Welp…that will work

I think this is the exact game he wanted. City are SO vulnerable in transition.

Going to have to find a way to get slightly more of the ball in the second half, but overall I think that's a lot of what Slot wanted.

City's lineup is also most dangerous out in transition. I think we would like to have more possession, but we will have to be careful not to give up the counter.

Feels like we are watching Szo become elite before our eyes. Dude is great at everything

Edit to actually add the name lol

TAA is borderline useless for a lot of games. But then he does that one thing hahah.

Jones

Darn

I'd get fresh legs on pretty quick.

I thought that was one of Diaz best games in a while. Good to see.

Dream weekend. Guys look spent and can't blame em.

Shoutout to the brilliance of Mo and VVD….no idea what we do without them.

That was a game that if Klopp were our manager, would've ended up 3-3 or 4-3. I am thankful for Klopp bringing Liverpool out of its slumber and establishing them again, but I am equally as thankful that we now have a manager who is adaptable and willing to make changes to fit situations. Slot knew that if we turned that game into a track meet (as recently evidenced by what Real Madrid did to City), that would've been playing into City's best attribute at this time. And while we can play like, it was unnecessary. He conceded possession and trusted his box in midfield and his oak trees at CB to handle the game and they did. That just might be the managerial performance of the season, and Slot did it in the biggest game. Hats off.

We also saw Dominic Szoboszlai become that freaking guy today.

[Apologies in advance for the novel, but I had some time this morning]

We have all been beating this drum for a while now, but Mo Salah has earned a new contract. And seeing other players play well in their mid to late 30s should alleviate some concerns Edwards and FSG have. Especially with how well Salah has been taking care of his body. (Modric scored a stunner at 40 years of age this weekend and Real Madrid, who can pretty much sign whoever they want, are rumored to be offering him a new contract). To me, a 2-3 year deal for Salah is a no-brainer.

For you fellow stat nerds, here are some stats gathered from various sources on some of the milestones Salah reached yesterday:

• First player to register 25+ goals and 15+ assists in the same PL season
• First player to register 40+ goal involvements in two different PL seasons
• First to be involved in 50+ goal involvements this season
• First player to register a goal and assist in 11 different PL games (most in Europe's top 5 since Messi in 2014/15).
• Record number of assists (16) in a single PL season in Liverpool history
• First player to score and assist in both games vs the reigning champions
• Is now 3rd all time on the Liverpool scoring charts with 243 goals, behind only Roger Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346). [Side Stat: Salah has played 388 games for Liverpool while Hunt played in 492 and Rush played in 660.]

For me, Salah is the best player on the planet right now and deserves every accolade coming his way after this season he is having, especially the Balon D'Or.
________________

In other news, with 11 games to go (12 for Arsenal), we have an 11 point lead. Arsenal can gain a max of 36 points which, when added to their current total of 53, means their max total for the season is 89 points. With our current 64 points on the board, we would need 25 points to match said 89 total for the season. Assuming our superior GD holds, 8 wins and a draw from our remaining 11 games should do it.

This supposed "blip" we have been on is ridiculous. Since the calendar turned to 2025, we have played a grand total of 3 PL games at Anfield (out of 9 total), with 6 of our last 8 games coming away from home. We have picked up 18 points out of a possible 24 in those 8 games. Still have just that one solitary loss vs Forest. Apart from our showing at Plymouth (which, to be fair to Slot, is down to the players. The team he sent out should have been good enough to beat a side at the bottom of the Championship), I think Slot has managed our schedule overall quite well with minimal injuries. I think he still needs to trust Elliott, Endo, Chiesa, etc more in the next few weeks to give the regulars a much needed break. But after Wednesday's game against Newcastle, they'll have a whole week off before travelling to Paris in the CL.

The only thing I am worried about is that March International Break. No player is going to want to skip the break as it is the first round of games for qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Liverpool has not historically faired well with international breaks and injuries. So if everyone comes back in one piece, we should be good for the rest of the season and able to challenge in the CL (assuming we handle business vs PSG).

Poor TAA

Slot with a 2 game touchline ban starting today vs Newcastle and 70k fine for the Everton incident.

I really want this one today. Newcastle is a better team than City and after all the pundits declared on Sunday that the league is done and dusted, if Liverpool rolls up and puts down an unconvincing performance there will be too.much nonsense coming from.outside.

But another solid win says, "We agree. This is over. Shut it down. "

Curious if Slot will go back to his more traditional 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, or stick with the four midfielders and the 4-2-4 with a box in midfield type of shape. I have a feeling he'll ride with the four midfielders again, but will make changes pretty quickly at the 60 minute mark (I don't think some of these guys can go a full 90 with how much they've played recently).

ETA: I don't think we're going to just concede possession again, but I think Slot really likes having Jones in the team right now and how having an extra body in midfield allows them to spread out and defend wider areas.

Yeah, this game is tough and much tougher than MC to me. As already stated, Newcastle is better than MC and their attack is special when it's on. And as many has stated as well, we are just gassed, and especially after the effort to win at MC. But I don't doubt this team to do anything anymore.

Looks like Slot is going back to the tried and true 4-2-3-1:

Alisson
VVD
Konate
Diaz
Szbo
Mac Allister
Salah
Jota
Tsimikas
Graavy
TAA

No Isak for the Geordies.

This is another masterclass, and Diaz is an absolute horse.

13 points clearrrrrrr

Thankfully the weekend off before trip to Paris Wed.

Diaz masterclass on Livramento tonight. He was in top form tonight.

Max 7 wins away! LFG!!!!!