Liverpool banter 4

27 May 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - MK Scouser has posted a new article entitled, Slot, Reijnen and a Summer of Big Calls

27 May 2026 09:04:41
I'd be gobsmacked if we got Dumfries. Too old, not good defensively, relied a lot on pace/stamina, which post 30 will fail, recent ankle problems.

Right now we should be looking at promoting another right back or getting in some one like Martim Fernandes from Porto or Livramento (I have my injury concerns though).

Wharton will be a disaster signing, end of. He's not a DM, the English press are overhyping him as some sort of Alonso/Gerrard/Kroos/Prilo esque player. We need a Proper DM who can win the ball, take it off the CBs, play it or run with it, intercepts, blocks passing lanes, A BULL of a player who can play.

That just isn't Wharton and he's no different to what we have now really. I felt a few years back Kephren Thuram was an option here.

There are a few that would tempt me to do a job e.g. Douglas Luiz, Onana, Tchouameni

I like the look of the Gladbach kid Reitz, but he may be on his way to Salzburg. But it would allow Gravy further up the pitch.

I've seen bits of Diomande and he looks good, Barcola would be my choice.

I feel looking at your final team, it would be another season of praying for a Champions League spot if we get Wharton, keep Macca, keep Jones, and keep Konate.

Oh, and God forbid Slot's still here.

27 May 2026 09:26:25
PBN, I agree on Wharton to an extent. I actually do really like him and think he's a better midfielder than Mac Allister or Gravenberch. However, you are correct that he just won't compliment them. I don't know if you've watched Lamine Camara? I saw him a couple of times for Senegal at AFCON and he is exactly the type of Bull midfielder you describe. I really hope we see sense and move for him over Wharton, but that squad was my prediction, not my wish list. Wharton to Liverpool just seems inevitable.

I do disagree slightly on Dumfries. He's still a very good player and he came back from his ankle injury looking totally unaffected. At 30 he may only have a couple of years before his legs start to go, but by then I would hope Bradley is over his injury issues and ready to take back his starting berth.

If not, then Dumfries will have just been a cost effective short term solution and we can sign a younger player once we know Bradley has no future. Having said all that, I do think Kounde is the better player by far, so I'm really hoping the tentative links to him come to fruition. He's quicker and technically better as well as only 27/28 years old. Dumfries is stronger and much more effective in the air though, as well as cheaper. Coin toss. ??‍♂️

Likewise, I'd be very happy with Barcola. He's an elite talent in my opinion. Diomande has looked very good in the Bundesliga for one season, but Barcola has looked very good in the Champions League for years.

27 May 2026 09:55:33
MKS on Wharton, he plays next to a DM in Hughes or Lermer at Palace, so if we brought him in w/o the DM or Grav playing DM again, he will struggle.

Wharton is more of a Macca replacement in terms of the second stage of build up play through the midfield.

If we buy him to play deep, he will drown, cos that is not even the role he plays at Palace to begin with.

Hence, we still need a DM to play and cover and protect the defence, whether it be Grav or a true DM/protector.

27 May 2026 10:22:39
I don't think of Hughes or Lermer as DMs.
I don't see much of them, but they don't strike me as solid enough to free up Wharton enough.

27 May 2026 11:00:49
Something about Barcola doesn't fill me with confidence, MK. Just can get the thinking that Diomande would be the better option to go away. Can't see Barcola busting a gut for us, which is what we need.

Just something off about him for me despite his talent. 6 goals in 42 Champions League appearances over a period when they've been the best team in Europe doesn't overly impress me either.

27 May 2026 13:24:44
Rigsby, I have seen a lot of Palace and Lerma is a DM who plays DM (like he was at B'mouth before his move) or CB in a back 3, and Hughes is the same at DM with Wharton ahead of them. Indeed, Wharton can pass a ball, get forward, and can score the odd goal. These are the things Macca could do over the past two seasons (even tho, his main issue was athleticism and physicality).

However, with Lerma or Hughes next to Wharton, he takes up the second phase of build up whenever he receives the ball the same way Macca did with Grav in the title season and build up play from the back.



My fear is that if we sign Wharton, Slot (hopefully he's gone) will play him in the deeper role without a DM/Grav at DM next to him, cos just like Slot has done with Macca, cos he doesn't wanna play with a true DM. Wharton in the deepest/DM midfield position is not it. That's all I'm saying.

