We had the midfielders and they had the forwards. Felt that’s pretty much how the game played out. We had midfielders everywhere. Even Gakpo played in midfield once a upon a time. Give this man some pacy wingers and a fully fit Isak and let him cook.
This was a mirror image of our problems in the 20-21 season. Back then, our attack looked toothless because all our defenders were out, and everyone wondered why. Now our defense looked haphazard because we had no forwards. The reality is, attacking and defending our two sides of the same coin.
Agree completely on the take here as having trained the past week to have Isak that was trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear - other than maybe have Gakpo through the middle from the start to occupy McGuire and Heaven not sure there is much else he could have done with teenage forwards and a burnt-out Chiesa as the only other options. Love Rio but his naivety showed for goal three as literally the first time Shaw hit the the byline was when he didn’t track that run.
You also didn’t mention Woodman Josh - he’s done brilliantly but yesterday you have to wonder if the extra quality/reactions/reach (he’s 6’2 versus Mama at 6’6 and Ali at 6’4) might not have made a difference on goals 1 & 3 in particular as well as being a bit calmer/stronger for the flap away before goal 2.
Sometimes the chef buys the wrong ingredients, sometimes he just doesn't buy them at all.
Sometimes the chef uses ingredients that have passed their Best Before date. Sometimes the chef doesn't know the recipe or how to cook the dish. Sometimes the chef is frightened to use ingredients that may not be quite ripe.
All well and good but sometimes the chef just hasn't got a bloody clue.
The inherent issue is here is that a loud set of voices have skipped all the other sometimes and settled on, ‘it’s the chef’. Even though the same chef has a history of preparing really tasty food.
But the one time that the pre-dinner service prep gets disrupted, some of the ingredients go bad, other ingredients haven’t been bought, other ingredients then fall to the back of the fridge and will take time to pull out, the dinner service gets overbooked and then meals aren’t consistently tasty or served fast enough? The chef ought to get a knife in the neck.
Totally agree that a win would be a tall order given the absence of our top 3 forwards. However, the lack of effort shown by several players in conceding was appalling.
Macca & Robbo take most of the blame for the 2nd although Wirtz standing and walking instead of counter-pressing following the interception by Mainoo was especially galling. Guardiola would have shot him. I know he's only 17yo but Rio needs to be more switched on & run hard for 15-20 min. He could have challenged Shaw for the cross that preceded the third.
Hard disagree on your second point. Liverpool definitely tried to counterpress at Old Trafford. United just escaped on a few occasions. High pressing is more of a question and has been throughout the season. But to counterpress after losing possession was a clear instruction against Man Utd.
You’re right Josh, my comment was vague. There are moments we do counter press, and we did yesterday. I just don’t think it’s a “this is second nature, we always do it, regardless of opposition.” I think it’s more situational, game-state specific, and opposition player specific.
Agree. Injuries and (great) loss of form of significant players, (Macca still looks out of his depth) is the constant theme of the season (the crippled preseason must have something to do with it).
Reminds me a car with miss firing cylinders..
Of course, there is also the ever present hostility of the "referee/VAR " system... Almost every big decision (goals, red cards) which needs interpretation, goes against us...
I also see an issue with our players being outnumbered in most situations when we aren’t camping in their half. On the opposition goal kick we had 4 against their 5 outfielders plus their keeper. Against fast breaks, we were not able to make our plus one at the back count. Our additional player is often easily bypassed.
It’s strange how teams that are struggling for whatever reason seem to be the most affected by injuries. In our case I remember this happening with Souness, Hodgson, Rodgers, and now Slot. Maybe it’s the injuries that lead to poor results or maybe there’s something else at play. Any thoughts Josh?
The best evidence I’ve ever seen of this was a chart posted by Beasley once. Might be on his socials somewhere but results tend to perfectly correlate with injuries.
So 2-3 are manageable, but once it hit 5-6 it becomes a spiral, as the remaining fit players are overplayed and then inevitably pick up injuries, often as injured players are just returning.
Maybe but i remember pretty well that the 20-21 season, was almost totally ruined by an unusual amount of injuries involving defence and midfield. It required a great finish to secure the Champions League post.
Agree on the point about the team having an easier ride if the frontline wasn't so dysfunctional.
I just have such an issue with the approach to these games without the ball, the +1 in the backline didn't give us any advantage, left a chasm in the midfield and let Bruno receive, carry and pick any pass he liked in that 1st half. Nor do I actually think Grav actually suits the role to be a +1 back there in the first place, doesn't close angles to delay the transition and not enough bite in the tackle to stop anybody.
