Topic: LFC's next manager - chat and informed speculation

[MonsLibpool]

No a title challenge isn't being perfect, when the bedwetters over not signing Caicedo were going ham in the summer I said with this squad we could win a trophy and challenge for the league.. The squad will be improved, so the same aim should remain.

Can we challenge next season? Of course
Should we expect to challenge next season? No IMO.

It's better to not overburden Slot with the expectation that he "should" challenge next season. In that case, one or two bad results and heads will fall off. If we do challenge then great.

And you actually have to be "borderline" perfect to challenge. Last season, we were out of it after 4/5 games which was ridiculous.

There's a bit of nuance in it.

[TepidT2O]

I think his biggest problems will be recreating the unity we had until a few months ago. A huge part of that will be keeping a massive squad happy.

of we look at his previous three clubs, he seems to have been really good at that.

No one will be like Klopp, but he’s lost lots of players and then built team spirit really quickly.  Will it translate over here?  We will see

[dis_1]

i think there needs to be a bit of context and nuance with targets and expectations.
sure have aims for the season - but, overall, is the direction of travel correct?
Using Manchester United as an example, the first signs of adversity in the early days with their current manager saw them rip up their blueprint and shit the bed.
The opposite was true when Klopp came in, mixed results but overall it was obvious what the plan was, even if it was poorly executed at times.
If Slots team shows a trajectory, albeit with bumps in the road, then i'd be satisfied with whatever comes our way next season.
Although i would *expect* to get out of the groups in Europe and qualify again, it more a soft expectation, if the direction is obvious

[Dim Glas]

i think there needs to be a bit of context and nuance with targets and expectations.
sure have aims for the season - but, overall, is the direction of travel correct?
Using Manchester United as an example, the first signs of adversity in the early days with their current manager saw them rip up their blueprint and shit the bed.
The opposite was true when Klopp came in, mixed results but overall it was obvious what the plan was, even if it was poorly executed at times.
If Slots team shows a trajectory, albeit with bumps in the road, then i'd be satisfied with whatever comes our way next season.
Although i would *expect* to get out of the groups in Europe and qualify again, it more a soft expectation, if the direction is obvious

Absolutely. And Slot will be in an enviable situation, where he has a decent portion of an excellent squad already in place, and with some quality young players breaking through into the first team ready to take even more significant roles next season. 

He will be starting from a very different position to how Klopp started here for instance, and the expectations will reflect this.

[rob1966]

i think there needs to be a bit of context and nuance with targets and expectations.
sure have aims for the season - but, overall, is the direction of travel correct?
Using Manchester United as an example, the first signs of adversity in the early days with their current manager saw them rip up their blueprint and shit the bed.
The opposite was true when Klopp came in, mixed results but overall it was obvious what the plan was, even if it was poorly executed at times.
If Slots team shows a trajectory, albeit with bumps in the road, then i'd be satisfied with whatever comes our way next season.
Although i would *expect* to get out of the groups in Europe and qualify again, it more a soft expectation, if the direction is obvious

With the new CL single league format, I have no idea how easy/hard it will be to get to the knockouts. Its 8 matches now instead of 6 and its against 8 different teams, you play 4 home game and 4 away games between September and January and then the top 8 in the league go into the knockout phase and 9th to 24th play a two legged play off and 25th to 26th go out of Europe altogether, so there is a decent chance we don't get to the knockouts, as its going to be a tough run of games for the English sides especially.

[Egyptian36]

All what Slot needs to prove is that we are in right track and then at his 3rd season he needs to start winning trophies.

[G Richards]

My expectation for Slot’s first season is top four. If we can go a bit higher and challenge, or even win the bugger, brilliant. Klopp leaves behind a very good squad with only slight changes needed, so slipping out of the top four would be a failure.

We need to see how the season shapes up and what players move on and what ones come in, so there is some context we need, but even in season one under Slot, we should be up there.

