03 Aug 2026 06:55:23
Not much positivity on the pages this morning. Where's all the "Iraola will get everyone fit and us playing the way we want to see?" A lot on here were saying that last season's squad should've won the league. Where's all the positivity gone?
03 Aug 2026 07:08:42
It's pre season - they're getting used to a new manager, they've played 3 games, won 2, haven't had the first choice team out with players still to return and 6 players or so out injured! WTF are you smoking!
03 Aug 2026 07:08:50
It comes from the lack of organisation with transfers.
Releasing those not needed - adding important players to fill the huge gaping holes from last season in pre season, so the manager gets the most time available to bring his ideas across.
The prep isn't very good, and it shouldn't be that way.
03 Aug 2026 07:10:19
Hi Rome,
We are still here, mate. One poor half doesn't mean we've given up. Actually, it is even more blatantly obvious that we need defensive reinforcements. So hoping club concentrate on that next.
03 Aug 2026 07:15:53
Strange observation.
We ship 4 goals in 25 mins and lose 2-4, and you wonder where all the positivity is.
I would say there has been positivity about individuals - Dom, Nyoni, Wirtz and Isak.
03 Aug 2026 07:22:26
It's the poor 2nd half + the lack of transfer activity. We've all known this squad is lacking in multiple areas, and that 2nd half exposed it & seemingly we are doing nothing to address it.
03 Aug 2026 07:32:37
It's preseason and a work in progress. We don't know how much they are training while playing games. I'm sure Leeds are as well though.
I think Luke Chambers could do a good job as LB cover/challenger. Not overly keen on him as a CB with height.
Nyoni is having a good preseason and looks like he is returning to that very exciting prospect we saw a few years ago.
We are desperately short of CBs right now and RB is a massive issue too. Every team needs solidity at the back. Those 2 positions are a must.
If we can get Barcola, and keep Gakpo with Munoz also joining, options up top would look a lot healthier.
Still very positive and looking forward to the new season.
03 Aug 2026 07:35:57
We've also lost what, 3 or 4 players since last season...
Can hardly make that statement now, Rome...
If anything, that result is what we need.
Many posts have pointed to the same thing, and many of those posts were made prior to this game.
The squad depth is just not there...
In fact, even the starting 11 is not there.
But let's give AI the space to work his magic.
03 Aug 2026 07:39:20
Jones and Frimpong are just not good enough if we want to push on. As well as replacing these, as a minimum we need another CB and RW, and ideally another striker, or consistent game time 1/2 of the youngsters. Rumours of Chiesa going make it even more important. The worry is weve a squad of injury prone players: Isak, Ekitike, Bradley, Gomez, Leoni, Bajetic, Alisson, Endo, all consistently injured.
Last year we lost over 200 game days from first team players, and I don't see that getting better. That's the equivalent of missing 4 of the starting 11 and bench. With the weak bench as it is, it needs to change or we'll struggle for top 4.
03 Aug 2026 07:42:31
Rightsaidred, I'm not smoking anything. I take it from your post that you're still optimistic. Good for you.
Ron, I was asking tongue in cheek. I've been banging on ad nausem, that last season wasn't all down to Slot, though he certainly wasn't helping matters. Along with pretty much everyone on here, I believe we need at least 3 quality signings.
As much as I'm looking forward to watching us under Iraola, there was never going to be a quick fix to our problems.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I think there'll be as many downs as ups this coming season.
03 Aug 2026 07:54:00
I would say I feel quite conflicted because it seems clear to me that some players aren't good enough and probably should be moved on.
However, the squad also looks very light already, so moving more players on creates further headache around squad depth.
In my opinion, in the last two windows, we have also let high-quality players go, and not replaced them with similar quality players (Diaz, Trent, Salah).
I remain optimistic, but the manager is not a miracle worker. The players underperformed massively last season, clearly, and they will need to step up this season, and we need to hope that the new arrivals can make a positive impact.
03 Aug 2026 08:03:37
I'm glad all that positive energy has evaporated.
We can get back to slagging each other off again now like usual. ❤️?
03 Aug 2026 08:06:13
Good post, Navy. Your last paragraph is spot on.
03 Aug 2026 08:08:44
Love it, LFC8!! Can't be doing with all this peace and love!
03 Aug 2026 08:54:38
Navy Keith, summarised perfectly, well said!
03 Aug 2026 08:58:10
Rome, even after he's gone, you're still fighting Slot's corner.
