I have been absolutely heartbroken to see some of the scenes we’ve witnessed on the streets of Britain in recent days. The fact that some of it has been happening in Liverpool is particularly hard to swallow. Liverpool was built on immigration. The very accent that the locals speak with is a mix of Irish, Scottish, Norwegian and so on, brought to our shores when Liverpool was one of the most important dock cities in the world. We have the oldest mosque in the country on our doorstep, to say nothing of the oldest Chinatown in England. I am not going to be naive enough to pretend that the city is some sort of racial utopia, but most people in Liverpool understand the importance of immigration to the city’s success. That is also true when it comes to football. The recent Champions League and Premier League trophies added to the cabinet only arrived because of the work of Muslims such as Mo Salah and Sadio Mané, working alongside those of Christian beliefs like Alisson Becker and Roberto Firmino, pulling together for a common goal.
The far-right did not gather to riot in Liverpool from other places in the country. Though the city has a strong anti-fascist tradition, they are from Liverpool. Until we admit we have a far-right influence in this city, the quicker we can accept we have an issue
— امينةAmina Atiq (@AminaAtiqArtist) August 4, 2024
To see videos of people stood on the Strand and singing the name of Tommy Robinson, or Stephen Yaxley-Lennon to give him his real name, is one of the worst things I’ve seen in recent times. The last time these far-right racists turned up, they were laughed out of town to the Benny Hill theme music. This time, there were people with Scouse accents and wearing Liverpool tops joining the fascists to express their abhorrent views. It would be really easy to pretend that that’s not true, but it is. We have a racism problem in Liverpool just like elsewhere in the country and we need to face up to that. One of the first places to start is in Anfield, banning anyone found to have taken part in the rioting as far as the club is concerned, confronting anyone espousing racist points of view if you’re in the ground watching a match. We can’t continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that this is a problem for the rest of the country. As a football club, Liverpool FC is about unity and togetherness. It’s clear that some supporters would do well to remember that.
He’s Been Assessing His Squad
There is an extent to which summers with a Euros or a World Cup throw everything out of whack. For starters, many of the first team players don’t arrive at pre-season training until the new campaign is nearly upon us. Then there’s the fact that any signings that clubs might wish to make are made trickier by players being unavailable for conversations and medicals. Add in the fact that this summer also had a Copa América taking place and you can see why the transfer market has been a little bit quieter than usual. For the Reds, there is an added trickiness on account of the fact that we have a new manager, or Head Coach as the case may be, and he will want to get a sense of what the players at his disposal are able to deliver before he gives the go-ahead for any transfer activity. That, though, is far too nuanced a point of view for many of the transfer hungry folk in our fanbase to get their heads around. They want money to be spent and they want it to be spent now. Never mind that the manager doesn’t even know what positions need to be strengthened in his squad.
🗣️Fabio Carvalho confirms the plan is to be part of the Liverpool squad this season, no more loans.
He said they’re “adjusting everyday” to Arne Slot’s methods and “having fun” with it.
Both Fabio and Harvey Elliott performing well, bromance is flourishing on the field. #LFC pic.twitter.com/uK7gTU0l5B
— Joseph McBride (@_JosephMcBride) August 1, 2024
As far as I’m concerned, it is absolutely right that Arne Slot works to figure out which players will be able to adapt to his was of playing and which ones won’t. He also needs to get a sense of which of those in his wider squad can be depended upon and which will struggle to step up to the plate when needed. In some ways, it is good that Andy Robertson has had an injury niggle and Kostas Tsimikas has played regularly, give the fact that the Scot is getting older and so Slot needs to see what the Greek Scouser is able to do in his absence. It also helps for the Head Coach to get a chance to look at players such as Fabio Carvalho and figure out how he would use him and where he sits in the pecking order. Whilst he’s had a decent enough pre-season, it is fairly clear that he isn’t at the top of the pecking order and is only really getting a chance because of the late return of players. Working out who he can trust and who needs to get a move elsewhere will be one of Slot’s most important jobs in a summer when he’s barely had time to unpack his boxes.
The Players Seem to Know What he Wants
One of the nice things about what we’ve seen so far is that the players seem to be understanding what Slot is asking of them in training. That might sound quite basic, but one of the worst things that could’ve happened after the departure of Jürgen Klopp would’ve been a group of players struggling to comprehend what the new guy wants from them. I am generally of the opinion that pre-season matches are totally irrelevant and I’d be lying to you if I said that I’ve been up in the early hours watching these games play out. In truth, though, these matches aren’t as irrelevant as such games usually are simply because of what they’re telling us about Arne Slot’s way of playing. Although I’m reluctant to refer to it as ‘Slotball’ as it appears that the kids are doing, it is fair to say that the shout of ‘kill them with passes’ has a ring of truth to it. The Dutchman’s approach seems to be a cross between the killer instinct of Klopp and the desire to maintain possession that we’ve long seen in Pep Guardiola teams. That could be an excellent approach.
Liverpool’s preseason:
▪️Three games
▪️Three winsThe Arne Slot era has begun 🤩 pic.twitter.com/HI10P9OjZX
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) August 4, 2024
Of course, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face and the Premier League is a division that offers punch after punch. The pre-season matches against Arsenal and Manchester United have offered a slight taste of life in the English top-flight, but maybe games against West Ham United and Leicester City might have been more instructive. Neither the Gunners nor United will play like that when we face them in the league, to say nothing of the fact that they don’t offer the sort of challenge that we’re likely to face week-in, week-out. When Everton turn up and Sean Dyche the hell out of it, what will Slot make of all of that? That, hopefully, will be where the muscle memory of the players kicks in and we see them step up to the plate and deliver. Their knowledge of the league combined with the manager’s obvious tactical nous might well be enough to get us over the line when it matters. What we’ve learnt from this pre-season more than anything else is that news of Liverpool’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. Can we challenge at the top once more?
