02 Mar 2026 11:36:51
I think Slot's comments post West Ham were a good indicator of how he personally feels towards the new 'Premier League' approach. I can't say I disagree with him. The main quote is that Premier League games are "no longer a joy to watch", specifically he pointed to set pieces becoming the dominant part of the league.

I do find myself, more than ever this season, struggling to really want to watch games. For example the Arsenal vs Chelsea game yesterday was a dire showing. 3 goals, all set pieces and only one team actually looking like scoring from open play (not the team that won). I think the Premier League as a product is as poor as it's ever been really, and yet Europe proves that the approach to set pieces works, even in that format.

I'm really hoping the league pivots away from this new approach to games, against better opposition you sit deep and aim to specifically target set plays. This season we've all lamented Liverpool's poor play and awful set piece record, this has now turned and we are directly benefitting from this new approach to the league. If it gets us UCL football then I will be the last to complain, I'm sure Arsenal won't complain when they win a title from it! Afterall this is the problem. it works.

Wonder if anyone else shares the same thoughts. I think personally it's pants.

1.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 12:11:11
I only watch Liverpool games, but I have found it extremely boring and unentertaining to watch!

2.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 12:22:39
This is the first season in about 20 years that I have not really watched. I never used to miss a Liverpool game, but I just find it so hard and boring to watch. I would hope that changes are made to help fluency of games, since football is a spectator sport at the end of the day, so it is in the interests of those making money from football (TV companies etc.) that the sport remains attractive to watch.

However, if the numbers and money they make are still going up, I doubt they care enough.



Tennis actually did have this issue a long time ago, where the matches became faster and there were fewer rallies due to bigger servers, and they actually slowed the courts down to allow for more rallies and longer, entertaining points. They also introduced a shot clock to stop big delays between serves, so it shows it is possible in sport, but football is corrupt to its core, so I have less hope.

3.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 12:54:48
He's being a bit hypocritical, really.

Yes, the football across the league is boring. That is 100% true.

However, he hasn't exactly gone out of his way to make us exciting either. We've had to witness some dreadful halves of football this season.

4.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 12:59:05
There's been a few posts on this further down and the consensus is it's the officials who are not officiating the games properly, and I agree.

How can Arsenal players continuously get away with the grabbing and holding at set pieces, yet Palace get a player sent off for a hand on the shoulder?

Spurs had a goal disallowed last week against Arsenal for a small push on Gabriel, yet Rice physically grabs a Chelsea player yesterday and, without looking at the ball once, just charges him off the pitch with both hands grabbing his shirt.

If these teams are allowed to get away with it, they will do it, and the officials seem unable to show any consistency with any decisions they make.

The pundits don't help, with Neville especially just saying that keepers and defenders need to be stronger at set pieces.

You can be as strong as you like, but if you have someone not attempting to go for the ball, just grabbing or barging into you, it's impossible to defend.

All this has made for a league where decent football is not the best way to win anymore. You keep it tight and target set pieces, and because the officials will pretty much allow you to get away with anything, it works.

If Arsenal win the league, I'm not even sure Arteta can take any of the credit, as you could argue the set piece coach is far more important than the manager at Arsenal.

It's up to the officials to put a stop to it and make teams actually have to play football to win matches, but will that ever happen? If not, then the beautiful game is on a downward spiral.

5.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 13:55:54
The officials can fix this easily. A few yellows/reds from all the cheating we are seeing will soon put an end to it.

6.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 14:05:37
I think the Arsenal games would be much more entertaining if instead of playing the full ninety minutes, both sides get five corners each and see what the score is after that. It'd save a lot of time, plus we wouldn't have to listen to that POS Gary Neville.

7.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 14:11:02
He talks so much rubbish - delusional/no self awareness, as usual.

We are slow, lethargic, and unathletic, which results in an incredibly boring "style". Style isn't even the word for our football. We're woeful for the majority of games, then try to scramble goals. Slot needs to look in the mirror - at least other teams are physical, and fans can get behind that.

8.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 14:45:09
Liverpool have been mind-numbingly boring to watch this season, and it's nothing to do with set pieces.

The fact is that, until recently, we were terrible at defending and attacking set pieces, and it's true that it has been harmful to our points on the board.

9.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 16:06:07
And yet, certainly no more boring than any other team in the league.

