Has football shifted away from the Pep Guardiola approach cherished by Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca? Additionally, Liverpool supporters seek greater recognition.
The Pep method has ended.
Pepball is over, and for anyone who had any doubts, the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match this past weekend confirmed it. Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, and even Manchester City have occasionally adjusted to utilizing long balls and direct assaults when required. Pep’s followers, Arteta and Maresca, are the final ones to receive the message.
Having possession solely for its own sake does not secure victories in matches, regardless of the statistics you may present to back up this idea. Minor details such as having an effective goalkeeper or a player who can occasionally aim at the opposing goal are indeed important.
Keith Miller, Victoria, Australia
Concerning Liverpool and Arsenal benchmarks
Major club Liverpool: even though he secured a PL title with minimal expenditure (£8m summer budget) during his first season, in a different league, where the contract situations of his three key players have turned into a media frenzy; Arne Slot (£6.5m annual salary) is facing criticism from certain Scousers for being defeated in a cup final. And is being (justly, in my opinion) held responsible for his errors. Requests are being made to enhance Jota, Darwin, and others. There’s no reference to the PGMOL Deep State, the ball, yearly points, or Hillary Clinton consuming hamsters with Howard Webb in a secret Brooklyn basement hideout where they plot to take down the Emirates.
To clarify, in his first season, Slot claimed the PL title, reached a domestic cup final, and finished first in the CL group, outsmarting Real Madrid along the way (though not quite at PSV Levels, of course).
Lesser-known club somewhere: even after achieving nothing (21 years and still counting), El Fraudo Antonio El Pulizon (£15m salary, five-year Premier League advantage) is celebrated for “competing” with a spending of more than £700m while achieving nothing. A country mile behind the first Slot, PL is at a standstill at the end of February. We are told that an ashtray is actually a valuable emerald gem (observe how scarcely any Liverpool supporter attempts to argue that Darwin is “class”), and El Fraudo is “one to two players short” (likely for a third place finish next season lol). The season has been an outstanding triumph. Conflict is harmony, liberty is subjugation, unawareness is power, NO CONSPIRACY!
Stewie Griffin (Arteta will shell out another fortune this summer on more junk, and Arsenal will achieve nothing, once more, next season. If Saliba is wise, he will agree to Real Madrid's proposal. Maybe he will do exactly that after the final whistle at the Bernabeu, following yet another magnificent 7-1 Champions League victory on the road.
Please give more credit to Liverpool
After reading the one and done Liverpool article, I couldn't help but wonder... what exactly must Liverpool achieve to gain any recognition?
Since the Houllier era, Liverpool's achievements have consistently been downplayed. Achieve 6 awards in one year? Sure, but those were all just minor trophies.
Alright… A couple of years later, we achieved the major victory. "Yes, but it was an isolated incident."
Thus, a couple of years later, we secured it once more. "Sure, but you still haven't claimed the league."
Alright…one year later, we clinch the championship. "Yes, but that’s solely due to COVID."
Thus, a couple of years later, we achieve victory once more. "Sure, but it's only because everyone allowed you to win it."
Additionally, I continue to hear individuals claiming that Liverpool will win the league this year. Just? Why is Liverpool the only team viewed as a letdown no matter what they achieve, including everything? Unless we achieve a quad with five teams each having 100 points and Liverpool securing 101 by narrowly defeating every major European team in the Champions League, including Madrid in the final.
The benchmark for acknowledging Liverpool's achievements is incredibly higher than that of any other team. Slot led a group of players unsettled by the loss of our finest manager in modern history to a Premier League title in his debut year, having invested £15m on a player who rarely plays and nothing else.
He will, in fact, have secured the Premier League while spending even less than Leicester, and indeed less than any team that has ever won the Premier League. Surely that deserves at least a tiny bit of acknowledgment, right?
“Sure, but that's only because you have Salah.”
Indeed, if we remove the best players from each team, none would secure a championship, which is a foolish point.
Lee
From Quadruple Vanquishers to Slot’s Budget Bottler Mega-Failures?
Certain reports on Newcastle’s well-earned League Cup victory have been completely distasteful. If I have to read yet another paragraph about emotional facetiming across generations or swapping selfies, I might end up feeling nauseous. One can't help but wonder if the horse-punchers with tea towels really cried so much for Jamal Khashoggi.
However, I'm aware that every club has some illicit money hidden away, and I'm not here to ruin anyone's celebration (any further) – congratulations Toons, a thoroughly and decisively deserved win, it must feel incredible.
Fascinating perspectives on Slot; evidently, the more radical opinions are those touted as the most probable to sustain the profitable clicks, yet the decline in reputation has indeed been rather striking, hasn’t it?
From Europe's top team to worse than Plymouth, who removed the cover and revealed Liverpool to a thorough thrashing from every respectable team we've faced since that time. Liverpool's displays versus PSG and the Toon were notably poor. The home defeat and elimination by PSG marked the first occasion we've been knocked out like this after winning the first leg on the road. Unprecedentedly wretched.
