Mo Stewart is here fresh from attending the latest LFC press conference to break down what Arne Slot has to say, and deliver his top takeaways. Tune in to hear Mo ask Liverpool's head coach a question
That's two very poor press conferences on the bounce from the collective media present.
The PSG one was horrific. I have no idea why anyone would choose to ask a question that was obviously going to cause our starting centre forward Diogo Jota deep embarrassment, centring on him not having scored in the Champions League for 4 seasons. Wtf was that?
It was ill-considered in its own right, never mind cueing up Carl Markham for a snidey "When do you think you were last in your best form?" and then some snidey comment about not for the last three years or whatever. Markham is the only person on the planet who I ever felt Juergen Klopp would have been quite happy subjecting to the sort of POW treatment that didn't exactly comply with the Geneva Convention. Vee hav vayz of making you scream, Carl...
Then, on the eve of the League Cup Final, there are no questions about the match, just the usual tedious shite about injuries and contracts and tiredness. Slot actually had to protest that nobody was asking questions about the League Cup Final before someone thought to ask one. No are you looking forward to playing at Wembley, or maybe a more interesting question.
Who cares about Chiesa? Slot clearly doesn't want him. That's it. Everything else is 'narrative'.
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So, Jarell. He may not have been Player of the Season last season but he wasn't far off for me. He was an absolute revelation. He's comfortable enough on the ball he could play the 6 role.
I thought he was treated abysmally by Slot in the Ipswich game. Slot shat the bed, bringing him off at half-time when, as ever, it was Trent that was the problem. Trent goes AWOL, Jarell has to do the Ibou thing of doing his own defending and covering Trent's sorry arse as well. Ipswich broke twice down our right and on one of those occasions Jarell slipped. Slot hasn't got the bollocks to take Trent on in his first game so he hauls Jarell off and sticks Ibou on.
So it's about time he made amends and sent some praise Jarell's way. Better late than never.
I understand Slot wanted to get off to a winning start but throwing Jarell under the bus was shite. Fortunately he's got the strength of character to come back from it. He just took it on the chin, blamed himself and promised to work on the training ground to be a better player.
Slot is going to have to change his approach as regards the 'fringe players' or some of them are going to move on, or just stay, unhappy, which isn't going to be great for morale. Elliott cannot possibly be happy with how the season has gone. Curtis too. Conor Bradley too. Wata.
The hope is that with a league title under his belt – after we've finally eradicated Arsenal's 0.2% chance of winning it – Slot starts to learn to give more opportunities to the squad. Otherwise it's going to start to multiply, like a cancer. I don't see the same healthy connection with the academy since the change in the staff. I didn't rate Matos particularly but at least he knew the academy lads. I don't think this Briggs fella has a clue/interest in the academy at all, and him being ex 115 FC is not gonna endear him to me ever. The academy lads who aren't really academy lads but brought into the club having been lavished with promises of being able to train with the first team, get to train with the first team, no matter how shit they are. And I don't mean Trey, who is a massive talent. But Nallo is bewildering; Nmugmug similarly.
Last season's League Cup Final will probably never be surpassed in terms of the togetherness of the club and its academy. There was a joy that I've rarely felt as a Red despite all the trophies I've seen come our way. Juergen claimed it was his favourite trophy win and I understand why as I felt similar emotions. Seeing Dannsy striding the Wembley turf like it was his back garden. James McConnell. In the post-match stuff Ian Wright said something like "Chelsea, no way you're getting the ball back off James McConnell". Namechecked forever.
Sunday cannot possibly compete with that. Any such romance could only be felt by the fans of Newcastle, but sadly for them I cannot see us losing to them. I think the occasion will prove too much for them. The weight of history. I fully expect to see Liverpool win their first of two.
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Have a great time in the madhouse that is the USA.
I wonder what them yankees will make of the Cravo remix of "Oh he wears the number 20"...
That's two very poor press conferences on the bounce from the collective media present.
The PSG one was horrific. I have no idea why anyone would choose to ask a question that was obviously going to cause our starting centre forward Diogo Jota deep embarrassment, centring on him not having scored in the Champions League for 4 seasons. Wtf was that?
It was ill-considered in its own right, never mind cueing up Carl Markham for a snidey "When do you think you were last in your best form?" and then some snidey comment about not for the last three years or whatever. Markham is the only person on the planet who I ever felt Juergen Klopp would have been quite happy subjecting to the sort of POW treatment that didn't exactly comply with the Geneva Convention. Vee hav vayz of making you scream, Carl...
Then, on the eve of the League Cup Final, there are no questions about the match, just the usual tedious shite about injuries and contracts and tiredness. Slot actually had to protest that nobody was asking questions about the League Cup Final before someone thought to ask one. No are you looking forward to playing at Wembley, or maybe a more interesting question.
Who cares about Chiesa? Slot clearly doesn't want him. That's it. Everything else is 'narrative'.
–––
So, Jarell. He may not have been Player of the Season last season but he wasn't far off for me. He was an absolute revelation. He's comfortable enough on the ball he could play the 6 role.
I thought he was treated abysmally by Slot in the Ipswich game. Slot shat the bed, bringing him off at half-time when, as ever, it was Trent that was the problem. Trent goes AWOL, Jarell has to do the Ibou thing of doing his own defending and covering Trent's sorry arse as well. Ipswich broke twice down our right and on one of those occasions Jarell slipped. Slot hasn't got the bollocks to take Trent on in his first game so he hauls Jarell off and sticks Ibou on.
So it's about time he made amends and sent some praise Jarell's way. Better late than never.
I understand Slot wanted to get off to a winning start but throwing Jarell under the bus was shite. Fortunately he's got the strength of character to come back from it. He just took it on the chin, blamed himself and promised to work on the training ground to be a better player.
Slot is going to have to change his approach as regards the 'fringe players' or some of them are going to move on, or just stay, unhappy, which isn't going to be great for morale. Elliott cannot possibly be happy with how the season has gone. Curtis too. Conor Bradley too. Wata.
The hope is that with a league title under his belt – after we've finally eradicated Arsenal's 0.2% chance of winning it – Slot starts to learn to give more opportunities to the squad. Otherwise it's going to start to multiply, like a cancer. I don't see the same healthy connection with the academy since the change in the staff. I didn't rate Matos particularly but at least he knew the academy lads. I don't think this Briggs fella has a clue/interest in the academy at all, and him being ex 115 FC is not gonna endear him to me ever. The academy lads who aren't really academy lads but brought into the club having been lavished with promises of being able to train with the first team, get to train with the first team, no matter how shit they are. And I don't mean Trey, who is a massive talent. But Nallo is bewildering; Nmugmug similarly.
Last season's League Cup Final will probably never be surpassed in terms of the togetherness of the club and its academy. There was a joy that I've rarely felt as a Red despite all the trophies I've seen come our way. Juergen claimed it was his favourite trophy win and I understand why as I felt similar emotions. Seeing Dannsy striding the Wembley turf like it was his back garden. James McConnell. In the post-match stuff Ian Wright said something like "Chelsea, no way you're getting the ball back off James McConnell". Namechecked forever.
Sunday cannot possibly compete with that. Any such romance could only be felt by the fans of Newcastle, but sadly for them I cannot see us losing to them. I think the occasion will prove too much for them. The weight of history. I fully expect to see Liverpool win their first of two.
–––
Have a great time in the madhouse that is the USA.
I wonder what them yankees will make of the Cravo remix of "Oh he wears the number 20"...