[Hazell]

i think there needs to be a bit of context and nuance with targets and expectations.
sure have aims for the season - but, overall, is the direction of travel correct?
Using Manchester United as an example, the first signs of adversity in the early days with their current manager saw them rip up their blueprint and shit the bed.
The opposite was true when Klopp came in, mixed results but overall it was obvious what the plan was, even if it was poorly executed at times.
If Slots team shows a trajectory, albeit with bumps in the road, then i'd be satisfied with whatever comes our way next season.
Although i would *expect* to get out of the groups in Europe and qualify again, it more a soft expectation, if the direction is obvious

That's a fair post. It's all very unknown given the level of upheaval at the club but the worst thing we can do is what Man Utd did. I don't think we will, we seem to take a longer term view of things than them but there is a nagging doubt about it if things don't go smoothly in the short term.

[Mighty_Red]

Essentially the CL playoffs just replace the old 2nd of 16 which you can bypass if you get top 8. A playoff would likely be against a team of a similar or lower level (less chance of running into Real for instance).

Think its just too early to make predictions, for instance what if all our seniors leave and we have to rebuild? Even if we spend Ł200m to replace them it would take a season to transition.

[dis_1]

With the new CL single league format, I have no idea how easy/hard it will be to get to the knockouts. Its 8 matches now instead of 6 and its against 8 different teams, you play 4 home game and 4 away games between September and January and then the top 8 in the league go into the knockout phase and 9th to 24th play a two legged play off and 25th to 26th go out of Europe altogether, so there is a decent chance we don't get to the knockouts, as its going to be a tough run of games for the English sides especially.

yeah, that's fair - i think if we avoid the 25-36 cull then i'd be happy.
after that it becomes the 2-legged knockout ties (either the league knock-out or the round of 16) at that point it could be the luck of the draw.
again, if the approach is good, spirit, play and attitude is right, then getting knocked out isn't such a bitter pill

[Draex]

That's a fair post. It's all very unknown given the level of upheaval at the club but the worst thing we can do is what Man Utd did. I don't think we will, we seem to take a longer term view of things than them but there is a nagging doubt about it if things don't go smoothly in the short term.

And Utd, same for Chelsea are batshit all over the show behind the scenes.

We got our back office sorted first, then appointed a head coach who will work within that structure, that should allow for us to continue as we have, a well oiled machine.

Likewise the style of play not changing much I’d imagine Slot has already been given a dossier of top targets for each position from the super nerds, they will be the same list as last summer etc.

[rossipersempre]

It's really simple. The state of the squad (and club setup, facilities etc.) Slot is inheriting is markedly different from the shitshow that Klopp walked into, plus he has significantly less responsibility as head coach.

All this talk of "well he'll need a couple of seasons just to get his bearings, assess the squad, so we'd better be prepared for a reset meaning top 4 expectations are batshit crazy" is downplaying expectations and can fuck off as far as I'm concerned. Nobody would be saying that if we were still on course some 4 points clear in the league and marching towards a final in Dublin.

He's not been hired to awake a sleeping giant or pull the club out of the shit, he's been hired to maintain success. That's the job. We can't afford another period of mediocrity.

[rob1966]

It's really simple. The state of the squad (and club setup, facilities etc.) Slot is inheriting is markedly different from the shitshow that Klopp walked into, plus he has significantly less responsibility as head coach.

All this talk of "well he'll need a couple of seasons just to get his bearings, assess the squad, so we'd better be prepared for a reset meaning top 4 expectations are batshit crazy" is downplaying expectations and can fuck off as far as I'm concerned. Nobody would be saying that if we were still on course some 4 points clear in the league and marching towards a final in Dublin.

He's not been hired to awake a sleeping giant or pull the club out of the shit, he's been hired to maintain success. That's the job. We can't afford another period of mediocrity.

Exactly. As when Joe succeeded Bob and then Kenny succeeded Joe, the incoming manager was expected to continue along the same path. Kenny also over the following 2 seasons imprinted his own style on the club with his own players, I expect the same will happen with Slot.

