I hate to say it, but this recent Liverpool FC malaise is on Arne Slot. His team selection, lack of rotation and poor decision making has cost us these last few matches. To play the same 11, during a period of matches every 3-4 days, is genuinely appalling man management.
The team has looked fatigued for a while now, the clear signs were evident for all to see. We got a royal doing over by PSG in the first leg, with Alisson saving us almost single handedly. The players were done and physically in the red. And, what does Slot do in our next match a few days later, essentially picks the same team against bottom of the league Southampton. This, knowing full well that we had PSG again in only a few days.
I am utterly bewildered by this. The lack of rotation has cost us dearly, and it is fully on Slot. We had options, also. Endo, Elliott, Chiesa, Nunez, etc, we had more than enough players to play the game against Southampton, and play portions of other matches, to allow for much needed rest. So, I am not buying this, Slot didn’t have options garbage. He decided to stick with the same players over and over again until their legs fell off, or we played them into injury.
Our midfield of Grav, Szobo and Mac have looked like walking corpses. We have a combative option in Endo who has routinely shown his intelligence and quality to play the position, and yet Slot ignored him. Playing Jota as the CF, when he has done nothing to warrant selection, is also baffling. I do not understand what Slot was thinking, selecting Jota for the final, and then telling our players to hoof the ball up the pitch to the more taller and stronger Newcastle defenders. If that was the best idea you had, which clearly it was, then why not put Nunez there to fight for every ball. Someone who can use their height and tenacity to their advantage, in absence of having a brain.
Slot has a lot of cred in the bank. He is a major reason why we will likely win the league. No matter how fortuitous it was, we still get the trophy, so I don’t care what others say. But, Slot has consistently shown the same area of weakness again and again, and not learned from it. He continues to talk about his experiences at Holland, at Feyenoord, and how he managed to use a small squad to win that league, without realizing that Liverpool fight for multiple trophies, while facing opposition of a higher quality, intensity and at a greater frequency compared to what Slot previously had to deal with.
We’ve gone from vying for 4 trophies (Which was impossible), to 3 (Which at the time seemed possible), to 2 (Which seem consolatory after losing to PSG in the Champs) and now to 1. Thankfully it is the Prem, the trophy we wanted more than anything, so the season will still be a major success by the end. But, this season could have been so much more, one last hurrah before a step in to an uncertain future, with the possible departure of Van Dijk, Salah and Trent, on the horizon.
I honestly don’t know what the future holds for us. But, I have little faith that Hughes, Ward, etc, will do their job to a sufficient extent. They have done nothing to suggest any level of competency. I only hope Slot gets the players he wants, and is then willing to rotate when he needs to. Otherwise, things could turn ugly.
Written by LFC-S MANGO March 16 2025 23:52:39
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