So many reminders over recent years, that you have absolutely no idea what’s going on in people’s lives at any one moment. Slot going to Dubai with his family for 4 days during the break, is not some grand betrayal. We know he’ll be obsessed with fixing this mess.

Controversial thought, which I know I might get pelters for: I COMPLETELY understand why it happens & I think it’s truly lovely & definitely coming from the right place, but I’m not sure singing Jota’s song 20 minutes into every game is helping. A stark reminder to the players of what happened.

A match that leaves a large number of questions unanswered as to what Slot’s overarching plan for LFC 2.0 actually is. Having said that, the decisive factor so often today was LFC’s attacking quality failing to take the chances provided to them.

Oops

All out attack. Bold as hell from Arne. Let’s see if it pays off. Game still feels on edge. Gakpo finally gets him moment after a positive performance.

All i’ll say on that half is that one team looks reasonably well coached & clear on their responsibilities. It hasn’t been Liverpool.

What is the plan to get the ball into our £120m striker in dangerous positions?

Useful context

Would love this too, but am remembering how he has often been a little sluggish post international break & he returned later than anyone else this time around. 🤞🏽

Expecting a significant improvement from that LFC team, considering it’s the same group that’s being run out again. Starting Macca who’s been struggling to find fitness/form in the PL after an international break where he travelled back late, is my biggest eyebrow raiser.

I always like a pre match song to get in the mood ahead of a fixture like this. Today’s choice youtu.be/vkUMp7oWXvc?...

Reality is you can read into why Flo isn’t in the team based upon your current theory of what’s wrong with LFC. My main disappointment if he is on the bench, is that it suggests we’ve yet to figure out a way to integrate one of our marquee signings into the side for a game he should be shining in

There are lots of questions around what Slot’s plan for this side are & I’d love today’s game to provide some clarity, but games between LFC & Utd are about one thing - winning. I’ve seen some of the best LFC sides in living memory fail to perform in this fixture. 3pts please.

From the same people who demand politics is kept out of football whenever England players take the knee.

Fine with Dom in midfield but if that’s what we’re going with, you either have to get Grav to reign himself in, to last season’s focus or drop him imo. You can’t have Wirtz and Grav in the same unit if Grav is going to be as advanced as he has been so far.

Some ingredients to give LFC the best platform for a win. Less adventure from Grav, we have Wirtz for that work. Gomez in for Ibou, pinging balls into the midfield and Wirtz. The occasional switch too. Let Kirkez be Kirkez, no forced inverting . Tell Cody not to do default Cody manoeuvres

Another really impressive interview from Polanski, unflappable despite some quite robust questioning & attempts for a gotcha moment. (A really useful exercise for him to go through) I don’t believe Sultana nor Corbyn would navigate this scenario half as comfortably. youtu.be/j8hiBI6T_24?...

They’re awful at politics & so morally compromised it’s staggering.

Would be going with Gomez at RCB this weekend. No point risking Ibou given fitness concerns, his form’s warranted a break for a while & Gomez’s ability to ping the ball into midfield actually helps mitigate the struggles we’ve had with building from the back this season.

Reckon this should lead the news, not Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Nothing to do with the prevalent economic model worsening inequality, ripping up the social contract & cultivating mass resentment?

D’Angelo passing is a heavy blow. A bonafide musical genius youtu.be/CEph_2Qx-7Q?...

Good to see Gakpo performing at a high level on international duty. Hope to see him to bring more of this decisiveness into his PL form.

- The total delay for taking free-kicks in Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool was 27 minutes and seven seconds. - Arsenal have used up 40 minutes and six seconds taking corners in their seven games this season. Some remarkable stats in this @optaanalyst.optajoe.com article theanalyst.com/articles/pre...

Conor Bradley impressed last night by all accounts, but once again picked up a costly yellow card, meaning he’ll miss the game against Germany. It’s one part of his game he really needs to eliminate, at present it feels too easy for sides to bait him into naive fouls.

“I have come to believe over the course of covering football for a couple of decades that there is a fundamental superficiality to analysis of the game. We do not know how individuals are feeling at any given time and what effect that is having on their performance. Jota’s death a stark example.”

The Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. That couldn’t be more apt.

Polanski very strong on Question Time tonight. I loathe that show but he clearly resonated with the audience by taking on the lazy arguments seeking to demonise immigrants

Dog whistle Jenrick, talking over people with his rehearsed lines. The guy should have faced jail time for his corruption years back

Reluctant Approval

It’s going to be a long international break of antagonistic & insincere think pieces on what’s going wrong for the side 1pt off the top of the league. Is the manager a fraud? Is Salah lazy & washed? Why isn’t Wirtz Messi? Do yourself a favour & find a good book.

A few years ago City would have rolled all over Brentford after that first goal. They don’t have the same intensity at both ends of the pitch as consistently these days. Haaland, Donnaruma & Rodri (injury willing) are good enough to keep them in check though.

Hilarious that Palace lose that record to Everton of all teams.

In spite of the issues we’re having with building from the back at present & the illogical instructions we’re giving our fullbacks, we’ve still created chances across the past 2-3 losses that you’d expect our attackers to have finished. The difference between one narrative & the lazy ones we have

This is the massive looming question for me. Was the plan Guehi and then when that fell through…?

Think this would be the right decision. Even if Frimpong is more of a wingback, Bradley has really struggled & was so naive today

Chelsea's 2 best chances came after 90 minutes. Enzo's header off the post (0.23xG) on 90+1 minutes and the winning goal (0.37xG) on 90+6. They'd had one shot from inside the box before we scored and a grand total of 0.28xG. A complete surrender! #LFC

Would lay the blame for that defeat at Slot’s door personally. Too many alterations in the second half that left the side devoid of rhythm for the last 15 mins when they should’ve been pressing on for a winner. Thought all the attackers were quite poor individually & collectively too.

Isak there, Galatasary won a penalty for that in midweek.

100% think Isak should claim that touch Gakpo with his classic performance. Super frustrating but pops up with a goal

Just the 0.09 xg for the dominant Chelsea side who have been “all over Liverpool” according to Neville. A game where we’re missing Trent’s ability to help us build from the back. LFC started well with good tempo but have been quite pedestrian since that uppercut of a goal.

Not a penalty, that’s a flop from Garnacho, as we’ve seen beforehand

We look a little flat energy wise here. Only natural that conceding a goal from the blue as we did would take time to rebound from. The same issues with deep build up persist. Having an unfit Mac still helping too.

Incredible strike from Caicedo, should never have been given the time and space to do it

I understand that midfield three given the strength of Caicedo & Enzo as a pairing. Yet taking Wirtz out today after the scrutiny around him integrating into the team is … a choice.

West Ham are an awful side at present. Beating them at home doesn’t tell us much about Arsenal.

Real opportunity for Isak to announce himself today. Expectations should be tempered by his lack of full fitness & the likelihood those around him are not entirely on the same wavelength just yet. But feels like the sort of game he may like.

The frustrating thing is, of all the exceptional passes in Trent’s arsenal, the type of service Salah is missing does not seem particularly technically difficult to execute. More a case of timing than anything else.

Sounds about right.