What's been said about Mac Allister doesn't need to be repeated anymore, he seems as old as that trim suggests. But I'd say I'm most disappointed in Frimpong and Wirtz, I'm close to accepting that Frimpong was a purely data driven signing and the suits haven't watched him at all. I understand that he was out of position as a winger today but it was one of the reasons cited behind the signing. Unlike the Arsenal game where it seemed like he could stretch their line and get in behind, he didn't show that willingness to do so. I'm gobsmacked by his technique, and the pace that was said to inject into our team doesn't seem as inevitable as was first advertised because he can't find more than one way to separate from his marker. Wirtz definitely had a bad wrap today having to play all over the shop but even in central positions within the block he never really threatened, and always seems to play at the exact same tempo. I understand that for him the game would have been far easier if we had at least one attacker stretching Utd's backline, and almost all teams possess a threat like that, so it's not easy, but we paid a lot for this player and I'd like to see flashes in spite of the clearly suboptimal situation he's landed in sometimes.
Once again, our next season rests on the transfer window, and I'd be hesitant to say that even a perfect storm of players would get the manager repairing the issues at hand, I don't think his OOP approach matched with both our attack and midfield can work without huge tweaks. In 24/25 he was massively helped by Szobo's recovery running in the front 2, paired with a Diaz/Jota who can both press to a top level whilst forcing high turnovers. Knowing that 2-3 of the 4 in the frontline won't recover to that degree I have serious doubts about a turn around in 26/27.
Appreciate the writing and the pods as always. Enjoy your bank holiday Josh.
Analyse honnête comme d’habitude Josh. On peut reprocher ce que l’on veut à Slot mais il a prouvé qu’ils savait coacher une victoire 70% du temps quand il avait le bon effectif la saison dernière même si tout n’était pas parfait. 4 titulaires au bon profil au mercato et je me dis qu’il peut aller chercher 25 victoires et 84 points de nouveau.
“Big difference between being tactically outclassed and being tactically handcuffed” - Super powerful finishing statement, and something I will absolutely quote endlessly from now on!
I want to know are the club ruthless enough to sell frimpong after 1 year?! Just accept their mistakes/ losses and try to make as quick a correction as possible. I cannot understand for the life of me why they have put him in this squad.
Yeah great line from Josh. On Frimpong I get the frustration but I don’t think selling him would be wise, though I’m for buying a RB this summer.
Frimpong is homegrown, a good age and he was acquired for a moderate fee, so there is potential for a profit down the line. He has pace and a good cross and when he is confident he has a good shot as well. He flourishes in counterattacking play and we have seen that he can create against low blocks. There are plenty of defenders that don’t want to play against him in the PL and especially in Europe.
In terms of performances this was his worst season in 5 years alongside his most injuries in a season. He is still a strong asset as a bench option to inject threat. He also seems to be a positive character around the squad and he is well connected with Wirtz.
This is my worry and biggest fear this summer though, will the club actually sign a RB.
What if they say ok Bradley is coming back, frimpong “should” improve, and maybe we can squeeze one more year out of Gomez. And perhaps even jacquet could do a stint. Plus Curtis?
If they are thinking that way , then we are going nowhere fast.
But we need some ruthlessness in the market this summer because there are glaring issues in the squad
" A missing ingredient, if you want. It was like watching a car with three wheels. Instead of going forward, the visitors just ended up driving round in circles."
Mixed metaphors here, Josh. Are we using cakes or cars?
Also, three wheeled cars exist, and can drive forwards just fine (cornering at speed was a problem!).
But I agree: the game was ruined by us missing 8 players and the entirety of our striking department. That we made it competitive at all was largely down to United being almost as chaotic as we are this season (with none of the mitigating factors).
Rio and MacAllister combining to give Utd a winner was a depressing yet entirely predictable outcome. Rio's positional sense off-the-ball leaves a lot to be desired and MacAllister has been erratic all season.
Five symptoms from the United v Liverpool game. And they’ve been there all year, because of sub-standard squad building.
1. Liverpool’s possession is sterile because there are no runners to break the opposition’s shape, either out wide or through the inside channels. That allows a block to set and lay traps.
2. The frontline does not have the profiles to force repeated high turnovers if the ball is lost high. Liverpool still rank highly for goals from high turnovers, but that’s partly because fewer teams are pressing high consistently. More low and mid-block, more M2M in midfield.
