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Liverpool Article 08 Apr 2025
Fulham v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







Another in what is becoming a string of poor performances from Liverpool. It felt the team sauntered out there completely complacent and expected to just roll over Fulham on their way to the title, particularly van Dijk, who looks absolutely shot right now. And yes, that is not a typo, though it would have been just as correct with the word you are no doubt thinking I meant instead. Before I go any further, I will have to complain about the officials once again, even though this time their incompetence/corruption (delete as applicable) favoured Liverpool.



Fulham are quite rightly aggrieved as they could have, no actually, should have, had two penalties and possibly seen Liverpool reduced to 9 men as well. The first was as clear as day, Konate decides to try and be clever in the box and messes up, losing the ball to Pereira, who is then wiped out by Kelleher after he plays a pass across the box. I can only think the officials never looked at that challenge as they were intent on checking the next one. Even that is no excuse as you can see Kelleher absolutely wiping out Pereira in the background in the shots of the next challenge. It was one of the clearest penalties you will see. They also managed to completely miss van Dijk swinging his arm/elbow about in the box while defending a corner. Again, it was as clear as day but the officials and VAR somehow all missed that too. If VAR is not going to spot those kind of offences, it would be as well scrapping it altogether.



Tactically, Slot got this game all wrong. For starters, not bringing on Endo as soon as possible was an obvious error, there is just not enough bite in that midfield without him and no one in there has his defensive awareness. That allowed Fulham to overrun the midfield. Without Alexander-Arnold's passing to force Fulham to drop off, they were able to press high and bully Liverpool's midfield. The other potential option, as Endo just seems to be totally off the table for Slot, would have been to send out the team to play with intensity and get at Fulham from the kick-off. Instead of slowly rolling it around at the back, push right on to Fulham and play with high intensity and pace. As usual though, Slot set the team out with low intensity, thinking he can make changes as the game goes on to counter the opponent.



This time it failed badly as he made no changes until half-time. It was clear Jones was being targeted by Fulham, but he left it as it was throughout the first half, only adjusting things at half-time, when it was too late. It is frustrating to see as the change he made at half-time is one that could have been made during the first half, when it could have made a difference. It was such a simple adjustment he made, simply instructing the team to play in the way it usually does, with the right-back pushed onto the opposition full-back, while Robertson sat in as almost a third centre-back. It sets a much more aggressive tone for the defence playing that way, as the midfield and attack have to push on as well, which would have helped counter the complacency.



It did feel a bit like Slot was a bit on the complacent side as well, he was waiting too long to make changes, then sent the same eleven back out for the second half with no substitutions. That decision felt like a huge mistake at the time, Liverpool were getting absolutely hammered in the first half and there were eleven players in need of being changed, a couple of changes could have given that team a jolt. Instead, another ten minutes were wasted before changes were made. It is little wonder the game ran away from Liverpool, everyone seemed to have expected a stroll and no one was quick enough to react when Fulham did not roll over.



The one good thing from a Liverpool point of view is that the team must have had a wake up call from this performance. They must now realise that they still have to win the points needed, they are not just going to get them handed out for free. They have to be better next weekend, surely?







Fulham





Fulham were truly excellent and Silva showed some tactical nous to exploit Liverpool's weaknesses. Unlike Moyes last time out, Silva went for the jugular in an attempt to win. Where Moyes used Liverpool's lack of a genuine right-back as a way of trying not to lose, Silva saw it as a chance to win. He had his team attack down that flank and it put Liverpool on the back foot right from the start of the match. Added to that, he sent his midfield and striker out to be as physical as possible from the kick off, clearly having spotted how much Beto had unsettled Liverpool's centre-backs simply by being physical.



It worked really well, up until they started to retreat in the second half, as often happens when a team has a lead to hang onto. But, for me, it was a big relief when Muniz and Lukic were taken off as they were both excellent, bullying Liverpool while they were on the pitch and winning most of their battles.



I guess I should also point out that their goals were down to Liverpool's individual errors, but they were very good value for their lead and were far and away the better team in the first half. In the second half, after starting well they did gradually begin to retreat as Liverpool improved, but overall they were the better side and it was a well deserved win. Liverpool were awful, the worst performance of the season in the first half, but that was in huge part due to how well Fulham played and the tactics they employed.



Tactically, they got very tight in midfield, pressing high and hurrying the Liverpool midfield into many mistakes. They also attacked down the flanks, particularly their left, committing bodies to get forward whenever the opportunity arose. Clearly they knew that, without Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool lack a player who can put the ball in behind them with quality and that Bassey had the pace and power to ensure the main threat, Salah, was shut out of the game. That is in part why the game changed so much when Elliott came on, as they had then to worry about quality passing from him and he was constantly pulling into space to look for a pass. When that happened, they started to drop off, which allowed Liverpool to take control of the midfield as Fulham were no longer first to all the loose balls.







Liverpool





Kelleher - terrible game, his legs are open wider than the Mersey Tunnel and he inspires absolutely no confidence in the team at all. Far too slow to move the ball on as well, whether at his feet or in his arms, missing chances to launch a quick counter. I know he suffers by being compared to Alisson, who is the best in the world, but even putting that aside, he simply is not, right now anyway, good enough to be Liverpool goalkeeper. How he got away with wiping out Pereira in the box, right at the start of the game after Konate's disastrous attempt to do a drag back, is beyond me. That was a very clear penalty for Fulham.





Jones - was put under pressure from the off and found wanting at right-back. He did improve when asked to defend similarly to Alexander-Arnold, at the start of the second half. Instead of dropping back to form a flat 4 at the back, he was pushing on to allow Salah to push more central in the press. That certainly helped as he was not being asked to do anything that was not natural to him then. Much better after moving into the midfield after Bradley came on, but it was a very low bar.





Konate - a disastrous performance again, he has dropped so far off the level he was at earlier in the season it is hard to believe it is the same player. He has not looked right since coming back from injury. He was physically imposing and dominating attackers, now he is being dominated by them, even average ones like Beto last week and now Muniz. It is not like he is up against the power of Drogba, these are players he should be able to handle but his head does not seem right. He is no longer anticipating the balls in, even though he is not being asked to be responsible for the right-back area as well. Maybe it is a concentration issue and he needs that extra little bit to think about in order to keep himself focused? It is hard to see any other reason for his form crashing so horribly off a cliff in recent weeks but he has been abysmal for a little while now and seems to be getting worse rather than better.





van Dijk - on the basis that he played the worst game I have ever seen from him last time out, this match was at least an improvement. However he was still absolutely woeful. He does look complacent. When Liverpool won the league under Klopp, his form dipped badly then too in the second half of the season, but he had Gomez come in and play out of his skin alongside him, as well as every forward avoiding him like the plague due to how well he had performed in the first half of the season. It was clear he got complacent then, it was all too easy for him and this season seems to be following a similar pattern, but this time out his defensive partner is also having a nightmare. He needs to wake himself up before it is too late. Also very lucky not to get sent off swinging his arm about like that, which would have also been a penalty for Fulham. No idea what he was thinking then.





Robertson - is it possible that he is actually getting worse as the season goes on? He was among Fulham's best players, which is really a shame to see from such a great servant to the club. It is clear that he is no longer capable of being first choice at this level, the legs are just not there any more. But then that was also clear last season, so questions need to be asked of the recruitment team that a replacement was not brought in during the summer, if none of the academy full-backs were deemed ready and clearly Tsimikas cannot be relied upon.





Gravenberch - going forward, he still looks really good right up until the final ball, when he tends to make the wrong decision. It is defensively that he is a worry. It is fine dropping in to the right-back area and he does that well, but he is not spotting gaps in the centre or runs from the opponents. He is still young, but there has been no sign of him even being instructed to think about that, as his reaction to Jones being right-back has shown that he follows instructions well. He is not being paired with someone to provide protection to the back four, which means he has to do it, but there just seems to be a trio of midfielders who are all looking to go forward in there, with often Szoboszlai having to chase back from his position as the furthest forward midfielder to provide cover. Someone in there needs to do the dirty work and his mobility, height and the position he is playing should make him that one. In the early weeks, he did so much more harrying of the opposition and winning the ball back, it seems to have fallen away as the season has gone on. Which is why it is odd that it works so well when he moved into centre-back, as he did late in the game. It just shows he is capable of doing the defensive work when he has to.





Szoboszlai - had a poor game, most of his passes went astray, though you do have to wonder why it is that he is constantly making that same pass from the wings into the centre where there is no one. Is there always someone there in training? If so, why not during the games. If there is no one there in training, why is he doing this in matches? Surely it should be ironed out of his game in training sessions? It happens far too often for it not to be worked out of his game or for the rest of the midfield not to have figured it out and position themselves for that ball when he gets it out there. It is not like they are giving him a lot of options instead, which is a big part of the problem.





