...is it?
Slot-ball
- Thread starter rurikbird
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In some ways, yes. In other ways, it makes life and the workload easier.
There was Slot spilling some beans re the FSG in his pre-Brighton press conference. Did you notice? Might already be a huge no no. Could his days at Liverpool be at jeopardy?
I'm loving that he's not afraid to make changes and make them quickly before games get away from us, no matter at what time or stage of the match we're at (and I assume this is why he always seems to save one sub. out of the five). He won't always get it right but the coaching team seem to be very astute and have played an important role in getting us to where we are.
If this was fully true he’d have made a change before half time. The game was only still in our grasp because of poor finishing. Having said that there isn’t much to complain about Slot so far.
Are you also ignoring the misses / poor finishing by Gomez, Mac, Mo, the melee and VvD? I hate it when people (commentators / pundits) are selective. As if their GK didn't make a great save from Nunez even before they scored their goal.
Nunez save was good. I’m talking about the first half. Gomez came on at HT, Mac was second half as was VVD after Slot mad adjustments at HT. Point being he should have made a change prior to HT and we were very lucky not to be 2-0 down from 1-0.
That first half was a worry, how easily Brighton overwhelmed us with their energy and spirit.
Arne made all the right changes yesterday, every one of them contributed positively in some capacity to the end result.
Also like how he’s managed certain players in the squad, namely Quansah, Robbo and Diaz although he does need to take a closer look at Mac/Szobo and sort that out. Mac has looked leggy all season and Szobo isn’t functioning one iota in this set up. The fucker should be fined every time he commits a foul.
Arne made all the right changes yesterday, every one of them contributed positively in some capacity to the end result.
Also like how he’s managed certain players in the squad, namely Quansah, Robbo and Diaz although he does need to take a closer look at Mac/Szobo and sort that out. Mac has looked leggy all season and Szobo isn’t functioning one iota in this set up. The fucker should be fined every time he commits a foul.
Kinda. But I was screaming at the TV to get Diaz and Jones on and get Szob off for about ten or fifteen kinds before he did it, then we battered them. Why does it always take managers so long to change things when it's obvious what will happen next?
Having said that, he did do it, and we did win, so maybe I'm moaning about nothing. Maybe he was waiting for legs to start getting tired in the Brighton players before bringing those players on. I dunno. Just it was really pissing me off that it was so obvious what needed to happen.
This is interesting, I've been trying to decide if it's a bad thing that we are almost becoming Second Half FC recently, as it seems Slots lost the initial tactical battle / failed to get the players playing at 100% a few times lately, or is it more a good thing we seem to be able to identify and change up games so easily and so effectively?
The table doesn't lie, it's obviously the latter, but I'd love to see us dominate a few more games from start to finish just to iron out this minor kink.
Love this.
Loving his no sugar coating.
In our last 3 league games (Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton) we have faced the same problem: being outnumbered in midfield, which led to ceding possession and control to the opponent, our press being ineffective and defence overstretched. In all 3 Slot eventually was forced to move Trent inside, which evened up the numbers in midfield, while Konate/Gomez did a yeoman's job covering the space he left behind. We still managed to get 7 points from these games owing to the character of the players, last-ditch defending and some clinical finishing, but this is starting to remind me of Klopp's last season – eventually relying on heroics is not enough and it will catch up to you.
So how do we fix the underlying issue? I have to say I'm not a fan of Slot's 4-man press – they seem to do a lot of huffing and puffing, but they rarely actually force turnovers and technical teams like Brighton don't have too many problems with bypassing them in a couple of moves. Klopp's 3-man press (supported by the midfield triangle) felt like a more reliable weapon for generating offensive turnovers and yielded better ball possession numbers. It's true, however, that under Slot we have been less vulnerable to the counter, although some cracks are showing in that regard too, like the 1 on 1 chance Brighton had straight through the middle with Van Dijk uncharacteristically caught out. Gravenberch has been much quieter lately after being our shining light for the majority of the season – looks like opposing teams have caught on to what he was doing and are not giving him many opportunities to receive the ball on the half-turn with space in front of him. The midfield duo of Gravvy and Macca don't seem to be capable of winning a midfield battle against top opponents (or even teams like Brighton) on their own.
I think Slot and his coaching staff are due a rethink. I would consider moving Szobo (or another midfielder like Elliott or Jones) deeper from the #10 position to form more of a midfield triangle, given that we're getting barely any offensive production from the #10 position anyway. Starting games with Trent inverted rather than switching to that tactic after being outplayed in the 1st half could also be a consideration or if you really want to go out of the box, consider having a LB who also inverts – maybe try Gomez there or even Bradley or Trent who be naturally drawn to coming inside on their right foot. Whatever it is, we need to find a way to flood the midfield with additional bodies in the build-up phase without sacrificing our attacking threat or defensive solidity – not an easy task, but that's why Slot is paid the big bucks.