10.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 16:27:38
Maybe not Florian, but Slot is the one coming out and saying it's no longer a joy to watch.

11.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 17:31:38
The constant free kicks for feigning injury have become the norm. The going down in the box on corners when a 6ft4 beast has been tapped, and holding the throat and rolling on the floor when they get tapped in the chest. Winning is everything by any means, when a win, lose, or draw used to be a normal thing.


The amount of money in the game, with toxic social media, has a lot to answer for. There is so much pressure for managers, players, referees, and fans. Football is an uncontrollable beast on the march.

I enjoy a walk down the park with the dog to watch the Sunday League. In some ways, it's a lot more enjoyable.

12.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 17:32:37
I think Slot genuinely does want to play a dominant, pro-active style of football, though, he has said that repeatedly in interviews, in the roundtable with Hughes etc. True, he is a bit passive in the first halves of games, and sometimes I do question what the approach has been in games where we look like we don't really have a plan, but with the players bought this summer, I can't imagine that there wasn't a certain style- front foot, forcing the team into their own half- that we were aspiring to play. We got our forecast wrong with how we expected the league to play this year, I think that is very clear.

Whatever the case may be, though, can we give the coaching team some credit for trying to adapt multiple times throughout the season to evolving problems? Everybody on here has mocked Slot for yammering over and over about set pieces, but Liverpool have fixed their approach to set pieces to do exactly what the opposition have been doing to them, crowding the keeper, hitting swerving inswingers and doing everything to put the ball on a tall center half's head. The success of that is plain for all to see, and is further proof that it's simply not true that the manager only has one style, has been found out, that the weaknesses of the team will never be rectified, etcetera.

With the problems we've had in build up and the fact that our midfield is sometimes outnumbered on and off the ball, he's also tried multiple things from Wirtz and Ekitike dropping deep to make up the numbers in midfield etc. From a team that was repeatedly cut open on counters and long balls over the top in transition, I can't remember the last time that we actually conceded from an opportunity of that sort in recent memory. Our fullbacks are stretching the pitch and getting in behind the defence to cut the ball into the box or cross it, Konate, Kerkez and Gomez are throwing their bodies into shots and balls in the box defending with their lives and keeping us in games and moments in games where we might not be at our best and are up against it.

If there's anything 'interesting' or intriguing about our season this year, it's how this team has evolved game by game to deal with problems we've faced, with all the injuries, fitness issues with players racking up the minutes, referee decisions etc that we've had to contend with. For myself, I feel somewhat positive at this point in time with how we've been doing in that respect lately.

I think the football that we are playing is not necessarily ideal, and yes it has been mindnumbing at times this season. I do believe, though, that it was never the intent of the manager at the outset to play boring football, at one point in the season he had to try and stop the rot and try to take the sting out of games by trying to nullify the opposition, control possession and try to win games through moments of quality. Ultimately it did stop us from going into absolute freefall and gave us a basis to build upon.

I know I'm going to be painted as a Slot apologist, but that's pretty much how I see things at the moment. We can only hope that we've learned from the terrible mistakes of the last window and can better prepare for the rigours of the season to come, while at the same time figuring out how to outflank the trend towards soul-sapping football in this league. We have to be the team that can lead the league out of negative football, and show that you can marry grit and beautiful football again.

13.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 17:56:29
I wouldn't disagree that Liverpool have been boring but when the opposition just want to shut the game down from the off and the ref gives a free kick every time you touch an opponent and they fall over it is difficult to play fast expansive football without leaving yourself wide open. That's why there's literally no teams doing it this season.

Everyone has had to conform to the slow defensive style, not getting out of shape because it's so hard to break teams down and you end up taking too many risks and getting done either on the break or from a set piece.

If you're going to play attacking football against these teams you need to keep possession but the very nature of attacking, expansive football is taking risks with the ball. It's very tough to maintain possession when the opposition has 11 players in their own box and fall over under every minor challenge so you have to concentrate on set pieces to break them down which in turn makes the football boring.

So I think it's the change in tactics from 90% of Premier League teams that has caused us to kind of come up against a brick wall. I don't think Slot ever wanted to follow Arsenal's set piece model but we've got to a stage now where we need the points so he's had to try.

I know we have players like Macca who like the histrionics but I don't think we take advantage of the poor officiating as much as we should. Mo for example gets pulled all over the place and stays on his feet. He should just flop to the floor and he'd get a lot more free kicks. It's disgraceful that football has come to that but other teams are getting such an advantage from doing it you have to do it yourself or you'll get left behind.