Mac Allister - showed for his goal that he can handle the physical side of things when there is a chance of getting forward, the problem is that he just does not seem the same when asked to do it defensively. The goal was brilliant, I have to say, but it just shows why he should be playing higher up, as he was weak defensively again. The same player, Berge, that he brushed off when running towards the box to take a shot, was able to overpower him when he was defending. He just does not have the appetite for it that he has for attacking. Added to that, his skillset is best suited by playing higher, where he can thread balls into the box.





Salah - really struggled up against Bassey, who was outstanding (possibly man of the match), though Salah was not helped by the quality of pass he was receiving. When Alexander-Arnold is in the side, the balls he gets from him favour Salah, he is able to collect them with little difficulty and get them under his control before the defender can put pressure on him. Without him, the balls Salah gets are ones that force him to battle for them and not many players are going to win a physical battle with Bassey. You are not going to outrun or outmuscle him, so the ball needs to go into feet or a space that angles it away from the defender. Unfortunately, Liverpool failed to do enough of that and it meant Salah barely got a sniff of the ball. When he did get the ball, it was rarely in a position that he could threaten to score himself, though he did put some good quality balls into the box.





Jota - another abysmal performance but this time not rescued by a goal. The problem is that, other than for those moments he scores, Jota is a liability who constantly loses the ball, no matter how simple the pass is that he tries to make. This was one of those days, when even putting the ball on a plate for him was not enough for him to score. Most of the game he was just a passenger.





Gakpo - was not at his best, but he got little service. He did at least offer some kind of threat in attack, though he was not offering much protection to Robertson behind him. Probably lacking a bit in match sharpness by the way he played.





Diaz - replaced Gakpo in the 55th minute. While Liverpool had improved in the second half already, his arrival, along with Elliott, changed the game. He was everywhere and pulled one back to make it an uncomfortable finish for Fulham. He was very much up for it, chasing everywhere. Lucky not to get booked for a horrible dive in an attempt to win a penalty though.





Elliott - was brought on in the stead of Szoboszlai in the 55th minute. He was one of the few bright spots in the match and was unlucky not to score. It was also pleasing to see him not shirking his defensive duties, chasing back to mop up when Liverpool were caught trying to sort themselves out after the second pair of substitutions. He constantly got out wide, which allowed Salah to play more centrally, where he could be more of a threat.





Nunez - replaced Jota in the 66th minute. It looked like a game tailor made for his brand of chaos, but he looked like a player who just was not at all bothered and he was anonymous. It is difficult to come on and not improve over Jota in that game, but Nunez managed it.





Bradley - also came on in the 66th minute, taking the place of Konate. His driving runs created some threat and it was that which led to the Diaz goal.





Chiesa - Robertson went off so the Italian could come on in the 82nd minute. Showed some much needed fire and aggression, even if he is a bit on the lightweight side, he still put himself about and looked to make something happen. Did come close to equalising, but he needed to be on earlier to really make a difference.

Liverpool Article 15 Mar 2025
Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain A Liverpool Perspective







Slot has been brilliant this season, but the lack of squad players that he trusts came back to bite him in this match. The big run of games in a short space of time with little to no rotation has run the players into the ground and sapped their energy. When they needed to raise their game and attack a team there for the taking, they had nothing left in their legs. I also think Slot's substitutions were poor and far too late in this game, making the wrong changes and leaving it so late that the team had run out of legs anyway.



It did start so well, with Liverpool overrunning PSG in the early few minutes of the match, on another day they would have scored enough goals to win the game comfortably. In fact they made more really good chances, rather than just good quality strikes from distance, in those first ten minutes than I can remember PSG making in the entire tie. That is what makes it so frustrating to lose, as Liverpool had the chances to have it won and done before the Parisians scored.



A lot did come down to that PSG goal, as Liverpool had dominated until that moment but that saw the energy drain out of them and the high, aggressive press they had been using so successfully to pen Paris in during the opening minutes faded. The players lost all cohesion in the press, lacking the adrenalin that they had been running on to begin with. Instead, you could see them struggling with tiredness and they felt every one of those 5 games in 15 days.



What was needed was an injection of energy from the bench at half-time, some fresh legs and running to take the game back to PSG, but Slot waited. He seems to lack faith in the options that were on the bench to change things. After two transfer windows at the club, where nothing was done to strengthen the options, it finally caught up with the team. Thankfully, the team was still strong enough to be in with an extremely good chance of two trophies, something every Liverpool fan would have been happy with before the season began.







Paris Saint-Germain





Once again they struggled to create clear cut chances, but that was more down to the set up Enrique went with. I know Dembele is the new flavour of the month right now, but his unwillingness to put effort in and make runs into the box left them bereft of any option in the middle to put the ball into. All he needed to do was get into the box, but he was usually strolling around somewhere in midfield. That was what cost them badly, not having a focal point to create for.



Personally I was disappointed with PSG, this was a very tired Liverpool side, reeling after going one down and they were completely unable to take advantage. They should have been looking to win that game in normal time, but they seemed content to ensure they did not concede. It was a very odd performance, especially considering most of their team had rested over the weekend to be ready but they did not really make the most of their freshness.







Liverpool





Alisson - unfortunately could not replicate his heroics from the first leg by saving any of the penalties but had made a couple of decent saves during the match.





Alexander-Arnold - had a good game which was getting better as the match went on. I would say though, he was probably trying a bit too hard to make things happen. Unfortunate to pick up an injury, which could cost Liverpool badly over the final few weeks of the season.





Konate - overall it was a good game, but his horrible error cost the team. It was idiotic. Why try and control it to the keeper there? Just get it clear and reset. The fact they got there in the first place was down to him getting his positioning wrong, he was way too far to the right anyway, which left a gap. Even though the rest of his game was very good, that was such a horrendous passage of play that it meant he had a poor game in actuality. A defender is there to keep the ball out of the net and he failed to do so at the only point of the game PSG truly threatened.





van Dijk - overall a very good game, but there were a couple of times he was caught on his heels busy shouting and directing his teammates and not noticing an attack immediately. He has become an excellent captain, as well as centre-back, but he does need to learn from that and save the instructions until an appropriate time.





Robertson - defensively he was passable, not great but at least he did nothing stupid or rash. It was offensively that he was truly woeful. It took him over 90 minutes before he produced any half decent quality balls into the box at all. He did make a few good runs and linked up will with Diaz at times, only to mess up good opportunities to get the ball across almost every time.





Gravenberch - he really struggled as the game went on and showed clear signs of fatigue, it was a surprise he was not taken off. His whole game is very reliant on his physical abilities, which are not anywhere near their previous levels. He just looks in need of a break, with the lack of rotation really affecting him now. Slot will need to find someone he trusts to play in his stead if the team are going to mount a challenge for every trophy next season.





Szoboszlai - started well but faded as the game went on and it was clear his energy levels dropped massively as he was unable to maintain a press after the early stages.





Mac Allister - Liverpool's man of the match, with only Alexander-Arnold rivalling his performance. Put himself about really well and showed a lot of energy, was one of the few bright spots on the ball too.





Salah - early balls to him showed a lot of promise, but he was finding himself short of support, which required him to take more touches than he would have wanted. That allowed PSG to get midfielders across to cover, particularly Vitinha, who did really well in covering when Mendez got forward, similar to how Milner used to do for Robertson in the past. Before the midfield did that, in the early part of the game, Salah was running havoc and Liverpool created enough chances to put the game to bed.





Jota - an absolutely terrible game. It is hard to understand how he stayed on the pitch longer than the first few minutes. He was abysmal. The ball was bouncing off him, he was too slow and sloppy in the press and offered nothing until he was taken off. By that time it was too late, as the whole team looked finished.





Diaz - another who was terrible. It just shows how little Slot rates Chiesa that he left him stinking up the left wing for so long. His delivery was appalling, despite numerous good chances to put a ball into dangerous areas. One decent ball could have changed that game, but everything he touched was poor.





Nunez - replaced Jota in the 73rd minute. He should have come on much sooner, when there was still some energy left in the legs of the team. By the time he came on, the team was so tired that he was never going to get any real service and his high energy pressing was not possible, as everyone else was too slow to back up the press.





Quansah - came on for the injured Alexander-Arnold in the 74th minute. Did a decent job, got forward well and tried to make a difference. He looked a lot more comfortable in the right-back role than he has done previously.