27 May 2026 14:00:44
Wharton doesn't solve anything in midfield. He's just as slow and immobile as Mac Allister and just as defensively inept. If you need an expensive defensive midfielder to make him work then maybe he's not the right player in the first place. As for Dumfries, he's another wing back, and one who has had quite a horrendous long term injury, the last 30 something wing back to come from inter Milan was Maicon and he was absolutely dog muck.

You'd be just as well setting fire to £20m than sign him. Also I refer anyone to Ed001's comments on him, as Dumfries is a weapons grade bellend.

27 May 2026 15:57:54
I know what a DM does, Oli. I just don't think of Hughes, Lermer or Lerma when I think of one.
If Wharton needed one of those behind him to allow him to do his stuff, then he can't be that bad.

27 May 2026 16:34:17
They probably just think Wharton is far better than what Macca showed this season. I would agree. There's nothing to say he won't be played with a more defensive player behind him. People say Wirtz is crying out for the line-breaking passes Wharton is capable of, don't they? Well, get the lad in if that's the plan, and see if he is up to it.

27 May 2026 03:35:22
Hey Ed, if you had to take a guess who could possibly buy the club from FSG? I understand 4-5 years ago the rumour mill had the Saudis in the mix for co ownership or something on that note.

If FSG were to sell, who do you think would or rather could, buy them out?

{Ed001's Note - I have no idea, it would need to be another consortium of some kind, maybe different investment vehicles like bought Chelsea.}

27 May 2026 00:45:10
Few stats on Barcola.
He's about to turn 24 in September.
Played 62 games for Lyon scoring 10 goals and 16 assists. Moved to PSG and the last three seasons has played 154 games, scored 39, assists 37.
Valued at £60-£65m.

27 May 2026 03:19:24
Barcola is a great player, with him his football levels are not the issue, the only concern is will he be happy in Liverpool and will he have the tenacity to prove himself away from the superstars in Paris?

Still no other updates, by the way, from the club buying properties in Cheshire from my sister-in-law.

Two properties, two French footballers is what she claims to be going on.
I'm pretty sure Jacquet is one of them. Sales staff are not involved with the deals.
She is gutted coz she works on a commission basis.

27 May 2026 04:05:25
Surely, with Ekitike and Jaquet already at the club, he has a French connection. Plus, he can play across the front line, so is guaranteed game time.

27 May 2026 05:36:04
And if he can play RB, then he'll even be a starter...

27 May 2026 07:39:18
Barcola, a great player? Give me a break. He makes Gakpo look like a prolific finisher. In fact, he is the French Gakpo. He hasn't put in a tackle in his career, can't head the ball nor pass, can't finish his sentence, never mind a chance in front of goal.

Poor work ethic, dodgy fitness levels, can't even get a game for France in friendlies, a sub for PSG most of the time, a complete waste of money. Avoid like Covid.

27 May 2026 07:48:04
I'm not an expert, so I would like the opinion of others, but I don't see anything special with Barcola. Whenever I have seen him, I just saw a decent player, but do not feel that he has the potential to be more than that.

Could someone explain what is/could be special about him?

27 May 2026 08:13:11
How often do people on here see Barcola play? Champions League matches perhaps, as I doubt that they watch Ligue 1 football. So perhaps 3-4 times a season? I wouldn't judge anyone on that level of exposure. It is not possible to do so. For clarity, that's all I see of him, and anytime I have, he hasn't been a regular starter but has been good on the pitch once playing.

That said, I also think Gordon is a good player too, whilst a lot of people on here do not. It's all about opinions in reality. The people in charge of putting the squad together should know best what suits us. As long as we don't end up with another Frimpongadingdong we'll be ok.

27 May 2026 08:41:24
Barcola is a decent player, and between him and Diomande, you could say he's very much closer to being the finished article. It's true that every time I watch him he seems to fluff easy chances, but looking closer at the stats he is a bigger goal threat and a more polished provider than Diomande is.

What Diomande offers though, is a massive upside given his age and trajectory. Also he's one of the hardest working, hardest pressing wingers in Europe already, his involvement off the ball in the opposing third is actually insane. That's exactly what we need if we are going to press from the front again.

