress the ball from deep into CB while a perfectly fit CB is on the bench twiddling his thumbs.

Oh, and we have Salah dropping clangers and is clearly off form (didn't need Slot to tell us that) who plays every time and we have an inform forward in Chiesa (no slouch btw judging by his career) doing bits/ scoring goals also sitting there, twiddling his thumbs. These are not issues caused by grieving. These are tactical issues and bad decision making in team selections and game management, IMO. Slot is under the microscope now and needs to get in his lab and get to work this int'l break.

{Ed078's Note - agreed.

06 Oct 2025 08:55:25
Slot not knowing how to fit in Wirtz is a big issue. We signed him to unlock the defense and create chances. He should have no excuses not to perform. Slot is playing him everywhere.
You can’t sign offensive full backs and playmaker without playing two number 6 in midfield. It’s no rocket science.
I don’t know if they did any background on how to play Isak and Ekitike together.

06 Oct 2025 08:59:48
The overreaction is crazy (although not surprising) .

Slot has said himself that a lot of the players have come back at different levels of fitness so a few can’t play 3 games a week for fear of injuries.

He’s trying to juggle that with trying to integrate the new players into a cohesive unit. We are not there yet but it’ll come.

End of the day we’ve lost 3 away games to 2 injury time winners and a very dodgy penalty. Perspective people, perspective.

06 Oct 2025 09:07:39
Reasons or excuses?

Is a reason only an excuse when you’ve become fed up with what you’re seeing? Because perhaps you’ve made up in your mind that a reason has a time cap so now it’s just an excuse?

lol anyways. Regards Jota, that was a horrendous time for everyone. Objectively may have set back our prep a week or two. Throwing other factors like Slot picking his RB like lottery balls, then perhaps it is just a factor or a reason to consider where the team are at

As above, whether you accept it is a reason or an excuse really depends on your tolerance levels for where we’re at.

Mine are always quite high because at the end of the day, it doesn’t change that the team are where they are lol.

06 Oct 2025 09:08:55
Well, I guess we found Harry's new account ;)

06 Oct 2025 09:35:03
I think the lack of pre season didn't help. So few games to start the season and I wonder if this is having an impact on the players fitness.

06 Oct 2025 09:47:31
Anybody who is worried about us should
1 look at our position in the table

2 look at the position in the table of the teams we have played.

06 Oct 2025 10:26:17
Personally I think the issues is trying to get Wirtz and Salah in the team. I think long term, our formation will be a 4-3-1-2, with Wirtz sitting behind Ekitike and Isak. Mac, Szobo and Grav providing the engine and allowing Frimpong and Kerkez to provide the width.

I feel that plays to the majority of the players strengths but keeps your highest earner on the bench. Something I just cannot see us doing.

Short term that leaves us with a choice, continue with the 4-3-3 and either shoe horn Wirtz out wide, or put him as a midfield 3 but sacrifice stability. The other option would be to put Salah up top with Isak with Wirtz behind but then you limit Salahs strength of cutting in. Either way, I feel the balance would be off.

06 Oct 2025 10:27:32
I actually think there have been signs in the last week that new players are starting to settle in a bit more. I think Wirtz has looked a lot better in these 3 games. I think Kerkez has too. Not saying perfect but im talking about showing an upward trajectory which hopefully continues.

I think RB is more concerning as Bradley has been poor imo and Frimpong has had moments good and bad so not too sure here yet or if balance wise suits the team currently.

I think Ekitike had looked great but was anonymous on weekend when came on.

I think isak is getting there also but still a bit off.

I think Maca Salah and Konate have been huge problems for differing reasons. Maca still looks not match fit, salah has unfortunately been awful and a lot of our players still look to give him rhe ball whenever possible and currently he is just losing it mostly.

Konate less said the better but head looks all over the place had 1 or 2 games where he looked better and then a complete shambles again.

Maca and Salah anyway I am confident will be temporary new signings I think for most part are on upward trajectory. So you are potentially still talking about 6 starting players improving drastically in a team that is still in a good spot positions wise after playing a lot of in form teams.

And 3 back to back away games where there was still a case we could have won them all on a different day.

I am not saying there are no problems or we should gloss over them but I don't think it is a crazy slump or something that can't be turned around.

06 Oct 2025 11:19:07
So many good points being made here and I thank the OP for broaching this topic. Hats off to you, @Kha123.

Faith for me, I am fully grounded on the mitigating/ dreadful factors affecting our performances, as they are based on real, cold, hard facts. Hence for me, excuses are not relevant here at this point. That's just lazy talk for someone who like you said, has a time cap and hence, is impatient hence, lacks the same level of tolerance as others.

The lack of preseason (Jota and his bro's passing, players arriving at diff. levels of fitness, injuries etc. ) are reasons this early in the season and I agree that Slot may have anticipated that we wouldn't be anywhere near full pelt this early. That, I can live with. However while we are dealing with the effects of these factors above, I just think the manager is not helping himself with his selection, tactics, sub. choices, overall game management of late. He needs to do better and recalibrate. That's all Im saying.