Jones - was brought on in the stead of Mac Allister at the start of extra time. There was no energy left in the rest of the team by the time he came on. He replaced the one guy who had actually been playing well and showing a bit of energy as well. He was well off the pace and caught on the ball repeatedly. I am sure he was trying to be calm and composed and help to control the pace of the game, but all he did was dally on the ball and lose it.





Gakpo - took Diaz's place in the 101st minute. He is clearly not fit and offered nothing.





Elliott - replaced Szoboszlai in the 106th minute. Too late for him to do anything, the game was done at this point.





Endo - he came on in the place of the injured Konate in the 111th minute. Same as Elliott, there was little he could do to change the game, especially at centre-back.

Liverpool Article 11 Mar 2025
Liverpool v Southampton A Liverpool Perspective







Almost the perfect example of a 'game of two halves'. It had started out really well for Liverpool, with them dominating the ball and penning Southampton in, right up until the clash of heads between two Saints' defenders. The stoppage and substitution disrupted Liverpool's rhythm and afterwards they seemed sluggish, lethargic even, and very passive. It is one thing being given a bit of a doing against Paris Saint-Germain, but when it is Southampton that are all over you, it is a worry, especially when they manage to score.



This is when your manager has to earn his corn, and Slot did just that by making a surprising triple substitution at half-time. Mainly surprising because he changed three players and one of them was not Darwin Nunez! Nunez had been having such a poor game and was walking a disciplinary tightrope, I think pretty much everyone expected him to be one of the players to make way. As usual, it was Slot who was right and it turned out to be another great decision by him.



The second half was a dominating, smothering performance. Slot said he had to make the players angry at half time and it showed. They were absolutely fired up and completely in charge of the match for the full 45 minutes. Nunez scored the equaliser and then won the penalty to give Liverpool the lead. While it was certainly at least partly down to the increased tempo and attitude of the players, the subs made a huge difference. Each of them contributed massively to the improvement.



Tactically, the game was fairly simple. In the first half Liverpool started off in control of the ball, passing it around and probing the Saints' defences. But after the stoppage, Liverpool got put on the back foot and simply never recovered. Some players were clearly fatigued and were unable to get about the pitch to win possession back, which made it difficult. The second half saw Liverpool be more aggressive and get onto the front foot, chase down possession and kept Southampton held in. It was clear that Slot had managed to fire the players up at half time and it made all the difference.



The key thing to come from this game, and the weekend as a whole, was the mentality of the team. This team is made up of humans, who make mistakes and play badly at times, but they are also winners. They make a mistake and they work harder to make up for it. When they concede a goal, it fires them up. Most importantly, when they equalise, it is just a quick celebration and then get on with the business of hunting for another. They are not satisfied with second place or second best.







Southampton





There are clear signs of improvement by the Saints, they still have the odd moment of messing about at the back and putting themselves under pressure, but they are much more forward thinking now. For a long period, after Bednarek went off, they looked very good and put Liverpool under a lot of pressure. Certainly the team spirit seems good, there is no lack of desire and there was no sign of heads dropping until Liverpool got their third. Though it did look different the last time I saw them, where Fernandes was constantly just throwing his arms up in the air and giving up or standing round with hands on hips watching. He is very much a weak link for them, I believe.



They are still miles off being good enough to even challenge to stay in the Premier League. They dominated for a long period, but their only goal came courtesy of a silly mix up between van Dijk and Alisson, rather than something good they did themselves. In my opinion, that is their biggest problem, their lack of any kind of firepower and creativity. Sulemana is quick, but his end product is almost non-existent and that is pretty much all they have in the attacking third.







Liverpool





Alisson - was part of a mix up with van Dijk, other than that he did not really have a lot to do, despite Liverpool being under the cosh for most of the first half.





Alexander-Arnold - defended well in the first half but struggled to create anything. In the second half, he was given a lot more freedom to roam and made the most of it to ping the ball about well.





Konate - a good game, defending well and doing well on the ball.





van Dijk - was badly at fault for the Saints' goal, but other than that he played very well. He was exceptional in the second half. Mistakes happen, but what makes the like of van Dijk into winners is the way they respond to those mistakes or other setbacks.





Tsimikas - it was little wonder he got hooked at half time, he had a terrible half. The worst thing about his game is his runs. He constantly runs into Diaz's space, while the winger is on the ball, leaving him nowhere to go and allowing the opposition to double up easily.





Gravenberch - struggled a bit for him, looked very tired and leggy. It was clear he is a little fatigued again as he was very loose with his passing as well.





Szoboszlai - unsurprisingly, after all the mileage he has put in, he looked way off the pace too. It was little wonder he was taken off at half time, he clearly needs a rest.





Jones - had a fairly decent game, but he is just not aggressive enough and does not play on the front foot, slowing the play too much. I believe that is why he was also brought off, as Mac Allister is much more direct.





Salah - not so good in the first half, but in the second half he was much better. Also added two more goals, via penalty, to his total for the season. It is insane just how good he has been this season at his age.





Nunez - in the first half, like pretty much everyone else in red, he looked well off the pace, with his touch horrible and the ball bouncing off him. Added to that, he was walking a disciplinary tightrope picking up a yellow card and being the wind up merchant we know he can be. Though he was still bringing the chaos, so to speak, chasing things down and not giving the defence a moment's rest, it just was not coming off for him. In the second half, it was like a different player. The aggression was still there, but it was channelled in the right direction and he was there to slot home the equaliser like a number 9 should be. Suddenly, after that goal, he looked lifted, like the Nunez that the Kop adores was back. Brilliant management from Slot. His industry then, within a couple of minutes, got him in position to win the first penalty.





Diaz - had a poor first half, but was not helped by Tsimikas constantly blocking the space and leaving him nowhere to go. In the second half he was much better, with Robertson sitting deeper and letting him attack the full-back, which led to the opening goal.





Robertson - replaced Tsimikas at half time. The team looked so much better with him there, he has a much better idea of where to go and stays out of the way for Diaz to make his runs.





Elliott - came on for Szoboszlai at half time. Added energy and creativity with his range of passing and vision giving Liverpool much more points of attack. Looks like a player finally finding his form again after injury at just the right time of the season.





Mac Allister - was brought on in the stead of Jones at half time. I would personally credit him for having equal effect on the scoreline, along with the increased tempo and aggression, in the second half. He pushed right on Southampton, with their midfield lacking the pace and movement to exploit any gaps in behind he was free to get in their faces and play in areas he can create danger. He really was excellent.





Jota - took Nunez's place in the 68th minute. He came on early enough to allow Nunez to be rested ready for the PSG return leg, to give Slot the option of either of them in the centre.





Endo - replaced Gravenberch in the 81st minute. In the supporters club I was watching the game in, the moment Endo was brought on saw an eruption of noise like the game was already over. And it was. He did not just shut the door on Saints' hopes of coming back, he locked and bolted it too. If only he was younger!





Quansah - the sixth substitute, due to concussion protocols, he came on in the place of Alexander-Arnold in the 89th minute. Never had time to do much at all.

Liverpool Article 08 Mar 2025
Paris Saint Germain v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







Tactically, Slot has been brilliant this season, but this time round he got it wrong. Well, if you can call it wrong when you still end up winning! Luckily Alisson was on top form to bail out the team and give Liverpool a platform to snatch that incredible victory. When you talk about 'getting away with it', this match is one of the best examples you will ever see.



I do have to mention the officials, who were terrible once again, proving that English officials are not the only ones that have no clue. Though I do wonder why there was such a fuss over the Konate challenge, yes I would not be complaining if it was given as a foul (though it was outside the box), but you see those challenges constantly within a game and they are almost never given as a foul. In fact, I am currently watching AS Roma v Athletic Bilbao and within the opening seconds there was an almost exact replica challenge on a Roma player, though out wide rather than on the edge of the box, and no foul was given. A few minutes later and there was another one as well, again nothing given, this despite every other challenge being given as a foul in Roma's favour, even though the foul was always by the Roma player who have been allowed to pull jerseys at will.



It is just one of those things that is rarely seen as being enough to give a foul, so it is little wonder the referee was not convinced it was one then. People keep saying Konate got lucky, but on the basis of the games I have watched this season, it would have been unlucky if that was given as a foul, rather than lucky not to get called. There seems to be a change this season, in that a lot more physicality is being allowed from defenders, in terms of pushing and pulling at opposition players. In some respects I like that, I love the physical battle of the game, I would love to see that back, with thundering tackles etc, but that is not what they seem to be allowing. It is the shoves and shirt pulls and rugby tackles at set pieces that are being let go and I am not sure that is good for the game.