We looked good and sharp in the first half, with half a team of kids playing.
Isak looked good, then we had no striker, and we gave away silly goals, and not one bit of any of the results matters; it's just about getting the squad fit, something Slot was not interested in because it got in the way of his trips to Ibiza.
Let's judge once the season starts to see where we compare to last season.
03 Aug 2026 09:02:59
I'm very positive overall, as the first half yesterday, Leeds had 9 recognised Premier League level players in their starting XI. We had 6; Mama, Frimpong, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Wirtz and Isak. I think we're all hoping that only 4 of them are actually starters next season as well. Yet despite that disparity in experience, we absolutely dominated them. If we can dominate a strong Leeds side with effectively only 4 players who are bonafide first choice players on the pitch, we're doing something right. Alisson, new RB ??, Bradley, Jacquet, Leoni, Virgil, Mac Allister, Endo, Barcola ??, Munoz and Ekitike are all still yet to play for Iraola so we should keep that in mind when assessing this pre-season tour. That's 10 or 11 players of starting quality.
I'm still confident a RB and Barcola get done.
In the last 20 minutes against Leeds, it was very disappointing (hence the negativity today), because we still had Mama, Tsimikas, Jones, Gravenberch, Elliott and Chiesa on (6 regular Prem players), and yet we capitulated. I think Iraola will have learned a lot about them lot in that last 20 minutes. It would not shock me at all to see 3 or 4 of them moved on in the next few weeks. It was right to give them all a chance, but they've emphatically not taken it. Jones, Chiesa, Tsimikas and Elliott especially let themselves down because they've all been in pre-season training for a full month after a summer off and should've stood out on this tour as a result of that. They haven't.
03 Aug 2026 09:08:07
Grino, I'm not fighting his corner, I wanted him gone, the football was awful to watch. My stance is that it wasn't just him that was the problem, as big a problem as he was. There are players who simply aren't good enough and there are players who need to step up. We all know who they are.
03 Aug 2026 08:58:07
1) it is pre season opportunity for manager to get fitness levels up, see who is ready, on fringe, right to keep in academy, loan, offload
2) it is pretty much a squad of players where many fit into the last 3 categories
3) Luke Chambers, pal, is 6ft 1 that can't be an excuse for someone not being a CB.
4) I really worry about this continual call for loads of signings. A couple, yes, where we are really short but we have seen so many times that signings need time to gel (I for one predicted a non-title defence last year because of the significant level of change). Consolidation (at least a level of) is very key. We saw it year before our last title win, not a great season due to bedding in then the following year?
5) I really believe we'd be in the doldrums if half the critics on here, those that are quick to praise and as quick to criticise on the back of ANY type of result, were to be making the decisions we all are less than qualified to make
6) it has reminded me why I gave it a complete rest from even reading this site for a year or so despite the Eds doing a continual fantastic job
5)
03 Aug 2026 09:45:26
Navy and MK pretty much sum up my feelings.
I know we've been here before, especially in Slot's first season, but it is a perfect storm of new manager and World Cup, so it is reasonable that AI needs some time to check the players, the academy players, and confirm where he needs replacements.
03 Aug 2026 09:49:40
Based on the first 45 last night, AI will get a tune out of Wirtz and Isak this season. Nyoni is a much better player than Jones, and will be pressing Ryan for a starting spot. Dom is Dom. Kerkez did well. Rio did okay. The two centre halves showed they could be useful squad players. Virgil and Ali to come in, and Munoz to be tested. I get that to be 8 players ready, with 6 (mostly defenders) due back before Christmas.
AI has consistently said the squad is too thin, and has hinted this will be addressed. The style of football in the first 45 was exactly what we need. So we need a winger who can play left or right, and a defender who can play CB or RB. Decisions made about Gakpo and Macca, and we need to move on Jones (who was awful last night), Freddie.
03 Aug 2026 10:00:46
Rome, it was just on Slot, he set the standards. All the extra days off were not helping, making us unfit, gone after an hour in 99% of games, outrun in about 35 Premier League games. Yet he still stayed the same, played Saturday off, he flew Saturday night for a break.
No club has a squad of perfect players. We never had a squad under Klopp anywhere near as good depth as last season. But Klopp made changes, even brought under 23s in, they all still offered something.
There are players in the squad I just don't think will ever be good enough, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Frimpong, but if they are unfit they are always going to be way below good enough and that's on him.
But this preseason is a funny one with the World Cup; 75% of the first team did not start preseason.
