Disclaimer. Xabi Alonso is my favourite player to have played for Liverpool. And also at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He’s one of the most influential deep lying playmakers in the game - for me - and was a huge part of each team’s success. This has been my stance for the last 22 years. It will not change.
But Arne Slot not being Xabi Alonso (the coach) isn’t the negative it’s made out to be.
The same man people are pining for went from 90 points to 69 points in his second season at Bayer Leverkusen, with the same squad and added reinforcements. If the explanation is that ‘the system stopped working’, that’s on Xabi Alonso as the coach to remediate and find a new way to win. He had no mitigating factors in the way.
Alonso then got his dream job at Real Madrid. The points return was respectable on the surface, but all reports pointed to many senior players being alienated, and the football wasn’t exactly the expansive, attractive style his admirers promise for Liverpool. It was turgid and dull. Lacking, what’s that word? Identity. Nice word.
If the defence is that the players weren’t receptive, that’s not a free pass either. His time at Madrid as a player should have been the perfect education in managing egos, dressing room dynamics, and the reality that the coach is only as strong as the buy-in he creates. He did not succeed in doing it. He failed to raise standards and implement his identity. That’s on him.
Those are red flags.
So it is no surprise Liverpool hasn’t pushed for him. You’d be jumping from one uncertainty to another, for what? To satisfy fan sentiment? Fans shouldn’t be driving recruitment decisions, and rightly so. If they were, you’d probably have Amorim in charge, Ugarte at 6, and a random mix of flavour-of-the-month players on the wings. Someone the other day suggested Harry Wilson…
Arne Slot isn’t Xabi Alonso. And that’s a good thing. Alonso the player left Liverpool for Madrid. Alonso the coach rejected Liverpool for Madrid.
No thanks. If a coaching change is truly needed, an exponential upgrade is in order. Not a mercenary who would jump at the first sign of a bigger opportunity.
Arsenal fans think this is painful. Liverpool got 97 points, lost only 1 game all season and Pep still denied us from Winning the Premier League with just 1 point. What you’re experiencing is just the surface of what Liverpool fans experienced.
And that's the difference. Quality up top when needed. It's been a powerful effort in the 2nd half but we simply haven't shown that class in the final third.
10 years ago today, I lived every boy’s dream in a Red shirt.
Scoring against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League at Anfield — the lights, the noise, the Kop roaring as we fought back in one of the greatest European nights this club has ever seen.
That goal, that moment, that Liverpool shirt… it’s etched in my soul forever.
Still gives me goosebumps. Thank you to every teammate, every fan, and everyone who made that night magic.
This one’s for the memories that never fade. ❤️ You’ll Never Walk Alone
Good luck tonight LFC. BELIEVE!
🚨 Dominik Szoboszlai on if a comeback is possible:
“I hope so, listen, I’m gonna go all in, trust me. I don’t want to be sat here (doing the interview), I want it to be 8pm and to go for it.
"Even though we played two days ago, I can go, no matter what… It’s going to be a special night, I can feel it. We need to believe, everybody needs to believe. If you DON’T BELIEVE, STAY AT HOME!”
Some good movement shown from Isak vs Fulham
Great weapon from the bench tomorrow, his runs off the shoulder in behind will cause PSG problems
Slot has to keep Wirtz & Salah on the pitch to create for him
2031 de ilk Mars kolonisi kuruldu ve orada doğan ilk çocuğun pasaportu yok
çünkü hiçbir ülke Mars ı tanımıyor hiçbir anayasa orayı kapsamıyor ve o çocuk teknik olarak vatansız doğdu
ama pasaport en küçük sorunu
o çocuk Mars ın yüzde 38 yerçekiminde büyüdü yani Dünya nın üçte birinden az bir çekimle kemikleri farklı gelişti daha uzun daha ince korteks yoğunluğu düşük ve kaslar Dünya standartlarına göre zayıf çünkü vücut o ağırlığa ihtiyaç duymadı hiç
şimdi fizik devreye giriyor o çocuk Dünya ya gelse yerçekimi onu ezer kelimenin tam anlamıyla kalbi normalde 38 birim çekime karşı çalışmak için gelişti ama burada 100 birimle karşılaşıyor dolaşım sistemi bu yükü kaldıramaz
yani o çocuk Dünya ya gelemez hiçbir zaman
kimya da aynı şekilde konuşuyor Mars atmosferi yüzde 95 karbondioksit yüzde 3 azot yüzde 1 6 argon oksijen yok denecek kadar az kolonistler kapalı sistemlerde yaşıyor ve o kapalı sistemde havanın kimyası Dünya dan farklı karbondioksit maruziyeti uzun vadede beyin kimyasını etkiliyor prefrontal korteks farklı gelişiyor belki daha iyi belki daha kötü ama kesinlikle farklı
epigenetik burada devreye giriyor hatırlıyor musun büyükbabanın yaşadıkları senin metabolizma genlerini etkileyebiliyordu aynı mekanizma Mars ta çalışıyor o çocuğun hücreleri o atmosfere o radyasyona o yerçekimine göre epigenetik işaretler alıyor ve bu işaretler çocuklarına geçiyor
üç nesil sonra Mars insanı genetik olarak Dünya insanından ayrışmaya başlıyor
biz burada hangi ülkeden olduğumuzu tartışırken evrim kırmızı bir gezegende yeni bir şube açıyor ve o şube bir daha bu ana gövdeyle birleşemeyecek
homo sapiens 300.000 yıl önce Afrika da başladı
homo martensis 2031 de Mars ta başlıyor
ve o çocuğun pasaportu hala yok