At this point I'm much less concerned about goal output from a winger, Isak is there for that, and more concerned about how they can help us get up the pitch quickly or pin the full backs when we don't have the ball.

When we had Mo and Sadio, teams had to change the way they played against us entirely because they were terrified of the two of them running into acres of space with one ball over the top. Our wingers also have to do a lot of super aggressive pressing with Isak leading the line, because he can't engage in that too much over the course of 90 minutes.

The problem now is that we need at the very very least 2 wingers who ideally can play either side, and maybe 1 cheaper option who can be a squad rotation option and can play through the middle if need be as well. The clear option for the cheaper option would obviously be somebody like Bowen. I surmise the other 2 would perhaps be Diomande and maybe somebody like Summerville, though there are questions about his work ethic off the ball too.

27 May 2026 08:46:17
Barcola is defo an Arsenal type player, we'd be carrying him, and there's enough players at Anfield at this moment who are being carried. Looking for a Salah replacement will cost us a fortune.

I'd like to see us go after Bowen, and there's a couple at Wolves who wouldn't look out of place in red. Then I'd look at strengthening at defensive midfield so we can play with wing backs.

27 May 2026 08:57:41
Kingkev10, you beat me to it. Barcola is nowhere near being a great player. Now Khavatschelia? Now that's a great player who is levels above Barcola, it is not even worth discussing. Barcola ain't the level we need to get over the huge hump we created for ourselves via the absolute disaster class produced last season, imo.



Now the talent is there but his end product is very suspect and, frankly, like @PB, I would take Diomande over him cos he is just as talented and has a lot of room to grow and continue his upward trajectory since his move to Alaves from his academy in Miami, Florida.

27 May 2026 09:27:02
Gordon and Bowen for me. Both know the league, no settling period, both will press quality. Just my thoughts.

27 May 2026 09:35:05
Diomande will go to PSG and we'll fund their purchase by buying Barcola from them, top business. ?

27 May 2026 09:58:03
@steviep62, just "knowing the league" or being "PL proven" is not the flex many think it is sometimes. Not anymore, in my view.

I just don't think that should matter when recruiting players cos we all know how BR failed using that mantra to sign players back in the day, per Ian Graham's interviews.

27 May 2026 11:04:25
Diomande over Barcola for me. In fact Gordon over Barcola for me. Don't forget we're going to also have Wirtz and Isak/Ekitike in our front four.

27 May 2026 13:32:59
Flo, if your boy is kept, Wirtz will be playing right back.

27 May 2026 14:16:10
Gordon & Bowen, the most Brendan Rodgers signings ever.

27 May 2026 16:37:14
Good man, Oli. Knew someone wouldn't be able to go a whole thread without auld Arne.

27 May 2026 00:31:24
Looking into Dumfries and where this narrative of he's injury prone comes from I don't know. He's just turned 30, has a winning mentality and experience due to winning 2 x Serie A, 3 x domestic cups and 3 Italian Super Cups. He's also 6ft 2.


21/22- 45 games 5 goals 7 assists
22/23- 51 games 2 goals 7 assists
23/24- 36 games 4 goals 6 assists
24/25- 47 games 11 goals 6 assists
25/26- 28 games 5 goals 2 assists

I'd be bringing him in if the price is good at £20m or less.

27 May 2026 03:20:45
Ed001 thinks he is a prickly thorn!!!of the highest order?

27 May 2026 06:44:50
He has suffered ankle and thigh injuries in recent campaigns. It would appear the injuries are beginning to come as he gets older. Risk not worth taking in my opinion.

27 May 2026 08:00:05
Davey, he was out this year, but then has played 28 games since. The club's medical team, if they suspect it could get worse, would tell Hughes, who would pull the plug.

27 May 2026 08:23:30
Because he's been missing more and more games increasingly over the last few years, he literally just missed half the season and had to have surgery too.

27 May 2026 08:38:36
Chewy, he's hardly missed a game in his time at Inter. Alissons missed 40 games in the last two seasons. Frinpong's been injured more, and he's 5 years younger.

27 May 2026 09:06:26
To be fair to Frimpong, he was basically never injured at Leverkusen. The considerably higher intensity of the Prem is a baptism of fire for a player, if they have any known fitness issues already, it feels like a bit of a red flag.