06 Oct 2025 11:35:20
Oli - yeah I fully agree and as I've said in some other posts and replies, Slot's tinkering is where I have the most concern. because he managerial tweaks in-game have brought about success in the past. Whereas i think right now, the context is different and what the team need is stability and certainty.

Trying on magical managerial tweaks where we end up with 2 defenders on the pitch and probably our second last choice midfield to finish the game seems overkill to me. I really hope the coaching group reflect on this during the break.

06 Oct 2025 11:48:26
Do you not think Slot is making his selections and sub choices with an eye on fitness as well as tactics Oli?

Gomez has just come back from an injury and it could be disastrous if he throws him on after Konate got injured, only for him to get injured too.

Same with Frimpong.

Is he playing Macca, knowing he’s not fit but trying to give him games to get up to speed because he missed most of the preseason and hadn’t played since the start of May?

How much training did the whole squad miss in pre season due to the bereavement? A couple of weeks after the sad events but then they wouldn’t have just turned up after that and gone full throttle. There would’ve been a long period of mourning their friend which is still going on now and we have no idea how that has affected each player individually.

Personally I just look at the quality we have and it gives me a lot of confidence. We’ve had a bad week but that doesn’t define Slot or this team. We’ll come good and the rest of the league won’t know what’s hit them when we do.

06 Oct 2025 14:01:22
Robbo if you have read my posts, I do not rule anything out and all the points you are made cannot be dismissed in the slightest. I just think that there are ways to tackle these inherent issues caused by unlucky, uncontrollable circumstances.

We have the quality, for sure. That is not even in the debate and even the doom and gloomers and the rival fans know that. They know when things click, they're going to have to deal with us.

For now, Slot is tinkering things WAY too much this early on. In terms of rotation, he said that he was doing that this early to keep things fresh. You can do that if you are playing well and winning. You can't do that in our current situation and with the summer we had. Sorry, you simply can't.

Slot needs to recalibrate things, get a settled back 4, midfield and attack with a system tailored to suit them in the short term (keep clean sheets, for once) and go from there. Oh, and play defenders as defenders, midfielders as midfielders and well, you get the point.

06 Oct 2025 14:17:52
Btw, I agree with you, Faith. Let's see whether Slot will dial things down a bit and recalibrate.

06 Oct 2025 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - NewPaisley79 has posted a new article entitled, Key Issues Liverpool FC Need To Address

06 Oct 2025 08:26:41
Sorry to change subject but options please on similarities crystal Palace goal V Everton what about the way Wickford challenged for the ball feet 1st remember when he put virgil out the game and thought he should have went with his arms and top half of the body it's by good grace the scorer seen it and avoided it what do we reckon then pickford is a coward and grealish goal was pure luck?

{Ed078's Note - as soon as I saw the goal I thought of Pickford jumping in feet first. When will keepers' be held to the same standard as outfield players?

06 Oct 2025 08:33:30
The front three not pressing is a major issue. Last year we had Diaz and Szobo pressing from the front. Didn’t allow the opponent to pick a player and reverted to long balls which we dealt fairly well by VVD and Konate.
Salah is 35 and he has no legs, Isak atm is the laziest player on the planet and Gakpo has been truly awful both on and off the ball.

06 Oct 2025 08:50:49
As soon as i saw Pickfords challenge i said if contact had been made its a red. Shortarms has done this a number of times and gets away with it.

06 Oct 2025 08:53:54
Hunter, Ed078 - I’m glad others noticed the reckless tackle by Pickford. He has been doing this his entire career, and Munoz was fortunate not to have received a nasty injury.
Of all the players in the league, Pickford is the one individual I am absolutely disgusted by. Some people are stupid but have good character and don’t intend to harm others. Pickford combines stupidity with a reckless side to his character that spells potential danger for his opponents every time he plays. It’s utterly disgraceful.

{Ed078's Note - can't disagree with any of that. A great shot stopper, but a danger also.

06 Oct 2025 08:55:16
"Laziest player on the planet"? Not one to exaggerate are you, Wirtz?

06 Oct 2025 11:25:24
Spot on, Lowe1FC. Pickford has learned absolutely nothing from his reckless and dangerous attack vs VVD. The guy prolly thinks cos he was not reprimanded, it is okay which IMO, is the reason he keeps doing it.

When other GK's go with their hands and body, he goes in feet first, studs showing. he did the same thing to Malo Gusto last season vs Chelsea where he could have went with his hands and body, he went studs in first like a defender going in for a 50/ 50 challenge. It was so bad that VAR had to step in but no foul play was given. That (and other examples) does even begin to describe the level of recklessness overall that this guy plays with.

06 Oct 2025 20:30:57
Think isak is just fighting for fitness Wirtz mate.