[Hazell]

And Utd, same for Chelsea are batshit all over the show behind the scenes.

We got our back office sorted first, then appointed a head coach who will work within that structure, that should allow for us to continue as we have, a well oiled machine.

Likewise the style of play not changing much I’d imagine Slot has already been given a dossier of top targets for each position from the super nerds, they will be the same list as last summer etc.

Yeah, I hope so. Looks like that's the way we've been going about things. All makes perfect sense

[T.Mills]

It's really simple. The state of the squad (and club setup, facilities etc.) Slot is inheriting is markedly different from the shitshow that Klopp walked into, plus he has significantly less responsibility as head coach.

All this talk of "well he'll need a couple of seasons just to get his bearings, assess the squad, so we'd better be prepared for a reset meaning top 4 expectations are batshit crazy" is downplaying expectations and can fuck off as far as I'm concerned. Nobody would be saying that if we were still on course some 4 points clear in the league and marching towards a final in Dublin.

He's not been hired to awake a sleeping giant or pull the club out of the shit, he's been hired to maintain success. That's the job. We can't afford another period of mediocrity.

You’re batshit crazy if you think we’ll be in the title mix next season! I fully expect us to regress back to pre-Klopp mediocrity and I’ve made peace with it to be honest.

[Mighty_Red]

Exactly. As when Joe succeeded Bob and then Kenny succeeded Joe, the incoming manager was expected to continue along the same path. Kenny also over the following 2 seasons imprinted his own style on the club with his own players, I expect the same will happen with Slot.

But the biggest lesson is the Sir Bob won nothing in his first season. He would've been forced out by the fans if he was managing today!

[Samie]

You’re batshit crazy if you think we’ll be in the title mix next season! I fully expect us to regress back to pre-Klopp mediocrity and I’ve made peace with it to be honest.

You're the one who's batshit crazy thinking this current squad even without additions turns so shit as to finish 8th for fucks sakes.

We're a completly different as a club on and off the pitch to back then.

[Dim Glas]

You’re batshit crazy if you think we’ll be in the title mix next season! I fully expect us to regress back to pre-Klopp mediocrity and I’ve made peace with it to be honest.

I don’t think you can call someone batshit crazy, then finish with that comment 

He’ll be coming in here with the expectation of achieving a CL place, and of competing for trophies. Why wouldnt he be. No one (well, not many!) expect him to win the league next year when going up against the cheating robotic monstrosity of Man City as well as a settled Arsenal side with a manager that will be in his 6th season at the club. But there’s zero reason why he can’t be competing for trophies and at least be in touching distance.

 

[StevoHimself]

I get saying that expecting to win the league - or even being involved in a title race that goes to the final day - might be a bit much next season, but I'm suprised to see quite so much cold water being poured over next season already. Yes, we're in a league where a cheating team is more or less allowed to win it every year, but Rafa won the UCL in his first season. They're not on it atm, but this is a good set of players.

[StevoHimself]

But the biggest lesson is the Sir Bob won nothing in his first season. He would've been forced out by the fans if he was managing today!

Klopp didn't win anything for years and there was never any calls for him to be sacked.

[Hymer Red]

You’re batshit crazy if you think we’ll be in the title mix next season! I fully expect us to regress back to pre-Klopp mediocrity and I’ve made peace with it to be honest.

There is enough in the present squad for even an average manager to do reasonably well with. As long as we dont get another Hodgeson we should be well above mediocrity for a couple of years at least. If we get a good one and he adds his own players and has a good style the future should still be bright.

[Dim Glas]

Klopp didn't win anything for years and there was never any calls for him to be sacked.

he won the CL in his 3rd full season, I’m sure most would be more than ok with that   

Slot has a far better starting base though, that's the point many have. I think many are just dampening expectations just in case, which is sort of undestandible. But those who say stuff like ‘the club are accepting mediocrity’ or whatever are way off the mark. The club will be expecting him to compete for trophies, as they should. He’s not been brought in here to hold the fort or something like that.