27 May 2026 09:29:34
Hardly missed a game, yet he literally just missed half a season due to surgery he had for a long-term ankle issue. He's missed 175 days in total for Inter. His record was solid for a long time, and I agree, missing 4-6 weeks in a season is not much, but it's the increase in injuries over the last few years that's concerning.

He's 30 years old at the end of the day. I think we can do better.

26 May 2026 22:59:10
I've only just realised VictorGoddamn and ViktorVaughan, I've been going mad for weeks convinced I'd seen "Viktor" was constantly flip-flopping between Slot is going and adamant he was not, but now it all makes sense.

I prefer VictorGoddamn because he tells me things I want to hear.

That is all.

26 May 2026 23:35:39
IronDan, I wanted Slot gone after Forest. But I can see we're going to stubbornly make fgs same mistake we did with Rodgers.

27 May 2026 00:33:38
I desperately want Slot gone but I'm at the point I'll settle for Ruben Peters and Giovanni van Bronchorst getting sacked.

Ruben Peters should definitely go. Useless.

27 May 2026 03:11:44
Davey, don't sell us all short. I want the full monty of heads rolling.

27 May 2026 06:35:06
I'd be happier with a Ruben sandwich.

27 May 2026 07:13:55
VV is my favourite poster, especially when he eviscerates terrible players and happy-clappy posters chanting YNWA.

27 May 2026 08:36:09
Would that be the same VV that wrote off Gravenberch and Salah endlessly after Klopp's final season?
We then won the Premiership the season after, and Salah broke all sorts of records with Gravenberch also having a stellar season.
You mean that VV?
A figure of fun and that's it.

27 May 2026 08:39:57
VG is the poster who gives potential inside info, VV is the poster who doesn't rate any player under 6"5'!

27 May 2026 09:03:32
The figure of fun is you, perhaps. Like Kenneth Williams commenting on XG.

27 May 2026 09:05:01
Stuie, that's pretty funny, I must say.

27 May 2026 09:04:19
I find that VV's posts tend to be more packed with insults (of the most hyperbolic or dehumanising kind) and epithets than actual analysis. I'm pretty sure he called Gravenberch Bayern's sloppy seconds when we were linked to him, Flash. Since the Internet and social media trade in outpourings of emotion and capitalize on instantaneous outbursts of rage, it's understandable why VV would be an exemplary reflection of that.

Bizarrely, from what we can deduce from his posts, he is an older gentleman and not a Gen Z ragebait monger.

27 May 2026 09:42:53
Turning on each other now, classy.
PB, I remember you were taking a break from the site because people were making it personal and giving you abuse. You seem to have gotten over it and now you're getting stuck in to other posters, as I said, Classy.

27 May 2026 10:00:32
I'm hardly abusing him? I haven't insulted him. I simply spoke of my general feelings on his posts, and I've said it plenty of times to him on here as well, especially when he likens players to vermin and inanimate objects, so it's not the first time I've made our differences known.

He can take it, too, and we respect each other regardless, as long time users of the site, I presume.

26 May 2026 22:12:26
Pep Lijnders leaving City. There's our next Head Coach, with Kolo Toure as asst.

26 May 2026 22:33:28
Let's have Arne Slot, Pep Lijnders & Brendan Rodgers triple tag team managers.

We could have 3 inverted boring envelopes.

26 May 2026 22:46:25
With 3 letters signed from "Intensity".

26 May 2026 23:00:19
This time, surely he'll have enough experience to make a success of being a manager.

27 May 2026 01:59:29
Pep Lijnders head coach...... No thank you!

27 May 2026 08:59:24
LFC08, and why is Kolo Toure being left out of the party?

26 May 2026 22:11:04
I must say that Kennet Eikhorn kid looks unreal. Even if we have to wait, I hope we get him.

Loans might do him good too to develop.

27 May 2026 00:07:13
For a £10m buyout, it must be done, then loan him to, say, Leipzig, for two years to sweeten the Diomande deal. Every big club wants him, including the big German clubs.

27 May 2026 05:30:26
Can UK teams formally sign a player under 18 from abroad? I thought, after Brexit, the EU freedom of movement no longer applies and thus they cannot sign until 18. So no buy now and loan him for a couple of years.