I'm expecting Ed25 to pipe up at this point so I will add that the very best (or worst depending on how you look at it) player at falling over is Everton's golden boy Jack Grealish. He's brilliant at making every touch look like a foul. It's become a very necessary skill in football and will win you games.

{Ed025's Note - jack is a novice compared to Macca BP, jack does go down easily i must admit but he does not roll around for 5 minutes like a worm in bleach like your little Argentinian turd mate..

14.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 18:42:30
Fair enough, Irish, but it's not Slot planting 11 men behind the ball every week. It's not Slot telling his team (besides Macca, it seems) to go down at the slightest touch, and it's not Slot building his whole game around long throws and set pieces. Now I know the argument is there that it's up to Slot to beat these tactics, and that every team has the right to play as they see fit. I am simply stating that Slot at least tries to get it down and play football.

You could argue it's slow; it wasn't slow at the start of the season, but teams were going through us far too easily, and I think this scared him, resulting in us being over careful as we came out of that terrible run. As results have gradually improved, so has the football. It's still not Jurgen football, it never will be. Klopp played the most exciting football in the world, but at the moment it's winning football, and that's what we need.

15.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 18:45:02
We actively encourage teams to get into shape from kick-off. We literally invite it. That is on Slot. He says himself, (paraphrasing), the most important thing when playing a low block is to not get counterattacked and to have a positive set piece balance.

That is a glimpse into his mindset. Whereas we fans, especially at Anfield, usually prefer the ball to be moved quicker to get the opposition out of shape when they are set, and use counterpressing to introduce unpredictability through transitions high up the pitch.

16.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 19:05:08
That's a glimpse into the mindset of every manager in this league. They all want control. Every one of the big sides has struggled to break down low blocks this season. Teams are very well organised. It doesn't help when the wide players have not been up to scratch. I'll wait for people to tell me that's on Slot too, but I'm sorry, that is letting the players off the hook far too easily.

Wingers that can beat a man will make a huge difference to this side. All in all, I think we've a manager that wants to play progressive, attacking football. Sometimes the opposition wants to play the opposite of that, which, of course, is their prerogative. It's easier to destroy than to create. We can forget, as fans, there are two teams on the pitch, and we have no divine right to three points.

17.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 19:07:20
I am not a fan of Arsenal and Arteta and their dark arts but thinking about how they play they have beaten Slot's nightmare. The low block Arne does not know how to beat the low block But Arsenal don't worry about the low block they have come up with the answer the dead ball kicks which cancels the low block and it is paying dividends for them.
So you have to give Arsenal and Arteta some credit where it is deserved.

18.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 20:57:25
Exactly, Wassa. I think Slot is saying this in a bid to deflect from the dreadful/boring games his tactics have had us playing.

Kinda like, "Everyone is boring to watch so why are people being mad because we have been poor and boring to watch?" Sorry, ain't buying it.

The fact is that Slot's system is dreadful and has contributed to multiple snooze fests this season.

The Forrest game last week alone is another feather to his cap. The guy thinks he is clever, but he ain't as slick as he thinks he is.

And people wonder why many fans want him gone, CL footie, CL or FA Cup be damned.

19.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 21:21:14
We get it, Florian Musiala, you love Arne Slot.

When 7/8 or more players are playing below their level every game, the blame lies with the coach. We are in the Erik Ten Hag doom loop.

20.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 22:37:17
And for the players who seem to be able to lift themselves above Arne's amateurish coaching? The likes of Szob, Ekitike, Virgil, Frimpong, Wirtz, Konate (since his father's passing), Alli, and Kerkez. How are they managing to put in performances while having to work with him? The truth is we lost some good players, and a handful have failed to meet last year's standards.

Of those, we wouldn't have won the league last year without Mo's all-time season. He was phenomenal, but has struggled bigtime this year, and no one else has picked up the mantle. That's not slating Mo, he's the best player of the last decade along with Virgil. But you stick with your idea that every bad pass, bottled tackle, or miscontrol is Slot's fault if you want.

21.) 02 Mar 2026
02 Mar 2026 23:03:56
I don't think Florian loves Slot Fly. I don't think anyone could love Slot given the season we've had.