I guess a lot of the ‘ankst’ is due to the unknown aspect of it, not knowing him well as a coach, losing a beloved manager that was here a long time (in footy terms).   But the club will have done it’s due dilligence and believe they have a coach coming in who can carry on building on a fantastic base.

[HeartAndSoul]

he won the CL in his 3rd full season, I’m sure most would be more than ok with that   

Slot has a far better starting base though, that's the point many have. I think many are just dampening expectations just in case, which is sort of undestandible. But those who say stuff like ‘the club are accepting mediocrity’ or whatever are way off the mark. The club will be expecting him to compete for trophies, as they should. He’s not been brought in here to hold the fort or something like that.

I guess a lot of the ‘ankst’ is due to the unknown aspect of it, not knowing him well as a coach, losing a beloved manager that was here a long time (in footy terms).   But the club will have done it’s due dilligence and believe they have a coach coming in who can carry on building on a fantastic base.

Champions league again the following season, a decent run in the CL- last 8 and a deep run into a cup would be a successful debut season. 

[Dim Glas]

Champions league again the following season, a decent run in the CL- last 8 and a deep run into a cup would be a successful debut season.

yep! But a cup win is also more than realistic - there’s always the ‘luck of the draw’ aspect of it of course.

[rossipersempre]

Rafa won the UCL in his first season.

Amazes me how this gets overlooked.

Not Istanbul per se but Rafa coming in straight in and pulling that one out of the bag, with some of those players. 

[Samie]

I remember my cousin who;s a blue meeting Igor Biscan and telling him " How the fuck have you got a Champions League winners medal?". 

[Eeyore]

Personally, I think that next season City and Arsenal will be the top two and then below that there will be four or five teams competing for third and fourth. I think we are far more likely to be in a battle for the top 4 than in a battle for the title.

We have a new coach with new ideas who basically won't get a pre-season to work with his squad and then will be straight into a crazy schedule with very little time to coach during the season.

I think we need a similar start to the one we had this season and we need to address the weaknesses in the squad. I think it will be a third transitional season on the run.

[rossipersempre]

We have a new coach with new ideas who basically won't get a pre-season to work with his squad and then will be straight into a crazy schedule with very little time to coach during the season.

So the 2 full daily sessions 4 days a week (assuming an average of 2 match days) leaves "very little time"? As head coach, with no additional responsibility for recruitment, infrastructure etc, what else is Slot going to fill up his days with? Greyhound racing and tending his allotment?

[RedG13]

How can you not see the reason why we got away with minimal net spend over last 9 years?

Klopp practically didn't make a single meaningful mistake in the market over that period. It's a small miracle, it's why we'll be crying our eyes out in few weeks.

We either need to keep finding managers who perform like this or we need to up our spending significantly so the managers who are only human can be allowed to make mistakes and still be successful.

Net spend is not how the squad is judged in terms of where teams should be it the Wages. Liverpool Squad is paid as a top 4/title contending team.

[RedG13]

I think Slot's biggest hurdle will be adjusting his training and fitness regime to playing every three days or so. I think that will determine the outcome of next season above everything else. Don't think he will have an issue acclimatizing the squad to his methods. It will be about keeping the squad sharp when there is no time to train. Top 4 with early exists in the cups and CL is my guess for next season.

He has experience with this at Feynoord. However the level of intensity in the PL is a totally different beast and he somebody who is willing to adjust to make it work. He seems he very willing to listen to the science, data for stuff with it

[rob1966]

Amazes me how this gets overlooked.

Not Istanbul per se but Rafa coming in straight in and pulling that one out of the bag, with some of those players. 