Going back to the game itself, that gap in behind Mac Allister, that I have talked about in the past, was being exploited to good effect. That meant everyone else was getting dragged about trying to plug gaps in front of the defence, opening up more avenues to attack. Slot tried to get on top of that but it was not until Endo came on that the gaps finally got plugged. From that moment on, the game was done for the Parisians, as we all know that whenever the Japanese is brought on as a sub, the opposition have failed to score afterwards.



What is most annoying, looking back at the game, was how poor Liverpool were going forward. They had so many chances to attack that were not broken up by PSG, they just messed up simple passes. The front three all combined to have their worst game in years on the same night. Because of that, it meant the midfield had little in the way of opportunity to get forward, as the moves broke down so quickly, but allowed PSG plenty of chances to hit on the counter.



I feel the actual defence, not just Alisson, deserves praise for their defending. Alisson made some truly world class saves, but he will also be the first to agree that those saves were only possible because the defence made sure that the chances were not truly clearcut. It was more about good quality strikes, rather than good, clear chances.







Paris Saint Germain





Luis Enrique has been slowly improving this PSG side over the course of the season, that really showed against LFC. They were right on top of their game, exploited the gaps in midfield really well and were a really good, exciting side to watch. But, and it is such a big but I probably should have put it in all capitals, they still lost after being unable to take advantage of their dominance to score.



They constantly baited Mac Allister into moving forward to press, then attacked the space he left, obviously seeing Robertson's poor form this season as presenting an opportunity. Their front line interchanged brilliantly and exploited the gaps well, but Liverpool defended solidly and so they were unable to create much in the way of clear cut, 'have to score' type of opportunities. Robertson is often liable to lunging in rashly and opening a space on the flank, but he kept his head and stayed on his feet, making it as difficult as possible for Paris to get time and space.



Unlike Liverpool, they also have a defence and, particularly, goalkeeper that are unreliable against top class opponents. There were a few chances for Liverpool to catch them cold, that only broke down because of poor Liverpool play, rather than good defending. Then, of course, there was Donnarumma's hapless attempt to stop Elliott's shot. They have always had an excuse for failing to lift the Champions League in the past, blaming it on big egos among the forwards most of the time. For me though, their failures have always been more about that backline. Until they put together a solid defence, in top class football terms rather than Ligue 1 terms, they are going to struggle to get that trophy that they so desire.







Liverpool





Alisson - what can I say about him that has not already been said a million times before online over the last couple of days? He was absolutely brilliant, reaffirming his position as the best in the world and potentially the G.O.A.T. Superb. If I caught him in my bed with my missus, the first thing I would do is to organise a masseuse to come round for afterwards to ensure he did not pick up an injury!





Alexander-Arnold - defended really well but was not as good on the ball. To be fair, I doubt it would have mattered if he had been brilliant with his passes as everything was being wasted by the front three anyway.





Konate - a very solid game against the team he grew up supporting as a kid. Defended well.





van Dijk - he was excellent, organising the back line well, as well as doing his own defensive work. He kept his calm throughout, especially on the ball when he got the chance.





Robertson - his best game of the season, he kept his head and stayed deep, though sometimes a little too deep to hold an offside line, avoiding the rash challenges that have plagued his game this season. He kept compact, not allowing the PSG forwards to draw him forward or too wide, so that there were no gaps in the defence for them to use.





Gravenberch - a decent game, spending it mostly trying to mop up the gaps left by Mac Allister. Never really got enough of the ball to do much, as it was given away so easily by the forwards.





Szoboszlai - he ended up mostly chasing his tail, he would get forward but the ball would be given away and he would then have to race back. With the press being bypassed, he was left isolated.





Mac Allister - had an awful game, he was trying hard to be aggressive and press high, but he was easily bypassed, leaving a huge hole in front of the defence. He really was not at the races at all and allowed himself to be dragged out of position constantly. He did work hard, but he would have been better dropping off and holding station more.





Salah - by far his worst game of the season. Nothing he tried came off at all. Whether it was taking on the full-back one-on-one or putting the ball into the box, he was very poor. It was the first time that his performance was just poor, usually he produces something even on a bad day.





Jota - the wrong game to put a player in place with absolutely no ability to link the play. He was terrible, though he did work hard and tried to help out defensively, he just was unable to help when Liverpool did get the ball. His work rate was exemplary though, he was always willing to chase around trying to win the ball back. It was just not a game for a player like him.





Diaz - another who was awful on the ball and provided nothing going forward. However, he was working very hard and was often the one who would drop back in to cover the gap left by Mac Allister. That probably contributed to his poor performance on the ball, as he was working so hard that he was gassed out constantly when he did receive it. It is much harder to produce quality when you are gasping for breath.





Jones - replaced Diaz in the 67th minute. His arrival helped solidify the defensive platform. His tendency to take a bit longer on the ball helped to give Liverpool players time to gather themselves and offer options and movement.





Nunez - came on for Jota in the 67th minute. His fresh energy and pace helped break PSG's total dominance, as the defence were forced to sit a bit deeper in order to protect against him running off them. That led to the goal, as he was able to receive the ball much higher up the pitch than Jota, putting Paris on the backfoot for the first time in the match. Once he had won the initial challenge, he then had the composure (surprisingly for a player not known for it) to look for the right pass, rather than the first pass on offer.





Endo - was brought on in the stead of Gravenberch in the 78th minute. It was a move that could probably have been done a lot sooner, once he was on the pitch, Paris struggled to create. I am not convinced they were tired, it is a lot less tiring to have the ball than it is to chase after it, so Liverpool should have been the ones who were leggy. It is more that he has the mindset needed to just defend when needed, where Gravenberch is always looking for a chance to break forward. Endo played much more central than Gravenberch had done and left fewer gaps for the Paris attackers to utilise.





Elliott - took Salah's place in the 86th minute. He scored the goal with his first touch, nothing else really matters other than that from his performance. When it mattered, he produced.

06 Mar 2025 05:01:11
I know it wasn’t 100% the same script but Elliott scoring away reminded me of Benayoun at the Bernabeu.

05 Mar 2025 21:49:09
Well looks as though all of our players will be spending the night in a paris jail for robbery 🤣🤣🤣.

Liverpool Article 18 Feb 2025
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers A Liverpool Perspective







A very strange game, Liverpool barely got out of first gear to stroll through the first half, but then struggled to get going in the second when Wolves upped their game and ended up hanging on for the three points. Tension had clearly crept in at Anfield, both on the pitch and in the stands, with both players and fans clearly feeling the pressure of the title race right now. Arsene Wenger did say, during his appearance on TV after the game, that this is the time during a title battle when the pressure does build up most, and it was clear to see in this performance.



I have to say that the game was not helped by the officials, who were incredibly poor. Hooper is simply the worst of a very bad bunch, he is weak and half the time has no idea what has happened and waits to see the reaction of the players before deciding what to give. It must be said that he was not helped by the players at all. Wolves have good cause to complain about the officials, but they made it more difficult for him by throwing themselves to the ground at every contact. When you have such a poor official being faced with players looking for non-existent fouls, then you really cannot complain when poor decisions are made against you when there is a foul. It is the case of the, oddly apt, boy who cried wolf. After a while a referee as weak, indecisive and downright awful as Hooper is will only give you decisions when there is no doubt about them if he feels you are trying to con him.



There is no excuse for some of his bizarre decisions though, particularly not booking Konate for a second time or Jota for his pathetic dive. Liverpool can also feel hard done by as the Salah goal ruled out for offside could not possibly have been checked and it was very tight. There was nowhere near enough time for them to draw lines and there is supposed to be doubt applied in the attacker's favour in these situations. Why was it ruled out so quickly when, to the naked eye, it was impossible to tell if he was offside or not? In the Crystal Palace-Everton game, they spent 4 minutes trying to rule out a goal for Palace that was clearly onside, because it took that long to get the lines sorted out. Are we meant to believe that it only took them seconds on this occasion?



So yes, Wolves have every right to feel hard done by with some of the decisions, but it was not all one way and certainly not a referee just being against them. By the end of the second half, their players were winning a free kick every time Endo got within 5 yards of one of them, simply by falling over. This was just another embarrassingly bad performance by the most incompetent referee ever to work in the Premier League. It is incredible to watch him and think this man is extremely well paid and considered one of the best in the country. If this is the level the PGMOL thinks acceptable and is producing, then we would be as well scrapping even having them. We would get fairer and better refereeing from someone who had never even seen a game of football in their life before.