So how do we fix the underlying issue? I have to say I'm not a fan of Slot's 4-man press – they seem to do a lot of huffing and puffing, but they rarely actually force turnovers and technical teams like Brighton don't have too many problems with bypassing them in a couple of moves. Klopp's 3-man press (supported by the midfield triangle) felt like a more reliable weapon for generating offensive turnovers and yielded better ball possession numbers. It's true, however, that under Slot we have been less vulnerable to the counter, although some cracks are showing in that regard too, like the 1 on 1 chance Brighton had straight through the middle with Van Dijk uncharacteristically caught out. Gravenberch has been much quieter lately after being our shining light for the majority of the season – looks like opposing teams have caught on to what he was doing and are not giving him many opportunities to receive the ball on the half-turn with space in front of him. The midfield duo of Gravvy and Macca don't seem to be capable of winning a midfield battle against top opponents (or even teams like Brighton) on their own.
I think Slot and his coaching staff are due a rethink. I would consider moving Szobo (or another midfielder like Elliott or Jones) deeper from the #10 position to form more of a midfield triangle, given that we're getting barely any offensive production from the #10 position anyway. Starting games with Trent inverted rather than switching to that tactic after being outplayed in the 1st half could also be a consideration or if you really want to go out of the box, consider having a LB who also inverts – maybe try Gomez there or even Bradley or Trent who be naturally drawn to coming inside on their right foot. Whatever it is, we need to find a way to flood the midfield with additional bodies in the build-up phase without sacrificing our attacking threat or defensive solidity – not an easy task, but that's why Slot is paid the big bucks.
I think Slot has rode his luck a lot so far this season. His tactics have been wrong in the first half in quite a few games, and fair play, he does change things brilliantly. In that Arsenal game he seemingly flicked a switch and made Saka invisible. He completely disappeared. I do think the control Slot has brought is a good thing but I'd like to see more chances. I agree with Rurik that our press isn't exactly pulling up trees either- the turnovers we are getting seem to be more about mistakes or a piece of excellent play or anticipation by one of our players rather than something systematic. Obviously, it seems churlish to complain, but I do think Slot has been a bit lucky- of course, better to be lucky than not! If he's sacrificing virgins in his basement then who are we to complain?
Inverting the fullback is some new fangled nonsense that wasn't a thing 2 years ago. The answer isn't just to copy what vaguely worked previously.
I agree with moving szob back, but I'd partner him next to gravy, and allow Macca to lead the press in the 10 position. Szobs pace from deep and running ability could hugely improve our solidity in midfield, but also another excellent option to get the ball forward quickly in numbers.
The midfield balance is way off, and I think it's down to how szob is utilised
I agree with moving szob back, but I'd partner him next to gravy, and allow Macca to lead the press in the 10 position. Szobs pace from deep and running ability could hugely improve our solidity in midfield, but also another excellent option to get the ball forward quickly in numbers.
The midfield balance is way off, and I think it's down to how szob is utilised
I definitely agree with abandoning the #10 experiment because it's patently obvious that Szobo is ill-suited and we have no-one else (fit) that can do the job.
I think the midfield suffers from the same problem as the attack. We don't have any bad players but we lack at least one outstanding player and the balance isn't quite right. It's a problem that can be patched up but ultimately will require a solution from the transfer market.
I think the midfield suffers from the same problem as the attack. We don't have any bad players but we lack at least one outstanding player and the balance isn't quite right. It's a problem that can be patched up but ultimately will require a solution from the transfer market.
Szob is fucking shite
Jones is twice the player. Just sell the cunt and try to get the money back before the rest of Europe realises he's gone to shit.
Nah, Szob has a lot going for him, way too early to give up – but the #10 experiment is clearly not working and he's losing confidence as a result. Needs to play deeper or be benched.
Szobo isn't shit and isn't the problem, and he is key to our pressing and midfield balance. Need to up his attacking numbers and from experience at Leipzig, Salzburg and Hungary that will happen sooner rather than later. Just need to let him continue to develop and be coached by Arne.
We have created the most big chances in the league so far, so I think that part of our game is being made out to be more of a problem than it is actually. Most likely because we are taking fewer shots (7th in the league) then previously.
It seems we are creating more big chances but are more conservative in our finishing, and just don't take shots for the sake of it.
I think part of this is due to the fixtures and teams we have met. Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton are all set ups were that 4 man press would and could suffer. But its a great learning experience for Slot and his coaching staff as we need the right set up from the start and not be dependent on half time adjustments.