03 Aug 2026 10:03:59
It might be a good time to remind everyone that we spent £450m last season on signings and had one of our worst seasons in recent years.
I agree we need signings, a few definitely. But I think we just need to be patient and see what happens. Ultimately, we have no control over what is going on, so no point in stressing.
03 Aug 2026 10:04:28
I really, really hope we can figure out a way for Ndukwe to stay with the squad this season. Someone mentioned ESC, but we only qualify for 1 ESC slot this season (complex formula, down to playing HG players last season) rather than the theoretical maximum of 4. He didn't have the greatest game last night, but he is only 18, and he's looked very composed, and imposing, in the first 2 games.
I wonder if EPL teams who have more ESC slots available - the lower table teams tend to have more HG players from their academy etc, so it's not unreasonable - could take Ndukwe on loan this season?
At least, if he's not in our squad, he's still getting EPL minutes, as if he spends the next 3 seasons playing in the English leagues, he could end up qualifying as HG when he is overage.
03 Aug 2026 10:07:46
Iraola will know the squad is lacking, and without reading this site, I expect the club and manager know we are short in players, this result will result in transfers and I'd rather have this result now.
03 Aug 2026 10:12:03
What Navy and MK said.
Having watched the game, there was a lot to be positive about in the 1st half. 2nd was poor, but we're flying without a senior CB right now and Leeds exploited that.
Iraola said himself after the match, he knows more about the players than he did before. A wise man sees failure as progress.
03 Aug 2026 10:14:41
Just reading through some of these posts, the panic is unbearable. We got beat by Leeds in pre season. Just relax. It's going to be a year of ups and downs like every single season of the past. It's competitive sport, win some, lose some. Can't win every game and every trophy, can only improve on the last game, that's it.
Yes we have some gaps in the team that need addressing, let the people who get paid millions sort that out. More scouts and financial experts on here than actual fans. Get in the ground, scream your head off for 90 minutes, and get behind the team, just enjoy it.
Thanks.
03 Aug 2026 10:18:25
Grino, I hope you're right and, as you say, it was all on Slot. I don't want to be coming on here at Xmas, like Billy Big B*******, saying I told you so. I'm just not that confident, that's all.
03 Aug 2026 10:18:57
Well, perhaps take some of your own medicine, Rome?
Unless you're going to keep that energy when the performances and results are good.
For me, it's a journey. We're not quite at the stage where Klopp walked in, but the setting is somewhat similar.
Need to redefine our identity - physically and mentally. And the squad still needs work.
I'll be stoked with a top 4 finish this season, and expecting lots of ups and downs.
03 Aug 2026 10:27:49
MetroRed, a rare voice of reason!
For me, I am hugely excited and optimistic to see a move back to high intensity, high octane football, all the signs are that AI is taking us strongly down this road and is going to be a great ride!
But, being realistic, firstly being competitive with, and then consistently beating the best, will take time. Jurgen certainly didn't do that in his first season, and it's madness to expect AI to do so.
He also has to show his ability to handle the expectation and pressures, as well as the egos and big names, in his first huge job. But I for one am looking forward to see what he can do with a front line of Isak and 2 pacy wide men, all fed by Wirtz who's now bulked up and fully acclimatized to the PL, with a rampaging Dom behind them.... Yes, I fully agree a proper DM would be ideal in this system, along with a genuine RB and fit RCB plus backups...
03 Aug 2026 10:34:44
Hit send early... - I'm sure you will keep the energy, Rome, with a pinch of irony and sarcasm....
I must say, people should prepare for a quick end to the honeymoon.
Just moving on, Slot ain't a silver bullet.
03 Aug 2026 10:37:41
"A lack of organisation with transfers" ??? Give your head a wobble, @Postklopp.
03 Aug 2026 10:44:04
It was a preseason game.
03 Aug 2026 10:52:36
We can win the league with this manager. He needs some help with transfers, otherwise we won't!
03 Aug 2026 10:54:01
To really challenge this season, we need to add 5-6 players, plus move on a few and arrange loans for others. It just seems there is an awful lot of work needed with the clock ticking.
The new manager didn't need to assess the squad to know our glaring weaknesses.
We needed a RW, CB, RB, DM as a minimum, the other players/positions could then be assessed. I don't think the pre-season has told us anything that we didn't already know.
03 Aug 2026 11:05:11
Yes, we can win the league with this manager, we did with the one before and the one before that!