I was sat in the Kemlyn, on my own as I couldn't give away 3 tickets, Easter 2004 v Charlton thinking "we've no fucking chance in the CL next season", that's how low I felt in geds last days. I'm very optimistic with slot, he starts from a good position, it's a lot to look forward to

[alonsoisared]

I don't think there should be any expectations in terms of league position, as that's an extremely limited way to judge a manager in his first season with players that aren't his, settling in to one of the biggest jobs in football. What we need to see is a distinct style of play, improvement over the course of the season, we need to see that the players buy into it and that he commands their respect, and we need to see a clear path towards winning the big pots under his stewardship. With this job we also need to see him as a character and whether he seems to "get it" and connect with the fanbase.

Mourinho came into United and won a couple of trophies and got them second in the league but he was clearly never the man to take them to the top and sustain it.

Our squad is good enough to compete and I'd certainly hope that we do. But there's far more to look out for. For those obsessed with setting specific targets, would they be sacking Klopp seeing as he hasn't won one of the two major trophies since 2020, failed to qualify for the Champions League this year and nearly did the same in 2021? The targets for some would've been way smaller had Xabi been given the gig that's all I know.

[rob1966]

He has experience with this at Feynoord. However the level of intensity in the PL is a totally different beast and he somebody who is willing to adjust to make it work. He seems he very willing to listen to the science, data for stuff with it

Also it's only him who needs to adapt, the players don't. When Jurgen came in, it was such a change for the players, this squad are used to being murdered in pre season and then 3 games a week

[Draex]

So the 2 full daily sessions 4 days a week (assuming an average of 2 match days) leaves "very little time"? As head coach, with no additional responsibility for recruitment, infrastructure etc, what else is Slot going to fill up his days with? Greyhound racing and tending his allotment?

The new Palace manager has totally reinvented how they play since good old uncle Roy, mid-season, so it's more than possible.

Our season finishes 19th May, Euros/Copa starts June finishes mid-July, first game of Premiership is 17th August. I'd imagine a fair amount of the squad gets a good amount of time with him.

[Eeyore]

So the 2 full daily sessions 4 days a week (assuming an average of 2 match days) leaves "very little time"? As head coach, with no additional responsibility for recruitment, infrastructure etc, what else is Slot going to fill up his days with? Greyhound racing and tending his allotment?

You have missed out on traveling to games. Days off. International breaks. The day after a match being recovery sessions and the day before a match is largely a preparation session for the next opponent. Then you have injuries and players training away from the group.

The time a new coach beds in his methods is usually during pre-season.

[Eeyore]

The new Palace manager has totally reinvented how they play since good old uncle Roy, mid-season, so it's more than possible.

Our season finishes 19th May, Euros/Copa starts June finishes mid-July, first game of Premiership is 17th August. I'd imagine a fair amount of the squad gets a good amount of time with him.

Teams who are not involved in Europe have far more time on the training pitch though. Play in Europe and it is all about recovery and preparation sessions.

Klopp “In any sport, the basic requirement for any performance is training. But we don’t have time to practice because we play all the time,”

[Samie]

I think Slot will love working with the youngters and those not at the Copa or Euros.  Someone like Bajcetic he's going to love I suspect.

[Draex]

I think Slot will love working with the youngters and those not at the Copa or Euros.  Someone like Bajcetic he's going to love I suspect.

Who will be available all summer?

Salah, Bajcetic, Bradley, Kelleher, Endo, Jones, Gravenberch, Elliot + Kids

[StevoHimself]

I just think Edwards and co know what they're doing to be honest. Would Slot have been my choice? No, but I'm sure the Super Computer knows better than I do.

The worry is what the computer might not have known - the stuff that isn't quantifiable. Self-doubt. Lack of character. Arrogance. That doesn't seem to be the case with Slot though, who I think comes across very personably based on the little I've seen of him. That and the idea that maybe hiring someone who's more of a coach than a manager (one of EtH's many problems at Man Utd) might not work, but I'm not that worried about that here to be honest.

[Mighty_Red]

Klopp didn't win anything for years and there was never any calls for him to be sacked.

Have you seen some of the comments on this thread? A couple of defeats and RAWK will have a meltdown, and that's before we get to the sewer that is twitter!