What he's doing is giving a balanced view. There's no doubt that the league in general has been boring, with defences on top in most games. Teams are very organised, with good players and good coaches, and try to force a certain type of game.

Yet Liverpool fans expect us to play like prime 1970s Brazil. The league just won't allow it, which is why the team at the top is the team that scores the most from set pieces. That's the league this season.

Slot has resisted going down this path until recently because he wants to find a way of playing good football in all this set piece carnage.

Ultimately, it looks like he's had to try it because we are now in a position where we just need points.

I don't think for one minute he's sent the team out to play boring football, but when we took risks early in the season, we were getting done by counter attacks, set pieces and long throws, so he had to stop the rot, and he did that.

Has he done enough to save his job? I'm not sure. He'll certainly need to do better from now on if he is going to continue being the manager of Liverpool, but I do think he's capable.

He's certainly not as bad as some on here would have you believe.

22.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 00:15:20
Yep Varry, I'd agree with that.

23.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 00:55:26
People's opinions seem to change quicker than their username.

24.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 07:09:35
I'll not comment on the Slot in or out if we win the Champions League and/or FA Cup, but on the footballing issues we are seeing.

Premier League is honestly a tough watch with the amount of stoppages due to 'injuries'.

The stuff that goes on inside penalty boxes during corners is wild too.

Officials need to be stronger. They have a mandate they can follow but don't - like, remember how anyone waving an imaginary card was to be booked instantly? Yeah, they don't do that.

VAR needs to be better too. It involves itself in nothing incidents, yet chooses to ignore those blatant ones and no harm. If it's taking you 5 mins plus to review a goal or incident, then it's hardly bloody clear or obvious is it, so just stay out of it!

Anyone see Maguire at the weekend? Headed the ball then screamed like the attacker kicked him in the face - so many players are feigning rubbish like that (well maybe not quite as balas that lol but still), and I think that retroactive punishment would stop that.

If players are awarded yellow cards for those blatant incidents and end up receiving bans etc. it would soon stop.

Also, I think pundits need to call this rubbish out more. We've seen, let's face it, a division in opinions given on these incidents, with foreign players especially properly scathed for 'going down far too easily' whilst English players in particular are praised with comments such as 'he's been clever there' or 'there was contact, he has every right to go down'.

The whole mantra of the defender or keeper 'needs to be stronger' is irritating too. He was fouled, just say it. Weirdly though, we hear none of those 'needs to be stronger' comments when the 6ft 5" striker flops like a prima ballerina when he's barely touched in the box by the 5ft Frankie Dettori type right back lol.

All irritating and just makes football tough to watch.

{Ed025's Note - i could not agree more Bill..

25.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 08:39:47
The PL has been a bore this season. Some people think it's just LFC who are playing with less intensity/adventure, but the whole division is a bore. Is this a response to the free-wheeling way teams used to play a few seasons ago? I think it is. Teams have gone back to booming the ball long, focusing on set-piece opportunities, and concentrating on keeping it tight, maximising the few set pieces they get.

You can see how differently MC play. Pep has adapted to changes in opposition tactics and his own personnel. MC are not nearly as exciting to watch as they used to be. Arsenal have gone back to the George Graham era, winning based on defence. Nothing wrong with it; they are adapting, but it's not great viewing.

26.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 08:57:21
@D-Day, if all the things you say are true (and you make valid points), what has stopped Slot from adapting his tactics and personnel to match what the league has become? Honest question.

Cos all he does is deflect, gas-light, whine and whinge about how teams are playing us.

Cheers, mate.

27.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 08:59:07
Florian, Varry and Patrik - i couldn't agree more. The team has adapted. From thinking we would win the league again with 450m of new players to being garrotted every game, Slot HAS continuously adapted. Death, players key to our style leaving, major injuries (esp RB, plus Isak) plus top players form falling off a cliff (esp Salah) it shows just how difficult it is to win in the most competitive league in the world.

Let's not forget either that Slot is Head Coach, not a selector of who to buy. That is Richards/Hughes. We didn't bring in a replacement for Salah. And in Jan, no reinforcements. That's not on Slot.

Has it been dire? Yes.
Were we in free-fall with seemingly no way to stop being sliced open? Yes
Am I a slot apologist? Maybe - or rather he won it in his first year! I mean

As for Fly's comment that we are in a "Erik ten Haag doom loop" - ah give it a rest mate. :)

If we finish 4th, and get to the semi's of CL will that be a good season, alongside a team that will be strengthened and has learnt to adapt?