To go back to the performance, it was very disappointing, with the team clearly sent out to avoid fatigue issues in this run of games by not pressing high or aggressively. Instead, they were very gently just sitting off and attempting to conserve energy as much as possible. That did allow Wolves a lot more of the ball, but will hopefully pay dividends later, when the players are not struggling for energy in the final couple of matches of this 5 games in 15 days period. The key thing was that Liverpool got the three points, which they did, so the tactics worked and were enough to see them through. It may not have been a convincing win, but at this point in the season that does not matter. Grinding out wins is key when the pressure is on.







Wolverhampton Wanderers





In the first half they were poor, offered little to no threat at all, with Liverpool able to stroll through the first half and lead without playing even close to well. The changes at half-time made a huge difference and they were the better side from the moment the game restarted, though only took full control of the game after Alexander-Arnold went off and they were able to really push onto Liverpool. After that they were dominant and would have fully deserved to get at least a draw on the balance of play, but they just lack a cutting edge.



It is clear they are in a false league position right now and should gradually move away from the drop zone before the season ends. If they continue to put in performances like this, they could very well pick up a few places in the table before the end of the season. They do need to improve up front, Cunha is quality but the rest around him are nowhere near his level. Munetsi is intriguing, but very raw and extremely clumsy with his touch of the ball.







Liverpool





Alisson - pulled off one great save but other than that was not really tested, despite Wolves' dominance in the second half, which tells you a lot about why Wolves failed to get a result.





Alexander-Arnold - defended solidly, though Ait-Nouri showed some tricks, he made very little headway in reality, creating little against Alexander-Arnold. On the ball, he did give away some loose passes, but also played some excellent one, particularly the beautiful ball which sent Salah away for his goal that was ruled offside. Overall, a decent game.





Konate - a mindless performance from the big French centre-back and he was incredibly lucky to benefit from weak refereeing, as he should have been sent off. His head was not right at all.





van Dijk - a mixed game, showed good leadership but struggled at times defensively, being caught out more often than I can remember seeing happen to him at Liverpool. Though that was still a lot less than either Konate or Quansah were in just 45 minutes, which shows what a high bar he has set. In fact, if I was talking about just about anyone else I would be saying what a good job he did!





Robertson - another poor game. Once again he was constantly dropping yards deeper than the rest, putting pressure on the defence by creating gaps for Wolves to exploit in behind them. Made a bad error in the first half and was lucky that Wolves were caught offside. He is so far off the pace right now, it is scary.





Gravenberch - really struggled to make any impression on the game as Wolves crowded him out of the match. With them double and sometimes triple-teaming him, that did create space for others to work in. His defending on the Wolves goal was weak, at best.





Szoboszlai - In the first half he had a good game, but spent the second half mainly running back towards his own goal to help defend due to the way the game was going. However, he was everywhere, worked so hard and was probably Liverpool's best player of the starters.





Mac Allister - had a very good first half, was heavily involved at both ends of the pitch. In the second half, he was pushed back and did produce some good moments defensively, like in the first, but he was consistently poor on the ball. His corners were well delivered.





Salah - not his best game, in the first half he struggled to get at Wolves, who doubled up well against him. In the second half, the only sniff he got was ruled out for offside after he netted. He did take his penalty very well.





Diaz - awful game, other than his goal and winning the penalty. His delivery from wide areas was one of the reasons the performance was so poor, as he messed up almost every single ball in. He was also as guilty as anyone for throwing himself to the floor, once again, and should have been booked for a clear dive towards the end of the first half.





Jota - the most frustrating player I can think of. For every good thing he does, there are multiple times when he messes up the attack or does something stupid. On form, he does provide goals, which is why it is so frustrating as he should be invaluable, but his inability to link play and poor touch, even on those occasions when he can stay fit, mean he is often as much of a hindrance as he is a help. The idiotic dive for the penalty which ended up being correctly overturned is a case in point. He did brilliantly well to block off Doherty to allow the ball to be played through into the space, but then has to ruin the good work with that embarrassing swan dive. I have no idea how he escaped a booking for that pathetic moment. Personally, I would like to see players sent off for that kind of blatant dive.





Quansah - replaced Konate before he got himself sent off at half-time. I know people are raving about his 'goal-saving tackle' but he was, once again, awful. His positional sense is non-existent, he was caught time and time again, including that challenge, where he was caught the wrong side and was lucky that the ball was poor and played behind the Wolves forward, to allow him to intercept it. It is arguable that it was not really saving a goal, as it would have been difficult for the forward to get onto a ball in behind him. He did show good pace and strength, but his positioning and awareness are abysmal.





Bradley - came on for Alexander-Arnold in the 63rd minute. While he is a very good player and did very well defensively, the moment he came on it allowed Wolves to push right up on top of Liverpool and apply more pressure. Without the threat of Alexander-Arnold's balls in behind, Wolves were comfortable from then on in. The whole Liverpool style of play will need to alter if he is to become the long term right-back, as it is not suited to him.





Nunez - was brought on in the stead of Jota in the 63rd minute. A really odd performance from Nunez. At first he came on and chased everywhere, then it was like he gave up after a few minutes of that, before picking up his work rate again after a word from Slot. I know he had absolutely no service, but he could still do more, much more.





Endo - took Diaz's place in the 71st minute. He was understandably given the man of the match award by Liverpool as he constantly broke up play. There were a few fouls given against him, but some of them were as much of a foul as the one on Jota for the penalty that was rightly chalked off. It does seem his combative nature makes it easy for players to just throw themselves to the floor and get given free kicks for nothing.

Liverpool Article 25 Dec 2024
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







After the wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City, which were very one-sided, it is hard to believe any performance could top those, but for 70 minutes of the 90 against Spurs, Liverpool went up to a whole new level. The big questions I have afterwards are how did they score only six (though it feels odd to use only in relation to six goals) and how did Spurs manage to score three? That was a hiding of epic proportions and it is hard to believe just how good Slot has this team playing. This performance was incredible. Yes, it was helped by the way the Londoners play under Postecoglou and their injury situations but it was still an exceptional and exciting performance.



It really felt like Liverpool could score every time they swept forward and Spurs just had no answer. If it was not for a couple of spells of complacency, that game would have been a much better reflection of the game than 6-3 actually was. It was certainly much more one-sided than that suggests. There is really not a lot to write here, it was a thrashing, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that Liverpool had to do to achieve it, other than play their game well. Press them, they give the ball away, attack them and they are wide open. That was it in a nutshell.



The end of the game showed how to control the play and see out time, but that only became possible because of the way Liverpool constantly broke the press throughout the game. There were periods when it was clear the Reds were baiting Tottenham in to press them, by slowly rolling the ball around, looking to create a gap when someone got tempted to chase it. It kept working as well, freeing up players all over the pitch, as Spurs' press was ragged and they were not all reacting in time to the trigger. By the end of the game, understandable when you consider the scoreline, it was a broken Spurs team, who had lost the enthusiasm to even chase any teasing balls around the defence.







Tottenham Hotspur





Spurs are turning into a massive disappointment under Postecoglou, the players are letting him down badly. Far too many are strolling around the pitch and not putting in the effort needed. The only player who seemed willing to put in the effort required, and consequently their only decent performer, was Kulusevski. It looks clear that they are already at the point where a choice needs to be made to rip it all up and start again, either by backing Postecoglou and offloading the main offenders, or by removing the Australian. Which almost certainly means that it will be the manager that makes way, as that is the easy option for Levy, before the fans turn on him.



However, while it is clear that the players are failing the manager, it is also clear that he is failing to make the most out of those players. There is no adaptability to circumstances and it is costing them badly. It does not take an expert to see that Forster is awful with his feet (actually for Premier League level, every part of his game is below the level required), and that is being kind about his kicking. It also should not take much to see that a high line only works if the defence, midfield and attack are working together as a cohesive unit. Just putting fast players at the back is not a solution, even with their first choice defence in place, they are just as bad at defending.



The front three is not pressing as a unit, the midfield is too slow to back them up and the defence is just stood up high waiting for the race back towards their goal when a ball gets played over them. There is nobody willing to organise them on the pitch, much as I love Son, he is not leading them. In fact, he is probably the biggest worry as he is not playing well in himself, let alone helping to get the others playing better. And, on top of the lack of organisation and cohesion, the whole team is incredibly slack with their passes, constantly passing themselves into trouble, before inevitably giving the ball away.



They are in a mess of similar proportions to Manchester United and they need the same drastic surgery to their team to fix it. The problem is that the repairs are going to require investment at a level that Levy is unlikely to sanction, even if the money is there to do it. The youth academy is not producing the talent to work with, so it is going to be a case of signing players to plug holes. I am just not sure that anything can be done to plug the holes Postecoglou's system leaves against better sides. At the top end, you simply have to be better at defending, I am not sure he can or even if he is inclined to try and fix the defence.