3. Leading on from this, the frontline also lacks players out wide who consistently make recovery runs to support the team.
4. The midfield pivot lacks a true tempo controller who can dictate pace, retain possession cleanly, and break lines from deep on offensive transition.
5. The team likely planned all week to have Isak as a central reference point, with Gakpo and Frimpong wide. Sub-optimal width, but with central threat. That plan went out the window once Isak got injured.
United exploited all of it. They were happy to let Liverpool have the ball, sit in shape, and wait. The moment Liverpool tried to force something, it broke down. Then it’s one or two passes and United are running into space with pace out wide. That sequence led to the second goal. Macca loses it, United go high and wide. From there it unravels. PSG did the same at Anfield. Better players, same idea. Two goals from that pattern. It’s a loop. Circulate, force it, lose it, transition, repeat. No real outlets.
The lack of runners is the starting point. Without them, possession becomes a poisoned chalice. Liverpool can have all the ball, but if no one is stretching the pitch or threatening in behind, everything happens in front of the opposition. The team isn’t moving defences, it’s just passing around them.
Then the knock-on. The midfield starts overplaying. Longer sequences, slower tempo, waiting for something that isn’t there. Eventually a pass gets forced because the game demands progression. Then it breaks.
At the same time, the pivot doesn’t help. Without someone who can set tempo and pick the right moments to progress, those sequences drag. That increases the chance of a turnover when the ball is lost.
After going 2-0 down, Liverpool slowed it. There was a spell early in the second half where Liverpool scored twice in transition. That wasn’t structural improvement, it was game state. United took more risk, didn’t have a focal point in Sesko to hold it long, and Liverpool tweaked the front line. Wirtz moved left, Gakpo central. That trade-off sacrificed some ball security for presence in the box.
But once it went 2-2, United dropped into a low block and the same problems returned. United also reduced focus on Liverpool’s left once Kerkez replaced Robbo. The third goal still comes from the same root issues. No winger pressing their left back, and Macca failing to clear lines under pressure.
The reality is this should have been a free hit. United were poor. Their entire threat came from one pattern, running wide on transition. Liverpool still couldn’t control it because the team lacks its own threat to impose itself against low blocks.
Even with an average tempo controller, Liverpool can still progress if the wingers run, carry, and threaten depth. The team can go around the press or bypass it. Perfection isn’t required when the threat creates space.
But with a good controller and no runners, everything depends on perfect movement and precision passing. That’s harder to sustain over 90 minutes, especially against a compact side.
So yes, the pivot isn’t ideal. But the problem shows up at the flanks first and then cascades. Fix the runners, and the midfield looks better. Fix the width and depth, and the possession has purpose again.
Right now, neither is there consistently. That’s the issue. Squad building.
I had a huge writeup planned, but here is my short simple version - Slot has fallen into the same mistakes Rodgers did in 2015. Chop and change repeatedly trying to find the right combination with the right tactics. Play scared football and never establish an identity to fall back on. By not having any identity to fall back on or set patterns of play or established plans the team has no confidence in knowing what it is doing week to week. Slot does not know who he is, and the team does not know who it is. I keep hearing "give him this or give him that". Well, sure give Brendan Rodgers the best player on the planet in 2014 (Suarez was better than Messi that year he just didn't get a chance to show it as much as we weren't in Europe) and even he looked like a good manager. Give Arne Slot Mo Salah playing the best attacking football the Premier League has seen since 2013/14 Suarez and he'll look great. Without that we look lost. The fact that we have consistently looked SO BAD has made it clear the guy calling the shots is the problem and the team has lost all faith in him. But sure, if we bought two of the best wingers in the world, and the best 6 in the world, and the best right back in the world (what's a half a billion), then we will probably look better, but I do not see another Salah 24/25 coming or a Suarez 13/14 coming. And without that lightening in a bottle type offensive output freak, right now Arne is not much better than Rodgers a mid-table capable manager that cannot impose his style of football on his team.
We had the midfielders and they had the forwards. Felt that’s pretty much how the game played out. We had midfielders everywhere. Even Gakpo played in midfield once a upon a time. Give this man some pacy wingers and a fully fit Isak and let him cook.
🔥
This was a mirror image of our problems in the 20-21 season. Back then, our attack looked toothless because all our defenders were out, and everyone wondered why. Now our defense looked haphazard because we had no forwards. The reality is, attacking and defending our two sides of the same coin.
