There’s a joke going around now-live by the last-minute goal, die by the last-minute goal.
That sums up Liverpool Football Club’s season thus far – five consecutive wins all with a sudden death goal and losses in the last three including a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Look, we know every football club in the Premier League can upset the other on any given day. We certainly do not expect any team to go undefeated in this modern age of football. But as a long-time Reds fan, I have to call out what I feel are concerns.
Concerns I have thought of even before this string of defeats.
I wondered why in this club’s haste to move on from Jurgen Klopp’s legacy, they did a huge makeover of the club’s roster that in my mind was a mistake. I thought of the Chicago Bulls during the 1998-99 season when they replaced a winning formula with a new coach and new players. They have not won since.
Jurgen cast a huge shadow on this football club with a cultural change and a style of football that came to define them. Not everything was pretty though as there were bitter defeats. But they came out ahead as they won every possible trophy out there. The brand and the culture grew. Everyone was walking in Jurgen’s shadow.
Look, I thought that as good as Arne Slot was when he came in, he won with Klopp’s team. I do not buy the argument that
In spite of the additions in the off-season where they brought in all those players, I thought that Ryan Gravenberch finally got settled down in Merseyside. Dominic Szoboszlai did well early in his debut under Jurgen then faltered at their pace later on. Ditto with Alexis Mac Allister.
Even the so-called improved Luis Diaz eventually faltered. Furthermore, the slow down offense was also employed by Klopp later after his first Premier League title as the club was hit by a rash of injuries.
I am not going to second guess his moves why a midfielder is asked to play in the backline. Every coach does that to make up for injuries or something that isn’t there. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. On occasion, Jurgen dropped James Milner or even then captain Jordan Henderson on defense.
Here’s what I want to point out.
The problem with bringing in all these new star signings is that you have to play them straight away. However, they have not imbibed the culture or their tactical nous. The team of Klopp went through a lot of pain and disappointment before they rose to the occasion.
The new signings know nothing about that.
And Slot started them in place of tried and tested veterans such as Andy Robertson or even Joe Gomez. Wataru Endo is far from his time under Klopp.
I thought it was a mistake to let go of Luis Diaz. While Gakpo has done well, it is Diaz’ speed and 1v1 ability that helps him rule that left wing. The lack of creative forces from the middle and the left has seen Mo Salah double teamed much of the time.
Before Salah had Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Gako.
Time was when the flanks were raining crosses from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. The supply of balls into the box is gone.
I believe that Florian Wirtz is struggling because he needs the ball to be effective. As it is, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai handle the bulk of the playmaking. Now, I believe he is in Peter Crouch’s situation where he was expected to score goals but struggled mightily and it took him like 18 games before he started scoring. Now, because Wirtz really hasn’t done anything, his confidence was shot. What a waste.
And one other thing that bugs me a lot is how he threw Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong under the bus for mistakes. I do not recall Jurgen calling out players during interviews. Even when Mo Salah showed his displeasure at coming out of a match, Klopp was diplomatic. It was all about togetherness.
Two consecutive matches where Slot calls out a player-that’s a sure way to lose the locker room.
I know this is sounding like a comparison to Klopp, but really, it cannot be helped. Jurgen made a habit of playing the academy players in big games. It hardly happens now.
Yes, it is a different style, and Slot did win a Premier League title last season. So, I am merely commenting on the shoehorning the new players into the starting eleven right away and the calling out of players.
It is still early in the season, but if they do not arrest this skid right away, it will surely get away real fast and that would be really embarrassing considering the amount they spent in the off-season.