Szo pissed at Salah too for not coming back.

Team is just lost and in a bad way right now. Shocking really.

We need another incredibly athletic midfielder to cover ground and Mac Allister isn't that. If slot is going to play Salah who's old and Gakpo who isn't particularly athletic, he's gotta have another midfielder who can get around well. I'd have stuck Szbo next to Gravenberch and put Wirtz in the middle.

Man…we might as well be playing with 9 outfield players right now

We do nothing well. There is no attack whatsoever and no buildup or any chances. They constantly give the ball away, look slow, not sure what to do, and get completely carved up in the open field and in the back. Salah looks washed up. Isak can't even touch the ball.

Salah looks WASHED. I think to get the most out of him at this stage you're going to have to go to some two striker system. He can't play wing on an island anymore.

They gotta get Mac Allister off the field, and maybe Salah.

Slot is going to start taking some serious heat and rightfully so. This is horrible all the way around and he has somethings to really figure out and fast. He can start with some tough but obvious decisions like actually subbing (or benching) Salah at times with Chiesa.

We have 1 measly shot attempt that was in the first few minutes and that is it. And Chelsea are completely controlling the ball and just having guys completely unmarked all over the place.

Our press is god awful or nonexistent. Problem 1b imo.

I have no idea what happened to Mac. Guess combo of the personal issues alluded to and fitness stuff, but he is fallen off a cliff. Like we both said, Salah looks completely washed...and that started at the end of last year really.

And if your Isak, you have to bury that header....earn your worth here.

Salah with an awful miss off a beautiful set up by Wirtz.

And then miles off on another shot.

Thank god it fell it Gakpo because I don't think anyone else can hit the net.

GET MO OFF THE FIELD

Salah is terrible..why is he untouchable?

What does Chiesa have to do to play? He has scored as much as Mo in 1/20th of the time.

And Mac is horrible too. Just completely gives it away.

Shield your eyes treating trying to counter.

A YELLOW FOR WHAT

Kicking the ball....it surprised the ref too

Good grief Wirtz

Sweet mother Mary we're bringing on Endo

Why why why why bring on Endo

We don't handle a press for ****

We can't make single pass or keep the ball to save our lives. Be so fortunate to come away with a tie here.

There it is. We're a bad team.

Deserved that loss

We may not be a top 10 team

I don't think we've been that bad tbh, but we're just so far off the standard at the moment.

It's bits and pieces and not one complete game or unit right now. They'll be fine in 6 months time but we are most definitely not winning the league.

We 100% need to be thinking about sitting Salah and finding a way to get Ekitike and Isak on the field at the same time.

2 shots on goal against a team with no center backs. Slot bringing in Endo for who knows why except to hang on for the tie supposedly, and Endo promptly botches it. Salah not coming off is on Slot too. Analysts calling that out too after the match and his lack of defense or doing anything. That Chiesa and even Frimpong doesn't play there is criminal, and if he doesn't change it ASAP it going to cost him big time. If you could sell Mo for $$ to Saudi you should do it. But instead we are too scared to drop him and have no one with any minutes when he goes to Africa Cup.

So many new players that need to gel and needs time...but there are so many other concerning issues. And only Man U has conceded more goals than Liverpool in all of the PL. Go watch Mac's "defense" and "effort" on the Caicedo's goal.

They honestly look so slow, temid, unconfident and almost scared honestly.

Salah needs to be dropped. Last year, Slot gave him less defensive responsibilities so that he could stay high to counter. Salah still wants to play like that, but its not working anymore. The problem is that he simply doesnt have the speed to exploit that space anymore. For example, there was an outlet pass in the first half where we hit Salah on a break away. The old Mo would have touched that into space and created a goal scoring opportunity. Today he ended up just holding the ball up and carrying it backwards. Consequently, we are setting ourselves up for a strategy that has no hope of succeeding. Mo isn't tracking back so our right side is a huge weakness no matter who plays at RB AND we can't actually generate opportunities when he does get the ball in space.

The version of Mo that was considered undroppable is sadly gone, but we do have talent to fix that problem. I actually thought Frimpong looked pretty good in that role against Galatasary and Chiesa has been incredible for us this year. Both have also worked harder on than the pitch than Mo has, and I think Arne needs to reward them.

I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water here, but you've gotta lay a lot of this at Slot's feet. Brining on Endo…you serious Clark? Continuing to put Konate on the field. Leaving your RB on an ISLAND. And continuing to play an attacking group of players that don't fit a formation/style, and that CANNOT PRESS TO SAVE THEIR LIVES (including the midfield here). On top of that the midfield cannot string two passes together if they tried. They also are unbelievably terrible on the counter.

It's really bad out there and Slot has to empty the kitchen sink over the international break. Go back to a 4-3-3 and get guys on the field who can actually press; or a 4-3-1-2 to get more rigid in defense and so you can get Isak and Ekitike on the field together. Heck I'd even entertain playing three at the back right now so we can stretch teams and utilize Frimpong and Wirtz like they were at Leverkusen. Just something else. If he doesn't the temperature will get turned up quick.

The Chiesa situation bugs me and he deserves more time, but I'm not going to overreact and think he's our savior. We have a bigger problem than that.

hoosierAG said:

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We may not be a top 10 team

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Step way back from the ledge my friend.

Yeah I'm not trying to overreact to this whole situation. I've seen a ton of "Slots on his final straw" and "Slot needs to go" type of stuff, which is patently ridiculous and false barring a historic collapse.