Agree completely on the take here as having trained the past week to have Isak that was trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear - other than maybe have Gakpo through the middle from the start to occupy McGuire and Heaven not sure there is much else he could have done with teenage forwards and a burnt-out Chiesa as the only other options. Love Rio but his naivety showed for goal three as literally the first time Shaw hit the the byline was when he didn’t track that run.
You also didn’t mention Woodman Josh - he’s done brilliantly but yesterday you have to wonder if the extra quality/reactions/reach (he’s 6’2 versus Mama at 6’6 and Ali at 6’4) might not have made a difference on goals 1 & 3 in particular as well as being a bit calmer/stronger for the flap away before goal 2.
Lots of missing ingredients as you say.
Sometimes the chef buys the wrong ingredients, sometimes he just doesn't buy them at all.
Sometimes the chef uses ingredients that have passed their Best Before date. Sometimes the chef doesn't know the recipe or how to cook the dish. Sometimes the chef is frightened to use ingredients that may not be quite ripe.
All well and good but sometimes the chef just hasn't got a bloody clue.
Enjoyed this.
The inherent issue is here is that a loud set of voices have skipped all the other sometimes and settled on, ‘it’s the chef’. Even though the same chef has a history of preparing really tasty food.
But the one time that the pre-dinner service prep gets disrupted, some of the ingredients go bad, other ingredients haven’t been bought, other ingredients then fall to the back of the fridge and will take time to pull out, the dinner service gets overbooked and then meals aren’t consistently tasty or served fast enough? The chef ought to get a knife in the neck.
Hint: it isn’t the chef.
If you went to your favourite restaurant and got food poisoning 18 times since August would you be keen to go back for a meal next week?
It’s not poisoning though. It’s slow service. :)
Totally agree that a win would be a tall order given the absence of our top 3 forwards. However, the lack of effort shown by several players in conceding was appalling.
Macca & Robbo take most of the blame for the 2nd although Wirtz standing and walking instead of counter-pressing following the interception by Mainoo was especially galling. Guardiola would have shot him. I know he's only 17yo but Rio needs to be more switched on & run hard for 15-20 min. He could have challenged Shaw for the cross that preceded the third.
Fwiw, I don’t think our players are fit OR instructed to win the ball back immediately after losing it.
One might say the lack of instruction is downstream of the lack of fitness. Cause, effect, and all that.
Hard disagree on your second point. Liverpool definitely tried to counterpress at Old Trafford. United just escaped on a few occasions. High pressing is more of a question and has been throughout the season. But to counterpress after losing possession was a clear instruction against Man Utd.
You’re right Josh, my comment was vague. There are moments we do counter press, and we did yesterday. I just don’t think it’s a “this is second nature, we always do it, regardless of opposition.” I think it’s more situational, game-state specific, and opposition player specific.
After the Everton match, I heard a lot of people say they'd take a United loss if we'd win at the Dick... I'll just go with that. YNWA
Getting 3/6 points away to Everton & United is always good.
Our 97 point team got 2 points from those fixtures. Our 99 point title winning team got 2 points from those fixtures.
Agree. Injuries and (great) loss of form of significant players, (Macca still looks out of his depth) is the constant theme of the season (the crippled preseason must have something to do with it).
Reminds me a car with miss firing cylinders..
Of course, there is also the ever present hostility of the "referee/VAR " system... Almost every big decision (goals, red cards) which needs interpretation, goes against us...
Totally agree with your analysis.
I also see an issue with our players being outnumbered in most situations when we aren’t camping in their half. On the opposition goal kick we had 4 against their 5 outfielders plus their keeper. Against fast breaks, we were not able to make our plus one at the back count. Our additional player is often easily bypassed.
It’s strange how teams that are struggling for whatever reason seem to be the most affected by injuries. In our case I remember this happening with Souness, Hodgson, Rodgers, and now Slot. Maybe it’s the injuries that lead to poor results or maybe there’s something else at play. Any thoughts Josh?
The best evidence I’ve ever seen of this was a chart posted by Beasley once. Might be on his socials somewhere but results tend to perfectly correlate with injuries.
I think it is when injuries hit a certain number.
So 2-3 are manageable, but once it hit 5-6 it becomes a spiral, as the remaining fit players are overplayed and then inevitably pick up injuries, often as injured players are just returning.
Maybe but i remember pretty well that the 20-21 season, was almost totally ruined by an unusual amount of injuries involving defence and midfield. It required a great finish to secure the Champions League post.