Google indicates that Liverpool registered a total xG of 1.91 across both matches against PSG’s 4.34 – thoroughly dominated, especially in the first match where we achieved just 29% possession and took two (2) shots yielding an xG of 0.25 – both representing the season's lowest figures at this critical stage. In the match against Newcastle, we resembled a lackluster version of a football void – it felt as if we noticed Joelinton and Burn's size and simply gave up, allowing them to practice heading so they wouldn't overpower us (but they ended up doing it regardless). Pool managed only one shot before half-time and an xG of 0.89 for the entire match, while Newcastle's was 1.46 as they arrived ready for a battle. By the way, Salah's was 0.00 – get him signed!
Slot's rationale (explanation? Completely ridiculous in any case) that adversaries improve the more you advance in knockout tournaments is laugh-out-loud instantly funny. Perhaps it is a language issue, but that remark is laughable – you are meant to elevate your standards as well to compete – not surrender like Slot's team has done.
Liverpool supporters have been indulged by Klopp’s squads consistently showing up and putting in competitive performances, even if they don’t always play well or secure victories. If last week is any indication, Slot has transformed Klopp’s squad into a team that evades contracts like a magician.
Regarding Slot's strategic brilliance? Introducing ALL THE STRIKERS and launching the ball towards Big Virg as a temporary support was subpar Allardyce pub football, and a cowardly acknowledgment that his squad had been thoroughly outbattled, overpowered, and surpassed.
Or that the players weren’t paying attention to him, forcing him to completely lower himself from a true coaching standpoint and merely wish for some entirely undeserved fortune.
Slot mentioned luck frequently after the match against PSG, which is worrisome – it’s your responsibility to improve the team instead of relying on luck, Arne. The fact that PSG outplayed Liverpool and Newcastle outbattled them is particularly worrying – what strengths does Slot’s team actually possess?
That being said, if (and it truly is an if now, a significant IF – the team appears exhausted, and Slot lacks faith in other players in the squad) Liverpool clinches the Premier League, then you cannot argue that this season hasn’t been a triumph. It’s acceptable to state that and recognize that Slot and his team have completely embarrassed themselves at the exact moment when the genuinely top teams get nervous during tense situations.
I also experienced similar doubts regarding Klopp – I believe I referred to him as the ultimate bridesmaid on these esteemed pages after a Europa League final lesson from Emery – and he ended up being fine, so after I gather my toys, I will back Slot’s revolution (he will undoubtedly be both thrilled and relieved) instead of going full Stewie.
It seems that a complete overhaul will be necessary instead of just gradual enhancement – Slot lacks faith in this team, which is why fatigue has set in from insufficient rotation – and we may have to revamp both the entire offense and the whole defense, depending on the outcome of the Contract Three.
Perhaps that's the reason they haven't been registered – we require all that funding for a total overhaul of the team according to Slot’s vision. Slot has earned that privilege, PROVIDED we win the Premier League. Otherwise, he will be firmly placed in the Eternal Bottler Mega-Flop category, and we all understand how challenging it is to escape from that position (Lego Pulis – arf! – has something to say). Ah, transitional seasons, how I have longed for thee…
Gofezo (to be fair, Slot also lost his initial final with Feyenoord but managed to recover from it)
Irritating preferences section
Perhaps it's a sign of aging, but little things are starting to truly annoy me...
1. Socks pulled down. Jack Grealish says he couldn't pull his socks over his massive calf muscles, and this habit has now remained. Now it’s become a “thing” among numerous younger players. I've heard tales that certain players now use toilet paper or playing cards as shinpads. After being struck in that area, they tumble as if they’ve been hit by a bullet. If I ever took a hit on my shin, it was so painful that I wore shin guards that looked like Medieval Armor. Perhaps a couple more athletes in the league like Vinny Jones could make a difference!
2. Can someone explain why taking off your shirt to celebrate is a punishable offense, while raising it above your head isn't? The only explanation I can come up with is that after witnessing Ryan Giggs expose his chest, they concluded that small kids should never be exposed to such horrors again!
3. Is there ANY scientific proof that holes in your socks allow the calves to breathe? I have explored numerous writings on compression socks that SUPPORT circulation and assist in avoiding cramp. Who is correct, scientists or football players in their twenties? If they are correct, then why don’t clubs require it for all players?
Does anyone have additional pet peeves?
Adidasmufc (Indeed, I played when leather balls featured laces!)
…I've written about this previously, but it's worsening, and it's driving me crazy.
I’m tired of football Hipster YouTubers, analysts, and commentators pronouncing foreign footballers' names with an accent, like Bruno Fenarnssssh.
I'm not endorsing Paul Merson-like outright mispronunciation; simply pronounce it correctly while using your own accent.
If this trend persists, I propose two actions must take place (which will emphasize the absurdity and hopefully halt it). Let’s have German, Spanish, and French commentary teams adopt a Scouse accent for TAA, a Brummie accent when mentioning Grealish, and let’s honor Dan Burns week with Geordie accents.
Part 2 aims to compel the hipsters to not only adopt the appropriate accent for British and Irish players but to fully commit to it for every player.
Unless there's a justification, they feel at ease using a fake Portuguese accent but would never consider adopting a stereotypical Korean accent for Son or a fully offensive Nigerian accent for Ola Aina?
It's foolish, and they need to be confronted about it.
Ryan, Whitehaven
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