Liverpool





Alisson - he spent most of the game sat in a deckchair watching the game like the rest of us! There was a dip in levels after Liverpool went 2-0 up, which led to Spurs pulling one back, but I believe he could do nothing about the shot from Madisson. It was cleverly bent around the defenders, which meant Alisson was unsighted until too late. The second half was more of the same for him, watching the game until after Liverpool's fifth, when they got complacent again and let Spurs back into the game. Alisson was needed to stop it becoming 5-2 much earlier than it did. He could do nothing about the second, though you do have to wonder if there was a possibility he could have claimed the ball in the air. He also made a good save at 6-3 to stop Spurs making the game look far too close a contest. Overall though, he just had it nice and easy.





Alexander-Arnold - defended well, almost scored with a cracking shot and produced a masterclass in passing to top it off. His cross for the opening goal was a thing of beauty - when you talk about bending it like Beckham, well that is exactly what you are meaning. Son had a very poor game, in large part thanks to Alexander-Arnold.





Gomez - an excellent game from Gomez, the kind of performance he was routinely putting in during the Premier League title-winning season under Klopp. He was all over the pitch sweeping up at times. Though, it must be said, he could have done better on the first Spurs goal and been more vocal to get the midfield to drop in and cover on the second. The midfield were sleeping and he could not deal with everyone, so he needed to bawl at them to wake them up.





van Dijk - like Gomez, he could have done better on the first Spurs goal, he also allowed himself to be drawn out of position on the second, though he does have every right to expect the midfield to drop in and cover the gap left. But, he still should have disengaged a bit sooner and dropped back. Overall though, a good game for him, though he will not be happy at letting in three goals in one match.





Robertson - a mixed game for him, some poor crosses and awful defending on the third Spurs goal in particular, but he also did some excellent work too. He did struggle up against Kulusevski, but the Swede is an excellent player. Once Kulusevski moved inside after Spurs made some subs, Robertson was much better.





Gravenberch - apart from a spell after Liverpool scored their fifth, when he was asleep defensively, Gravenberch was once again exceptional. He does need to be more alert to a centre-back being caught up field pressing the ball though.





Mac Allister - after his pathetic piece of play acting, trying to win a free kick rather than getting on with the game and possibly stopping Spurs scoring their first, he was much better. It seemed to wake him up when he did not get the decision he was hoping for and, after that, he was getting stuck in, rather than throwing himself to the floor when involved in contact. And, of course, he scored the second after a really good, well-timed, late run into the box to steal a march on the defence.





Szoboszlai - outstanding! He was my man of the match, though there are a lot of options for that accolade. However, the Hungary captain seemed to be everywhere and at the heart of everything Liverpool did. His workrate, passing and timing of the run was absolutely brilliant in this game.





Salah - brilliant game from a player who is making a stronger case for being the greatest player ever in the Premier League. Each week that goes by, he seems to be setting new records and this week it was becoming the fastest player in Prem history to notch double figures in goals and assists, getting two more of each. I am not sure there is even an argument to be made for anyone else right now for being the best player in the world. Salah has been so good this season, that he is making it more and more laughable that he gets so little recognition from FIFA and UEFA.





Diaz - played in the centre as a false 9 and was excellent, though Tottenham's defending did help with that. However, his movement was very good and they could not cope with it at all. Could easily have scored more than the couple he got.





Gakpo - had a decent game, but not at the level he has been playing. There were a number of times his touch was poor, one of them led to him getting a booking.





Jones - replaced Mac Allister in the 68th minute. He never seemed able to get up to speed in the game and was caught chasing the play a lot. Should have done better on the second Spurs goal.





Jota - came on for Gakpo in the 68th minute. Went into the centre, so Diaz could go back onto the left. While he did have a few moments of loose play, like the moment when he should have done better with a header, he worked hard to make up for his mistakes. At one point, after he gave the ball away sloppily, he chased Kulusevski back 50 yards to try and recover it. At one point his desire was enough to win a ball against a number of Spurs' players, as he just wanted it more.





Nunez - took Diaz's place in the 86th minute. Played on the left and did a decent enough job in the few minutes he was on the pitch.





Elliott - was brought on in place of Salah in the 86th minute. Played a lovely ball to Szoboszlai right at the end, but played on the right which no longer seems to be his best position at all.

Liverpool Article 17 Dec 2024
Liverpool v Fulham A Liverpool Perspective







Wow, yet again another fantastic match! To think there were people complaining on our Liverpool site recently about the lack of entertainment watching them play. Since then, it has been just incredible to watch the games. They have all been exciting, for different reasons. Manchester City and Real Madrid were just blown away, while the others have just been rollercoaster rides. Well, I accept that the Girona match was not exciting, nestled in the middle of it all, but it was a game with little riding on it, as Liverpool had already qualified for the next stage. There was very little chance of that being anything other than a bit of a grind.



Firstly though, sadly I once again have to complain about the officiating, which was abysmal. Tony Harrington was all over the place and had a mare and was so inconsistent, he was almost consistent in his inconsistency. How on earth Diaz ended up being booked was beyond me. It was clear he was the one actually being fouled. The Perreira booking was extremely questionable and really looked a red card, or should have been. There was no attempt to play the ball, it was just studs on the back of the calf in an attempt to put Gravenberch out of the game. It was everything we are told they want to stamp out of the game.



Then there was the sending off of Robertson. I have to admit I thought initially it was a good decision, but on seeing it back, I can understand why it is controversial, especially as they did have their goalscoring chance. I am now unsure what the decision should have been. The one I am not unsure about is the penalty claim for Liverpool, which was a clear penalty in my opinion. A foul does not have to be deliberate to be a foul, so I have no idea how the referee and VAR came to the conclusion that Gomez being wiped out by accident was not a foul.



The game itself was, well I think I can call it a tactical masterclass by Arne Slot. The way he jiggled the team about, over and over again until it worked to put pressure on Fulham and really take the game to them. It meant taking big risks, but the potential rewards were well worth the risk. For most of the game, despite being down to ten, Liverpool were the better side, though the spaces left by being a man short did mean there was always the potential there for the Londoners to break. If it had been up to me, I would probably have put Endo on to give a bit more solidity, but what Slot did instead worked probably a lot better than what I had in mind. It worked so well that it felt almost disappointing to only get a draw with ten men. My only worry about it is how much it would have taken out of the legs of those players who played the full 90 minutes.







Fulham





It must be said, Marco Silva has improved massively as a head coach over the years. In the past, his teams were disorganised defensively and easy to break down. This Fulham team is much better organised and defensively much more solid, while still retaining the ability to score goals that his teams have always had. I like that he rarely thinks about settling for a point and almost always sends his team out to take the game to the opposition and attempt to win. Silva has Fulham at the point that they can give any team a game and you can never rule them out from getting a result, no matter who they are playing.



Having said that, the big issue he does seem to have is motivation. They do seem to sit back far too easily as soon as they have a lead. They did it twice against Liverpool and let them back in both times. As soon as they have a lead, they want to drop deep and look to hit on the counter. They do have pace in wide areas, so it is understandable, but it does often cost them. They may be more organised than Silva's previous sides, but they are still not solid enough to sit in and hold out. That makes them very reliant on their forwards to keep opponents pushed back.



They do have a lot of pace up top, which helps, but they are so good and comfortable on the ball that it feels like they would pick up much more points by holding slightly higher up and getting on the ball more. They can play keep ball to draw opponents out, then use the pace on the counter, without ending up sat inside their own penalty area when they get the ball and in danger of one sloppy pass throwing away their lead.







Liverpool





Alisson - he was unlucky with both goals, they were both deflected past him or neither is likely to have ended up in the back of the net. He also came up with a save to keep the score equal when needed.





Alexander-Arnold - it is hard to judge him defensively in this game, due to the way Liverpool played with ten men. Slot was brave and went aggressive, pushing him onto Robinson to stop the Fulham full-back getting forward. That did leave a lot of space behind him, but it was a risk that was worth taking. His flexibility was used, as he was inverted and then pushed out wide and then inverted once more, as Slot looked to figure out how to get at Fulham with just ten men. Some of his passing was brilliant, some of it loose, pretty much as normal.





Gomez - had a really good game, though he was constantly moved about from right-sided centre-back in a back four to left-back, then right-sided centre-back in a back three. Then back to left-back and then left-sided centre-back in a back three. Through it all, Gomez had a good game, though he was very unlucky with the deflection, at least he was there to attempt to block.





van Dijk - in the early parts of the game, he was caught up field, then got caught by a simple ball over the top. But, as the game went on, he grew into it and led the team well. Slot had to take chances and go man-for-man at the back, which meant there were lots of spaces to be covered, but van Dijk did what he could to organise the defensive set up.