Agree on the point about the team having an easier ride if the frontline wasn't so dysfunctional.
I just have such an issue with the approach to these games without the ball, the +1 in the backline didn't give us any advantage, left a chasm in the midfield and let Bruno receive, carry and pick any pass he liked in that 1st half. Nor do I actually think Grav actually suits the role to be a +1 back there in the first place, doesn't close angles to delay the transition and not enough bite in the tackle to stop anybody.
What's been said about Mac Allister doesn't need to be repeated anymore, he seems as old as that trim suggests. But I'd say I'm most disappointed in Frimpong and Wirtz, I'm close to accepting that Frimpong was a purely data driven signing and the suits haven't watched him at all. I understand that he was out of position as a winger today but it was one of the reasons cited behind the signing. Unlike the Arsenal game where it seemed like he could stretch their line and get in behind, he didn't show that willingness to do so. I'm gobsmacked by his technique, and the pace that was said to inject into our team doesn't seem as inevitable as was first advertised because he can't find more than one way to separate from his marker. Wirtz definitely had a bad wrap today having to play all over the shop but even in central positions within the block he never really threatened, and always seems to play at the exact same tempo. I understand that for him the game would have been far easier if we had at least one attacker stretching Utd's backline, and almost all teams possess a threat like that, so it's not easy, but we paid a lot for this player and I'd like to see flashes in spite of the clearly suboptimal situation he's landed in sometimes.
Once again, our next season rests on the transfer window, and I'd be hesitant to say that even a perfect storm of players would get the manager repairing the issues at hand, I don't think his OOP approach matched with both our attack and midfield can work without huge tweaks. In 24/25 he was massively helped by Szobo's recovery running in the front 2, paired with a Diaz/Jota who can both press to a top level whilst forcing high turnovers. Knowing that 2-3 of the 4 in the frontline won't recover to that degree I have serious doubts about a turn around in 26/27.
Appreciate the writing and the pods as always. Enjoy your bank holiday Josh.
Analyse honnête comme d’habitude Josh. On peut reprocher ce que l’on veut à Slot mais il a prouvé qu’ils savait coacher une victoire 70% du temps quand il avait le bon effectif la saison dernière même si tout n’était pas parfait. 4 titulaires au bon profil au mercato et je me dis qu’il peut aller chercher 25 victoires et 84 points de nouveau.
“Big difference between being tactically outclassed and being tactically handcuffed” - Super powerful finishing statement, and something I will absolutely quote endlessly from now on!
I want to know are the club ruthless enough to sell frimpong after 1 year?! Just accept their mistakes/ losses and try to make as quick a correction as possible. I cannot understand for the life of me why they have put him in this squad.
Yeah great line from Josh. On Frimpong I get the frustration but I don’t think selling him would be wise, though I’m for buying a RB this summer.
Frimpong is homegrown, a good age and he was acquired for a moderate fee, so there is potential for a profit down the line. He has pace and a good cross and when he is confident he has a good shot as well. He flourishes in counterattacking play and we have seen that he can create against low blocks. There are plenty of defenders that don’t want to play against him in the PL and especially in Europe.
In terms of performances this was his worst season in 5 years alongside his most injuries in a season. He is still a strong asset as a bench option to inject threat. He also seems to be a positive character around the squad and he is well connected with Wirtz.
This is my worry and biggest fear this summer though, will the club actually sign a RB.
What if they say ok Bradley is coming back, frimpong “should” improve, and maybe we can squeeze one more year out of Gomez. And perhaps even jacquet could do a stint. Plus Curtis?
If they are thinking that way , then we are going nowhere fast.
But we need some ruthlessness in the market this summer because there are glaring issues in the squad
" A missing ingredient, if you want. It was like watching a car with three wheels. Instead of going forward, the visitors just ended up driving round in circles."
Mixed metaphors here, Josh. Are we using cakes or cars?
Also, three wheeled cars exist, and can drive forwards just fine (cornering at speed was a problem!).
But I agree: the game was ruined by us missing 8 players and the entirety of our striking department. That we made it competitive at all was largely down to United being almost as chaotic as we are this season (with none of the mitigating factors).
Rio and MacAllister combining to give Utd a winner was a depressing yet entirely predictable outcome. Rio's positional sense off-the-ball leaves a lot to be desired and MacAllister has been erratic all season.
Ah well. Onto the next one.
We’re using cakes AND cars. Who said there’s a limit when it comes to metaphors?