This is to a T too much change at one time, mixed with a little bit of teams have clearly studied us and found a way to seriously limit, minimize and attack us. Go no further than how teams have completely taken out our midfield knowing we don't have TAA to sit back and pick out passes.

Now, this is where Slot is going to really earn it and test his metal as a coach. It's hot in Liverpool right now and he's gotta figure out a new wrinkle for this group and how to utilize them best, especially if he's going to play a style that isn't predominantly based on energy and effort like Klopp. The same can be said for the players too. Honeymoon of winning the league and big new signings is over. You're in the trenches and need to get out.

ChipFTAC01 said:

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hoosierAG said:

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We may not be a top 10 team

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Step way back from the ledge my friend.

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Yeah, that was clearly a combo of hyperbole and frustration all at once. Please accept my apologies for yesterday's half hazard rants!

My $0.02 after having yesterday to kind of mull over the situation and head into yet another international break, this one with a lot less happiness than the last one.

Slot needs to take a big chunk of the blame for our current predicament, a blame that I know he will not shy away from. Our team is currently all over the place and I don't think it is just on the pitch. I'm not sure it is fully appreciated the toll that the horrible loss of Diogo Jota has taken (who, by all accounts, was a superb teammate and one of the "glue" guys of the locker room). I think his passing has hit especially hard on Mo Salah and he hasn't fully processed the situation. This is just what I see as a guy a thousand miles away behind a screen, but his body language gives me those vibes. Someone who is trying very hard to honor his friend and may be trying too hard to do too much.

We also have to consider how much roster turnover we have had this summer. We brought in seven new players into the first team while five players who played significant minutes over the years left. Long-term, this was necessary, but I question the wisdom of doing it all in one window. And this is just from a team chemistry perspective. I understand PSR and the potential of a new system lingering for 2026-27 probably created an urgency. So if Michael Edwards and co. thought this is how we should pull the trigger, then I support them as their track record speaks for itself.

That being said, I think our next game (at home to Man U) needs to have as much of the "old guard" as possible to help provide some stability. When new players come in, they need some help from the players who have been there to show them how things are done, at what level they are expected to perform, etc. And due to the nature of our summer, this has not really happened. Now these players are elite footballers and are grown men who can and should be able to handle themselves. But I think a club of the stature of Liverpool FC comes with brighter lights than some of the new faces may be used to. So, if I'm Arne Slot, I turn back to the system and team that won me the league last season and build off of that. My team to face United:

Gakpo -- Ekitike -- Salah
Jones -- Gravenberch -- Szobozlai
Robbo -- Vvd -- Gomez -- Bradley
Mamardashvili

Stick to the 4-3-3 system and let Szobozlai run the midfield. Give Mac Allister some rest and let Jones play the role of picking up loose balls. Let Gravenberch play the role of CDM like he did last season and absolve him from having to do everything in middle of the park. I bring on Wirtz and Isak with about 30 left to play with Mac Allister a bit late and maybe bring on Frimpong and Kerkez depending on fitness levels. Konate needs a break and maybe starting from the bench will help clear his head bc he is making a lot of mental errors in giving the ball away cheaply.

Arne Slot has been a superb manager for Liverpool FC thus far and has proven to be an astute tactician. This is how I would try to resolve our current predicament but I trust Slot to figure it out too.

This is going to be a long international break...

Awesome post and very well put. The Jota stuff is spot on and will linger longer than any of us probably would think. Same regarding doing all of that movement in one window. Feels like it was a step too far.

Regarding the old guard I think Slot tried to do a bit of this in the last game as well, except he had Kerkez at LB and Mac Allister in midfield. I agree that I would sit Konate and Mac Allister right now. They both feel so far off it I wouldn't touch them until further notice. Mac Allister feels like a victim of not really fitting into what Slot wants from his midfield at the moment. He's not a CDM, he's not a CAM, he's a pure CM that excels in the opponents half because he's not physically gifted at all. Problem is we don't need him to be that. We need another CDM type who can run/be athletic and distribute the ball quickly.

In all honesty I don't think we have any midfielder outside of Wirtz that truly fits what Slot wants to do in an out and out 4-2-3-1. Gravenberch is really an 8 but he's so physically gifted he can do it all. Curtis is also an 8 who excels are keeping the ball at his feet. Wirtz is an out an out 10 that we just don't know how to use at the moment, but at least he fits into a role and position.

I agree with you I would go back to a traditional 4-3-3, have Szbo running a muck in midfield and helping press, Curtis behind him to maintain possession and Gravenberch as real No. 6, not this hybrid No. 6 who can get into the box stuff. If Slot wants to play a 4-2-3-1 then we MUST go out and get a serious No. 6 who has no issues sitting in front of the CBs and distributing the ball. That is one area I think we still desperately need, especially as Gravvy morphs into a box to box CM.

Last thing I'll add is this; we need more pace in this team. Ekitke brings it, which is why I would start him over Isak at the moment, but we have to have more long ball outs that become dangerous. A front 3 of Gakpo, Isak and Mo isn't quick enough to offer that, so teams feel absolutely no threat and press the hell out of the CBs and fullbacks. They need someone else who can go get a ball and be a threat to keep teams off of our back line and Gravvy.

hoosierAG said:

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ChipFTAC01 said:

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hoosierAG said:

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We may not be a top 10 team

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Step way back from the ledge my friend.

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Yeah, that was clearly a combo of hyperbole and frustration all at once. Please accept my apologies for yesterday's half hazard rants!

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Haphazard.