Robertson - that was a disastrous game for Robertson. Even when he got wiped out by Diop, there was an offside so the team were unable to gain any real advantage from it. But then he followed that up by giving the ball away, leading to a passage of play where he was caught out ball-watching and not noticing Perreira behind him on the first Fulham goal. Worse, the ball deflected off him, otherwise it would have almost certainly been a simple save for Alisson. Not satisfied with that, he then failed to control a simple ball, letting it bounce off him to Wilson, who he then wiped out and got himself sent off. I know people are making excuses for the loose touch, due to him possibly carrying a knock, but that is no excuse for ball watching.





Gravenberch - was immense, whether playing in midfield or defence. And that even despite Perreira's attempt to put him out of the game with a stud rake down the back of his ankle. What a player he is growing into. Man of the match for me.





Szoboszlai - was the one who pushed Gravenberch closest for man of the match. In fact, he has a very good case to be the one who should get it. His graft and intelligent work for the team made a huge difference. His mobility and some very nice play, allied to a prodigious workrate, were like an extra man. He allowed Slot to play an aggressive game, going for the win, even though they were missing a man for most of the game.





Jones - played a higher role initially, though he had to play all over the pitch after the sending off. Before the sending off, he had not done well, he should have done better early on and then was weak just before the sending off. But after the sending off, he picked up his game and the only blot on his copybook after it was the silly booking he picked up. It was a consequence of him trying so hard and the way the team was sent out to be aggressive and on the front foot, but it was a moment that you could see coming as he chased the ball. He did play a big role in enabling Liverpool to wrestle the game back, after Fulham took complete control following the sending off.





Diaz - he should never have been booked but he never let that mistake by the referee stop him. He was here, there and everywhere helping to fill in gaps. He was also a threat when Liverpool got the ball, interchanging well with Gakpo while he was on the pitch, and generally causing havoc. A very good performance from the Colombian.





Salah - I know Robinson had been booked for a cynical foul on Diaz, and so had to be careful, but it was still impressive how Salah just ripped him apart so easily, even though Fulham constantly doubled up on him with Cuenca constantly coming over on the cover. He also got his 100th assist with a lovely ball for Gakpo to put in the net. By forcing them to double mark him the way he did, it opened up spaces that would not otherwise have been there. And he was still managing to cause them problems, even with two men on him.





Gakpo - apart from his short spell at left wing-back, as Slot tried to find a solution with the ten men on the pitch, Gakpo was excellent. He scored, showed skill on a nice run, worked very hard and caused them real problems with his movement.





Nunez - replaced Gakpo in the 70th minute. Set up Jota's goal, but he looks short on confidence still in front of goal. His energy and enthusiasm came in at just the right moment, I felt, as it brought fresh impetus to the performance.





Quansah - came on for Jones in 70th minute. Unfortunately Quansah once again had a terrible game, vying with Robertson as the worst player in the match. He was negative on the ball, mostly turning back and playing sideways, ruining the momentum that was building. His touch was poor. But the worst thing was his defending for the second goal. He had fresh legs, but he was weak and allowed Muniz to just muscle him out and score, when he should have seen out the danger. He is far too lackadaisical and needs to wake up before he misses the chance to make it at Liverpool. He has not learnt anything from all his errors, which is worrying. He plays like he is a reincarnation of van Dijk, but lacks the Dutchman's quality and physicality, so just ends up costing goals.





Elliott - took Szoboszlai's place in the 79th minute. Nearly scored but, other than that he struggled to make his mark on the game. His energy and willingness were much needed though, as there were clearly some tired legs on that pitch by the time he came on.





Jota - was brought on in place of Alexander-Arnold in the 79th minute. He may not be the best at link up play, to put it nicely, he may spend far too much time injured, but when you need a man to come off the bench and rescue a goal for your team, there are few, if any, better players around. At times like that, he turns into something special, able to shimmy and send players so far out of the way they need to get a ticket to get back into the stadium. And he is clinical as a substitute as well, with no need to get a feel for the ball or get up to speed, he is just on it. It was an excellent goal as well.

Liverpool Article 12 Dec 2024
Girona v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







While there has been a lot of criticism of the performance, even Slot admitted to being unhappy with it, I think that is what you get when there is a team that is far superior to their opposition but have nothing really to play for. Qualification was already assured, so the only thing that seemed to be on the mind of most of the players was avoiding injury and suspension. Except Diaz, as he simply cannot change the way he is and he is a fiery, all-or-nothing, kind of character, who is unable to play at half-pace. For all Slot's complaints about the performance, I feel he contributed to the poor performance with his selection of players. None of them had anything to prove, they are all regulars and know they are going to be involved each game during the season, if fit. This was the time to put one or two fringe players in, players who are fighting to get some game time, in order to raise the overall levels of fight and desire.



I know I will probably sound like a broken record now, but I thought this was a great time to give Endo a run out and rest Gravenberch. The Dutchman had looked fatigued against Newcastle and yet he played the full 90 minutes in a game with little riding on the result. It was a very odd decision, if you ask me. Hopefully, the next two games will see Slot feel comfortable enough to rest him and keep him fresh for the Premier League campaign. He is fast becoming key to the midfield's play and his level is vital to Liverpool's chances of lifting trophies this season.



It must be said that, even though the performance was not the best, Girona offered so little genuine threat that it must have been difficult for the players to rouse themselves from their state of torpor. The game was very much a stroll in the park, though Alisson was called into action a few times, it never felt like they were close to beating him. The defence did try their best to give them opportunities to test him.



I suppose I have to talk about the penalty, as it was the only really controversial moment in the match. If it can even be called controversial. It was a very soft penalty, but it was a penalty according to the rules. Technically correct, but not a satisfying way to win, nor a penalty that anyone would have complained about if it was not given. Though, by the same token, there is no definitive argument that it should not have been given.



The performance was poor, mainly because of two things - the passing was far too slow and laboured most of the time and the press was poor and lacked commitment. The press was not done as a unit, sometimes just one or two players were pressing, while every one else dropped off or worse, stood around watching. What also did not help the defending was the way the midfielders think. They are all offensively-minded and, when chasing back and the opponent stops, look to cut off a pass back in the hope of getting away on a break, rather than getting themselves goalside and seeing off the danger. That can pay off sometimes, but most of the time it just left the opponent able to keep running forward.



There was also the standard problem with a high line, it is very reliant on the press making it difficult for passes to be played with accuracy in behind. Except that there was no real press, no pressure on the ball, but the defence were not dropping off and no one was tracking runners in behind.



There was also a strange lack of quality to the long passing and set pieces, particularly the long passes, which were almost all significantly overhit. It does make me wonder if there were issues with depth perception, after playing in large stadiums week in, week out in the Premier League and then in front of smaller stands in Girona. Maybe it makes it feel like the distances are further than they really are, as the stands are so much smaller. I know there are a lot of players who have talked about that when their club has moved to a new stadium and it took them time to adjust. Or maybe I am just giving too much credence to players simply making excuses for playing poorly in a new, unfamiliar stadium?







Girona





Sadly, this is not the Girona of last season, that did so well to earn a spot in the Champions League. Last season they had a cutting edge, with Savinho causing havoc down the wings for them and they had an end product. This time around, they have Danjuma, who couldn't finish a fish supper. They are still playing the same way, still playing good football, but they just have no real quality left in the team to put the ball in the back of the net.



This is the problem with being nothing more than a feeder club for a bigger one in the chain, when you have good players they get moved up the chain. All you end up with is the ones that are not good enough. It is impossible to build anything for the long term, and it is just a waste of a quality manager, in Michel, he could be building a club to challenge for, and probably, win trophies.



They do love to throw themselves to the floor at any opportunity, particularly Miguel, who is an outright diver, but even that cannot make up for their lack of real quality. It is a shame really, they worked so hard to earn a spot in the Champions League only to be unable to do themselves justice. It is such a waste of a spot in the competition when their fans deserve better.







Liverpool





Alisson - it says a lot about the way the team played that he was Liverpool's man of the match by a margin. In fact, he was probably the only one to play well. It was so good to have him back, passes usually hit their target and shots were never going to go through him.





Alexander-Arnold - had a poor game, very loose with his passing and not putting in enough effort defensively.





Gomez - started off well, but soon succumbed to the malaise that was affecting the rest of the team. He did show flashes of his quality but also picked up a silly, needless booking.





van Dijk - not at his best, caught in behind by runners far too easily.





