The Next Three
The journey towards dominance.
It’s been a feisty week on Merseyside. Those who listened to my latest Mini will know what I’m talking about, with tons of supporters at odds with one another regarding Liverpool’s current form.
The Reds have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, which has proved to be enough for some people to call for Arne Slot’s dismissal just six months after the Dutchman delivered the Premier League title to Anfield.
It’s like the wild west out here. I wore a hard hat to go to the supermarket last night. And I’m pleased to report my house hasn’t yet been set on fire. So there’s that.
But this week, many supporters seem to have sleepwalked into the idea that Slot has three games to save his job. A completely random cluster of fixtures. Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
There’s an international break after those games — so maybe that explains it — but I’m strongly against this line of thinking. It all feels very Premier League 20 years ago. Very talkSPORT. Very Alan Pardew.
Football is ingrained into our culture in England. But coverage surrounding managers — especially during turbulent times — has always been really poor as far as I’m concerned.
There’s an unhealthy obsession with results. Some high-profile pundits genuinely don’t understand anything beyond the scoreline after the final whistle, despite playing the sport themselves for decades. It’s crazy to me.
Results can just happen, and anyone with any degree of appreciation for the complexity of football should know that. People talk like the sport is black and white. It isn’t. Not even close. It’s grey. More than 50 shades.