Frimpong is a wing back. But I think even Jason McAteer could defend better than him!
Five symptoms from the United v Liverpool game. And they’ve been there all year, because of sub-standard squad building.
1. Liverpool’s possession is sterile because there are no runners to break the opposition’s shape, either out wide or through the inside channels. That allows a block to set and lay traps.
2. The frontline does not have the profiles to force repeated high turnovers if the ball is lost high. Liverpool still rank highly for goals from high turnovers, but that’s partly because fewer teams are pressing high consistently. More low and mid-block, more M2M in midfield.
3. Leading on from this, the frontline also lacks players out wide who consistently make recovery runs to support the team.
4. The midfield pivot lacks a true tempo controller who can dictate pace, retain possession cleanly, and break lines from deep on offensive transition.
5. The team likely planned all week to have Isak as a central reference point, with Gakpo and Frimpong wide. Sub-optimal width, but with central threat. That plan went out the window once Isak got injured.
United exploited all of it. They were happy to let Liverpool have the ball, sit in shape, and wait. The moment Liverpool tried to force something, it broke down. Then it’s one or two passes and United are running into space with pace out wide. That sequence led to the second goal. Macca loses it, United go high and wide. From there it unravels. PSG did the same at Anfield. Better players, same idea. Two goals from that pattern. It’s a loop. Circulate, force it, lose it, transition, repeat. No real outlets.
The lack of runners is the starting point. Without them, possession becomes a poisoned chalice. Liverpool can have all the ball, but if no one is stretching the pitch or threatening in behind, everything happens in front of the opposition. The team isn’t moving defences, it’s just passing around them.
Then the knock-on. The midfield starts overplaying. Longer sequences, slower tempo, waiting for something that isn’t there. Eventually a pass gets forced because the game demands progression. Then it breaks.
At the same time, the pivot doesn’t help. Without someone who can set tempo and pick the right moments to progress, those sequences drag. That increases the chance of a turnover when the ball is lost.
After going 2-0 down, Liverpool slowed it. There was a spell early in the second half where Liverpool scored twice in transition. That wasn’t structural improvement, it was game state. United took more risk, didn’t have a focal point in Sesko to hold it long, and Liverpool tweaked the front line. Wirtz moved left, Gakpo central. That trade-off sacrificed some ball security for presence in the box.
But once it went 2-2, United dropped into a low block and the same problems returned. United also reduced focus on Liverpool’s left once Kerkez replaced Robbo. The third goal still comes from the same root issues. No winger pressing their left back, and Macca failing to clear lines under pressure.
The reality is this should have been a free hit. United were poor. Their entire threat came from one pattern, running wide on transition. Liverpool still couldn’t control it because the team lacks its own threat to impose itself against low blocks.
Even with an average tempo controller, Liverpool can still progress if the wingers run, carry, and threaten depth. The team can go around the press or bypass it. Perfection isn’t required when the threat creates space.
But with a good controller and no runners, everything depends on perfect movement and precision passing. That’s harder to sustain over 90 minutes, especially against a compact side.
So yes, the pivot isn’t ideal. But the problem shows up at the flanks first and then cascades. Fix the runners, and the midfield looks better. Fix the width and depth, and the possession has purpose again.
Right now, neither is there consistently. That’s the issue. Squad building.
I had a huge writeup planned, but here is my short simple version - Slot has fallen into the same mistakes Rodgers did in 2015. Chop and change repeatedly trying to find the right combination with the right tactics. Play scared football and never establish an identity to fall back on. By not having any identity to fall back on or set patterns of play or established plans the team has no confidence in knowing what it is doing week to week. Slot does not know who he is, and the team does not know who it is. I keep hearing "give him this or give him that". Well, sure give Brendan Rodgers the best player on the planet in 2014 (Suarez was better than Messi that year he just didn't get a chance to show it as much as we weren't in Europe) and even he looked like a good manager. Give Arne Slot Mo Salah playing the best attacking football the Premier League has seen since 2013/14 Suarez and he'll look great. Without that we look lost. The fact that we have consistently looked SO BAD has made it clear the guy calling the shots is the problem and the team has lost all faith in him. But sure, if we bought two of the best wingers in the world, and the best 6 in the world, and the best right back in the world (what's a half a billion), then we will probably look better, but I do not see another Salah 24/25 coming or a Suarez 13/14 coming. And without that lightening in a bottle type offensive output freak, right now Arne is not much better than Rodgers a mid-table capable manager that cannot impose his style of football on his team.