Final comment - doesn't Slot have a 2 year contract? Isn't it up for renewal this summer anyway or am I mistaken?

28.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 11:16:57
Who says he isn't adapting, OliRed?

You could see the torrid league campaign Man City had last year after winning the league. Pep had to adapt to Rodri's injury and the decline of De Bruyne, etc. He had to get new players in, and they still don't look particularly good.
Slot didn't make Konate switch off, or Virg make so many uncharacteristic mistakes. He is working with half a new first team this season. If the seasons were reversed, and LFC had struggled last year under a new manager but won the league this year, you would be a happy camper. But he won last year and has struggled with a new team and injuries, etc., and so-called fans are losing their minds.
This team rebuild is not finished. We are currently playing with no width or wingers because Salah and Gakpo have gone off the boil, and we have only one centre back (Virg).

Plus, Mac came into the season injured and only now seems to be recovering form.
Watching the Sunday Supplement, Martin Samuel made a very valid point. LFC signed Ekitike to be their main striker, thinking they were not going to get Isak, then ended up signing him. That meant they started the season having to change plans, and with a main striker who was not anywhere near fit enough.
I think Slot must be given another season, with a couple of new signings. I simply do not see why the loons think Alonso is God-sent. If he does not hit the ground running and do better than a league-winning manager, the online loons will be out in force again.

{Ed001's Note - Samuel is a moron and is wrong. LFC signed Hugo to be back up.}

29.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 11:33:24
@Oli, Since Christmas, we have scored more goals from set piece plays than anyone else in the PL. We have adapted and are now beating the bores at their own game. How's that for irony?

30.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 14:58:56
@WDW, Pep adapted to the point of being in a position to win the title.

Slot adapted to the point of being in a top 5 race, barely. How's that for irony?

@D-Day, I'd say Martin Samuel is all you got then, sound. You can have that, but that ain't the flex you think it is. Just saying.

31.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 12:30:12
That's your perspective Ed, he isn't my favourite either. It's a hell of a lot of money to pay for a back up, if you are right and he is wrong. Given the way the window panned out and the difficulty with getting Isak signed, I can see why LFC would have looked at Ekiteke as being the main striker.

I'm glad LFC have both, though of course I would have preferred if Isak's first season was more productive.
But the point I was making, badly perhaps, was that the drawn out nature of the transfer and Isak's fitness issues meant that team planning wasn't ideal.

{Ed001's Note - it is not perspective, it is the truth. Samuel talks crap and hasn't got a clue. They knew Isak was coming all along, which is why we never went out and bought a cheaper cover striker. He has no sources at Liverpool, he has no clue about the club.}

32.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 19:01:55
What are your sources at the club Ed001 telling you about Slot's prospects, the rumour being put forward by some that he is homesick and wants to go home permanently to be with his family, and signings?

{Ed001's Note - Slot has not settled, his family have not moved over and that was always going to be a problem. The choice is his - move your family over or move on.}

33.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 19:16:05
That much was obvious from the fact his family are not here. Are your sources telling you any more than that? Anything about signings, like what the sources were saying during the summer about Isak?

{Ed001's Note - he is expected to leave in the summer, sorry I should have made that clear.

Summer transfers are unclear, one person is of the belief we will go big again, the rest are expecting more of the January type of youngsters coming in. They all believe the main target is a right winger to replace Salah. Go big thinks Olise is the choice.}

34.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 19:51:24
@Oli, what's Pep and City got to do with it?

I'm just pointing out that Slot and the coaching staff changed our approach in terms of set piece play. To me, that suggests that the bloke has the capacity to learn on the fly and adapt. That doesn't necessarily make him a good coach per se, but it does come across as a positive indicator. Granted, there's probably loads of stuff he could do better and stuff that he could try and introduce, but I found the post-Christmas stat quite striking.



The talk of finishing outside of the top 8 was gathering momentum on the forum around the back end of last year, but seems to have disappeared now. Regardless of liking or disliking Slot, something positive has actually happened and changed the situation. Not something exciting or heart-stopping, like Jurgen arriving with the heavy metal footie that we all got on board with, but something positive in a small way nonetheless.

35.) 03 Mar 2026
03 Mar 2026 19:47:51
Thanks Ed.