26 May 2026 21:07:21
I was lucky enough to get a Kop ticket for Sunday!

No one I spoke to over the weekend believes Arne can turn this around!

I genuinely thought when Curtis Jones tapped the ball in that it would be disallowed! Curtis looked really pissed off and the team barely celebrated!

If the Coach is not changing then a total mentality reset is required! It is ok to enjoy football!

The fact that Slot sat in his seat and let the players take the appreciation on the pitch was sad because whatever we think of him he is a Premier League winning Coach who handled the Jota tragedy with articulate class! YNWA.

26 May 2026 21:37:55
For things to improve, there has to be a complete change in mentality, training intensity and player conditioning. Players and tactical systems (within reason) are secondary concerns.

I don't think that's going to happen under Slot. But if he does stay, I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

26 May 2026 22:55:39
Problem is, coaches like Slot are too attached to their so called "principles" and not pragmatic enough to change.

He genuinely thinks the way we played was fine this season and it was everyone and everything else that was wrong. That's pure Rodgers, written large.

27 May 2026 00:05:17
Totally agree, Viktor. The man is too arrogant to change things around.

If he stays, he'll get few signings, and continue to use the same tactics, the same late substitutions, out-of-form favourite players, slow football not suited to the PL, players out of positions instead of his bench when injuries come, etc.

He's stuck in his way, which he thinks is the 'right way', but we all can see is not a fit for the PL. He'll still fail to motivate players.

They won't run through brick walls for him. He'll fail to inspire fans. The culture will turn even more toxic and he'll get sacked after 20 games, and another season will be wasted as we struggle to get a good coach halfway through the season.

I've come to believe FSG have very low football IQ, because no owner with some football knowledge should be tolerating what's happening for this long. It's baffling.

27 May 2026 01:18:40
Absolutely spot on, Vik. He genuinely thinks we've just been unlucky. He's in a different world. Just look at how he sat there in his seat the whole time, completely alone, not even with the other coaches; literally everyone else was up and about getting involved, but he was just sitting there on his tod, in Lalaland, like that bloke who can never get past the trial phase of a job because he has no idea how to even make himself look busy.

27 May 2026 05:40:25
Correct, HNID.

A reset is required... and that's why Slot is getting rid of so many players.

It's all their fault for not wanting to follow his lead with his laid back approach to football.

27 May 2026 06:22:06
Every Liverpool manager with any success over the last 60 years is lauded by us fans.
We show them respect, talk about them respectfully and appreciate the success they've brought us.

Some have reduced Slot's title-winning, 2-year stint, to pathetic personal insults. Some are lying and making up stories to fit your narrative.

I for one, would be willing to give Slot another chance. He's a proven winner, for goodness' sake.



Maybe this season was the perfect storm for players' form dropping off a cliff and/or players not adapting to Slot's system and/or the loss of Jota and/or the injuries and/or the imbalance within our squad.

Everyone is entitled to opinions, but at least respect the man who brought us our 20th title and stop making s*** up to support your narrative.

That is all.

27 May 2026 07:18:59
Facts - 45 points from the last 33 games. 60 points in a season. 19 or 20 defeats this season. One point away from the top eight teams.

27 May 2026 07:38:34
Proven winner? How? By winning in Holland and winning Premier League with klopps team?
Slot is a loser on many levels.
Poor coaching
Poor man management
Poor tactics
Full of excuses
The longer he stays, the worse off the club will be

27 May 2026 09:14:11
Guys like VV, Chewy and Gregarious are doing great work out here in the streets, I must say. Slot will not change because if his ego would let him, he would have changed last at any point. He didn't due to his own arrogance, ego, and stubbornness. The opportunities were there countless times and even when we won games playing a diff. style that the players thrived on (see Atleti game at Anfield), he would change back to his pathetic system and it would fail again and again till many of us checked out.

So what makes people think that just getting in new players (something we were going to do anyway) is going to solve the structural, fundamental issues with his wretched system, man-management ability etc.

If anyone thinks that just getting him new toys and he will suddenly become the Slot version of title season no. 20 in terms of system and performances then, they are off their meds because he even thinks nothing is his fault that he was just unlucky, which is a sackable offence in it of itself.