No, we don't "need" 5 or 6 new signings. Definitely not regular first team players. Too much change takes time to gel, we have seen that a good few times now both with our own club and with others. The trick is a continual nucleus and a drip feed, I personally think that is where we are now.
A year of 2/3 signings in total and consolidation, new manager, new tactic and approach, camaraderie and team spirit speaks volumes in a team game. Not so long ago Leicester City won the league on that alone. We have a fair level of quality as we mostly always have had.
03 Aug 2026 11:06:38
The fact is, our transfer policy and proficiency at getting deals done effectively and quickly - is non-existent. Transfer targets should be virtually signed by the time the window opens.
It all falls down there.
It should never take months to get a relatively easy transfer over the line. Every transfer takes months and months. Only with Liverpool. Spurs have replaced a whole team in this time.
03 Aug 2026 11:23:26
Seriously, lose to Leeds with basically a youth team out and everyone loses their s***. ??
03 Aug 2026 11:32:20
Every pre season is the same on here.
People take the pre season friendlies far too seriously. They are no more than training exercises.
03 Aug 2026 11:42:15
Patience is prudent in this ridiculous market - Iraola wanted to see what he had before pulling the trigger - the Leeds game has helped form that picture. Signings will
come and they will be better aligned than Edwards fantasy football ones. We do not need Barcola.
03 Aug 2026 11:45:04
John Barnes is right, Hughes and co make transfer dealings look like quantum physics. Truth be told he's an ex footballer, not necessarily a commercial man, so why would he be proficient. Apparently he's a great talker, though, so that may have swayed the Americans into accepting him into post.
This is nothing to do with the Leeds result, but the glaring holes in the squad and poor transfer choices like Mama, who are never likely to make it.
A simple soul can tell they're not the right buys for us, so how come our transfer team thought otherwise. It's puzzling, to say the least, as is the lack of business when Iraola has said numerous times what we need.
03 Aug 2026 12:03:31
It is probably a good thing we shipped those goals yesterday and it reminded everyone that we are woefully short all over the pitch. There is still time to build a title challenging squad.
03 Aug 2026 12:03:52
At the end of last season we needed 5 incomings. After Ibou left, we needed 6. Selling Gakpo would mean we need 7.
Iraola cannot magic that away through coaching.
3 of Hughes' signings - Frimpong, Marmadashvilli and Chiesa - are big concerns for me. There's nothing FSG transfer policy about these signings.
So far we have signed one player. A player who Newcastle did all the hard work in negotiating for, only for us to hijack it at the 11th hour.
Fabrizio Romano has now warned us to expect a saga for Barcola, which seems surprising given PSG have practically signed his replacement and more.
03 Aug 2026 12:52:31
Back in the good old days, in 1987 pre-season, we got tonked 5-1 by Athletico Madrid.
Then we went 29 league games unbeaten and won the league in the first week of April 1988.
That moment on, I've never taken note of pre-season results.
03 Aug 2026 13:12:07
Rome, if we are as bad as last season, you won't have to come on. I will hold my hands up and admit I was wrong about Slot.
But last season was one of the worst I've seen in following Liverpool in 45 years.
I thought the games we did win a lot were won by the quality players we had, doing something magical, like the first half of Slot's first season, when Salah won us the league, not Slot. Most games were won by one goal, scored by Salah or assisted by him.
It was like the Suarez season with Rodgers, but like last season with Arsenal winning the league without much of a challenge, where Rodgers had a very good City to finish above.
I know my view on Slot was over the top. The thing with Slot, I think he is a very good manager, very tactically aware, but managing a club of Liverpool size and expectations takes 100%, and as Klopp admitted, he could not carry on anymore, and that's how Slot should have left after the first season, when he was not committed.
03 Aug 2026 13:23:46
I'm with you, Ron. In fact, I believe that on average our better seasons through the years have come on the back of less than dynamic (in terms of scorelines) pre seasons. There are only 2 games in August that matter.
03 Aug 2026 21:27:00
An article I read about Iraola's maiden season at Bournemouth said it took until the 9th game of the season before it started to click. Our pressing looks poor, especially later in the game. It might not be right away, but we'll get there.
03 Aug 2026 22:08:49
We were told repeatedly last season, our failings were partly due to disjointed pre season, and resulting fitness problems, which we never recovered from. With a new coach and style change, pre season feels more important if we want to be competitive in 26/27. By that I mean, in the shake up for top 2 or 3.