Robertson - he still does not look right this season and it is really looking like his time is coming to an end with Liverpool, sadly. His defending is becoming worrying, where he would engage high up in the past, thus any poor challenge led to just a free kick. These days, he backs away, backs away some more and then waits until in the box before challenging. It is dangerous and is probably due to his pace no longer being there to allow him to recover if his challenge fails.





Gravenberch - played a bit too high at times, without anyone covering him behind. I really feel this was a game to rest him or, failing that, partner him with Endo.





Szoboszlai - another who had an off night.





Jones - was back to the Jones who does nice things and then holds onto the ball too long and wastes the chance to use the space he has created for himself.





Diaz - he was the one player who never seemed to be off the pace, he just is not that type of person. Also, he was getting very frustrated by the decisions given against him, most of which were poor decisions. Particularly the one that saw him get booked, when it was clear Diaz was the one being fouled. After winning the penalty, which he was probably as surprised about getting as anyone, he then threw himself to the floor looking for decisions.





Salah - scored the penalty and always looked a threat.





Nunez - really should have scored, struggled with his link up play and was off his game. He looks very low on confidence.





Gakpo - replaced Nunez in the 70th minute. Like so many, he was not at his best, though at least he seemed to be trying.





Elliott - came on for Jones in 76th minute. Ran around a lot, but achieved very little.





Endo - took Diaz's place in the 88th minute. I really feel he should be on much sooner.

02 Dec 2024 18:35:01
I have to say I’m disappointed with some people on here.

We’ve just beaten Real Madrid and Man City without breaking a sweat so they can’t have a moan about the team.

So what do they do?

That moan about the contracts instead. The site is wall to wall moaners it’s embarrassing.

I’d say just enjoy the team at the top of both the Champions League and the Premier League but I know you won’t so I won’t waste my breath.

Liverpool Article 27 Nov 2024
Southampton v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







This was another in a string of similar performances under Slot, where the team gradually takes control of the game, but always looks to just do enough to win. This one was marred by a few moments of poor play, which looked arrogant, like the team felt the game was already won at 1-0 and led to Southampton getting back into it. Actually, I think complacent is a better word than arrogant. Saints' ability to get back into the game was aided by the size and strength of Onuachu, who was as awkward to deal with as Peter Crouch, being 6ft 7" tall, but with strength and a decent turn of foot as well. He troubled both centre-backs badly and a defensive-minded midfielder was a miss there, as no one sought to front screen him and make it more difficult for him to get control of the balls played up to him. There is no way anyone is going to get above him and beat him in the air, so the only way to deal with it is to front screen him and just make it as difficult as possible for him to do anything worthwhile with it.



What was worrying is how quickly the team descended into nonchalance in the first half, after taking a lead. Maybe it was just too easy, but it did feel like van Dijk fell back into the old bad habits he had developed when at Southampton as a player. It cost the team a goal and nearly the three points, but this team is good enough to pick itself up and get itself going after a bad spell. The will to win is incredible, reminiscent of Klopp's 'mentality monsters', that just never knew when they were beaten.



The style is closer to the Liverpool of the 1980s though. That measured possession-based play that ground down teams, rather than blasted them away as we had become accustomed to under Klopp. It worked then and so far it is working now. Back then it was the next step in the team's evolution from occasional winners to constant trophy winners. Perhaps it is once again happening? The signs are certainly good so far, but it is far too early to tell.



There are issues, particularly with midfield squad depth for the deeper position. There is no real alternative to Gravenberch and there is a lack of alternative options to change things if needed. Only Endo offers any real steel, if the opposition turn the match into a battle once more. With the Japanese midfielder ageing, and not being high on Slot's list of starters, that will need to be looked at. Though I do feel Slot could make a bit more use of Endo, to allow Gravenberch a rest sometimes.







Southampton





Southampton only have one man to blame for the predicament they find themselves in - Russell Martin. His insistence on playing out from the back is not the main issue, they actually do have the players within their squad to play that way. The issue is for me twofold. Firstly, he is not picking the right players in the right positions, Stephens, for example, is not a left-sided centre-back, nor is he a ball-playing centre-back. The bigger issue is the coaching, which has not improved the way the players attempt to play the system.



Referring back to Stephens again, he is still not setting himself in preparation to receive a ball under any kind of pressure. Instead of opening his body up ready, to increase his options to play the ball, he is being left in a panic and playing the ball blindly into danger. The keeper is a different matter, he is a back up and a terrible one at that, you have to expect a drop off in performance level, but the players in front of him were not helping him out. He was given no real passing options. At least he realised that, eventually, and just began to clear it.



You do wonder how different things could have been, if he had begun the game looking to go long to the big man up top, it would have forced the Liverpool press to drop off. That would then have opened up the short passes for the rest of the game. It is such a simple thing to do, you wonder why the coaches at the club are not telling these players to react to the situation the moment it is clear an aggressive high press is being used against them. You also have to wonder how players can come up through an academy system without knowing these kind of things as part of their basic knowledge of the game.



There does seem to be a problem with academy footballers, this lack of basic understanding of the game and ability to think for themselves, rather than just blindly following their coach's instructions. If the Saints actually figure out when to play out from the back, they might have a chance of survival. Otherwise, they are just going to continue to throw away points they desperately need.







Liverpool





Kelleher - decent enough game, was not really at blame for the goals, but he is up against the extraordinary in Alisson, who you always feel might have pulled out a wonder save for one of them.





Bradley - not his best game. He was so bad defensively on their second goal, it was embarrassing. It was schoolboy stuff from him, just running towards the ball, rather than positioning himself and being aware of what was around him. That was a very stark reminder of just how much he has to learn.





Konate - had a terrible first half, a silly, needless booking was just part of his return to something like the struggles he would sometimes have under Klopp. The booking did seem to help focus him and he improved for the rest of the half. He was much better in the second half and not so flustered, though he was helped by Onuachu going off. After that, Saints lacked a focal point and it was much easier for the centre-backs to play.





van Dijk - another who looked complacent in the first half and his giveaway for the first goal was a huge blunder. It was very like the kind of error he used to make in his Southampton days. He was much improved in the second half, but he needs to do better from the start, as Forest showed that we will not always be able to dig ourselves out of a hole.





Robertson - a very poor game from the Scotland captain. He looked sluggish and made a poor error in judgement to go for the challenge that resulted in Saints' penalty. Regardless of whether it was inside or outside the box, forget whether it should have been given, the point is that he should not have made the challenge. The question has to be asked of his future at the club, whether he is just tired from the internationals or on a decline, a team challenging for trophies cannot afford passengers. Right now, he is one. Though I would be loath to lose his personality from the club, I am not sure that he can continue on at the top level while playing international football any more and I would not expect him to want to give up the captaincy of his country to continue to play for us.





Gravenberch - at times, it was clear that he is not defensively minded, first and foremost. The defence needed his help with dealing with the forward, who was able to take the ball in far too easily from aerial balls, with no cover in front. Overall, he was still very good, but just needed that little bit of defensive forethought.





Szoboszlai - finally got a goal and looked so much better for it. His defensive work was particularly strong in this match, he covered so much ground and was a big part of the win.





Jones - had a poor game, too many touches in a game that was crying out for faster ball movement. He was also very off on his defensive game. Like Gravenberch, he should have been helping out more defensively, helping to front screen the high ball, just to make it more difficult for the forward to take the ball in.





Nunez - he embarrassed himself with his ridiculous fall to the ground and attempt to claim he had been fouled in the box. Nothing was quite working out for him, though he was not exactly missing lots of chances, it just was not being delivered into areas he could get on the end of it. He does play an important role in the press and works back brilliantly, but he needs to score more goals.





Salah - excellent game. He really looks revitalised this season after a summer off. The only real question is if he can keep it going all season? If so, he could come close, or even better, the numbers from his first season.





Gakpo - did not have the best of games, but must have felt unlucky to be the one taken off for Diaz.





Mac Allister - replaced Jones in the 62nd minute. He was given much more license to get forward and looked so much better as a result. He is so much more suited to playing high up, threading balls around the edge of the opposition box.





Diaz - came on for Gakpo in 62nd minute. His arrival, along with Mac Allister's, seemed to lift the performance to another level. His movement, and workrate, caused Soton so many problems.





Endo - took Nunez's place in the 89th minute. Somehow, despite only being on the pitch from the 89th minute, he managed to show that he is so much more than just a capable shield in front of the defence. He harried, hustled, covered and tackled, like you want from a defensive midfielder, but he also showed more, protecting the ball and keeping possession despite being under enormous pressure.