27 May 2026 09:28:44
Hey The_Vicar, wind your neck in, mate. You are acting as if we did not laud and respect Slot for winning no. 20 thru out that season and going into last season just passed. We did and many of us to this moment even despite his pathetic performance of the season just gone by, still laud and respect him for that title esp. in the way he and the players dominated that season. The numbers and stats are staggering, mind you.

That has nothing to do with us clearly critiquing his conduct this season. So, just so you understand: Me (cos I'll speak for myself) calling him stubborn, arrogant, prickly and a gaslighter are not personal insults. Those are clear descriptions of many facets of his conduct. Which part of the above did I make up based on his own conduct?

Also, I call him feckless and cowardly cos of the way (again, his acts) he sets us up to play and approach games just like he sent us out like lambs to the slaughterhouse at PSG, for ex.

Not that he is a coward and feckless personally cos I don't know the guy. Again, those are not personal insults.

So if you cannot tell the diff. btw someone critiquing someone's job performance and personal insults then that is your business. What I'm not having is someone having a go at me for stating my opinions on Slot's conduct and accusing me of being personal. That's not on, mate.

P/S: I find the whole thing of using the tragedy with Jota's (and his bro's) passing as an excuse this season absolutely pathetic cos that is not the reason we ate 20 losses all season. Nor why we didn't even win half of our games, complete 3 passes nor were unable to defend a throw in, let alone a defend set piece for the most part of this season.

26 May 2026 20:44:42
Slot's reign is almost identical to Rodgers', who, in his runners-up season, finished on the same amount of points as Slot did in his title-winning season, just 2 points off City, with 15+ more goals scored and whilst playing more exciting football. Rodgers was incredibly unlucky not to win a title. And in much the same way as Slot, everything came crashing down the following year.



So, if they could play a game today, who wins and why: Slot's 24/25 title winners or Rodgers's 13/14 runners-up?


The chaotic and unpredictable nature of Suarez, the leadership and prowess of Gerrard – there was a grit and determination there I don't see in this current squad, but would it be enough?


(*Putting aside any argument for how the game has changed).

26 May 2026 21:09:49
They're not identical. One is a Premier League Champion and one isn't. Don't get this comparing to Rodgers thing that has popped up over the last few days. Slot's team would have easily got 90+ points if the league wasn't basically over with a couple of months to go and mathematically over with 4 games still to play.

Points are irrelevant anyway. The highest points Fergie ever got was 92. Does that tarnish a lot of his league triumphs? No, it doesn't. Because he won, and that's the most important thing. Just like Slot won and Brendan didn't.

26 May 2026 21:12:01
Great debate, but for me the 2013 team wins due to Gerrard and Suarez run riot. Even in their final days there's still more pride and goal threat.

26 May 2026 21:34:43
All for difference of opinion, but Florian "Slot's team would have easily got 90+ points if the league wasn't basically over with a couple of months to go and mathematically over with 4 games still to play." is a ridiculous comment and further proves you just post (not all the time, but most of it) to provoke responses.

It's like saying if Rodgers won the league instead of coming second he'd be one of our greats instead of the fraud he was, same breath as saying if my auntie had b******* she'd be my uncle, none of them are true, so all are irrelevant.



I'd actually go one further and say that if the fact the league was so far "gone", and Slot then just gave up, us unforgivable and far worse than anything Rodgers did.

26 May 2026 21:43:03
Slot's title winning team from 24/25 makes mincemeat of Rodgers' team imo.

Rodgers had Mignolet in goal, and the only defender he had fit to lace Van Dijk's boots was Agger, who had injury problems, and he benched him in favour of Sakho half the time when he was fit.



If I was combining the two teams, it'd be the 24/25 team with Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho in for Gakpo, Diaz and Mac Allister. I actually wouldn't put Gerrard in the team because Rodgers used him as a defensive midfielder for half the season and he wasn't really that good at it.

26 May 2026 21:46:22
Ok, Hamo. But Rodgers didn't win the league. I still believe my comment is correct. Nearly every team I've seen win the league so easily like we did in 2025 take their foot off the pedal in the remaining games.

They sure as hell won't be the last to do that. It's not posting to provoke response, it's common sense and anyone who's watched football for a number of years on here knows it.

26 May 2026 21:48:13
Something Red, no Gerrard? That's a wild take. You can play who you want wherever you want. Everybody's prime. Still no Gerrard?

26 May 2026 21:50:50
Florian, you're forgetting it was one of the least competitive seasons of the last 20 years, mate. Had City and Arsenal been on form, we wouldn't have won as many games. But congratulations, again. You've managed to completely derail the entire conversation with one overly dramatic comment. Now untwist your knickers and answer my original question.

26 May 2026 21:54:27
Haha. Fair enough, but taking the foot off the pedal was the start of the issues and lack of fight, professionalism, etc., we've seen this year. That buck stops with the manager for setting poor standards and going out on the piss in Ibiza weeks before the season finished.

26 May 2026 22:03:50
If City and Arsenal had been on form we wouldn't have won as many games. Explain that one, not as if we beat Arsenal last year, we dropped 4 pts to them. We did the double over City, deservedly, but sure we've a great home record against them in any case over the years.

The season wasn't competitive because we ran away with it. We were the best. That title win, no matter how many try, cannot be downplayed. Don't know why an LFC fan even does that, by the way. Slot's team wins.

26 May 2026 22:08:40
Arsenal are lucky we weren't competitive this season.

Last year's team would beat Rodgers' team.

26 May 2026 22:21:14
"Slot's team would have easily got 90+ points if the league wasn't basically over."

If, if, if. You don't know that at all, FM. Your bias towards Slot is crazy.

26 May 2026 22:26:14
I meant "If the likes of City and Arsenal." If more of the top teams weren't absolutely rubbish last season, we would have dropped more points. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. Not sure why you need an explanation.

26 May 2026 22:29:58
Gerrard was one of our key players that season, playing as a defensive midfielder. He also built a lot of the play with his passing. There is no doubt that Gerrard would improve this team.

26 May 2026 22:45:53
This whole thread is based on "ifs", Adam. I think if LFC had've needed points right down to the last game, like the way this season's title went, they would have ended up with more points.

You don't. Fair enough. Think most fans, if they were honest, would say we took our foot off the gas last season. It was a nice way to win a title though, no stress.

26 May 2026 23:03:26
Chewy, if it's about everyone in whatever position at their prime, then yeah, of course I take Gerrard instead of Coutinho. Also, thanks for giving Slot's team prime Van Dijk and prime Robbo instead of them at 30+, and your comparison between the two teams less of a contest.

Gerrard's best football was as a No. 10 or playing a free role from the right hand side, not in front of the back 4 which he played in that Rodgers team. Since you didn't specify that it was 'at their prime', that was the version of Gerrard I was thinking of. It's far from a wild take to not have him over someone who could play defensive midfielder well, even Gerrard was far better at his prime.



I really think people have gaps in their memory about that Rodgers team. In the second half of the season, that team's MO was to start at a million miles an hour and score. Then be second best for 60 minutes, quite often against relatively poor teams, before rallying late on to close out the game. With results like 5-3 vs. Stoke, 3-2 vs. Fulham and Norwich, 4-3 vs. Swansea and 6-3 vs. Cardiff, the slip and then Crystanbul were inevitable, not an aberration.

26 May 2026 23:56:09
Something Red, totally get it, mate, prime and in your best position vs "shoehorned" makes a difference, alright, but are you telling me you're putting Grav in DM instead of Gerrard?

27 May 2026 01:17:38
I'd have Grav at DM over Gerrard, Chewy. Gerrard was extremely poor at DM. He had no positional sense and his tackling was terrible. The only thing he had going for him was that he could launch balls forward and start attacks. Like Something Red mentioned, teams could cut us open at will with Gerrard at DM.

27 May 2026 02:35:58
I would have had Lucas as dm over Grav with this season's performance, but not last season's.

27 May 2026 03:03:39
City have been rubbish this season, and we have been rubbish this season.
Arsenal are fortunate that no team really challenged them for the title.

27 May 2026 05:11:02
Slot's team can't buy a clean sheet. Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling would have ripped this team's defence apart and Hendo, through pure grit and determination, would nullify our midfield on his own! Even that team's relatively poor defence was only really vulnerable in the transition, but Slot's team always slows up the play, so Skrtel, Agger, Sakho, etc., would have time to reset and reposition.


The Bodgers team beats this lot easily because of how they are being asked to play.