I was so tempted to write a piece today entitled ‘Why Does Gary Neville Keep Shitting Himself for Attention?’, but I realised that I’d just be giving himself the attention he so desperately craves. There can be no other sensible explanation for why Neville believe that Manchester United will finish above Liverpool this season. Yes, the Red Devils have signed some good players in the summer, whilst we’ve signed no one yet. Other than that, though, there is no real sense that the Old Trafford outfit are better-placed than we are to finish in the top four. Neville is an intelligent person and is normally very good at talking about football. When he’s discussing either his former club or the club that he grew up hating, however, he completely loses his head. It was evident as soon as he mentioned Waturo Endō as the first name on a list of our midfielders that he was either being deliberately obtuse or else he hasn’t seen us play at since Arne Slot took over as manager of the club. I’d be quietly surprised if Endō was still here in September, let alone first choice.
Gary, you say every year Manchester United will make top 4. Don’t make that mistake again.
Gary Neville:
pic.twitter.com/lYgfuntb2K— _Shaunmiller_ (@_shaunmiller_) August 19, 2024
Neville has a blind spot for Manchester United that is almost equal to his refusal to admit anything positive about Liverpool. It is why I don’t think he should be allowed to commentate on any matches involving either of the teams. I think the same about Jamie Carragher, for what it’s worth, even though he’s essentially the opposite of Neville. Neither of them can think about the clubs in level-headed ways, so we end up having to listen to them talk in ways that are, frankly, nonsensical. I’m not entirely convinced that Neville actually believes that Man United will finish in the top four and the Reds will miss out, but I think he’s trying to will it into being. His turning of a blind eye to the level of managerial ability displayed by Erik Ten Hag is suggestive of someone who is happy to ignore the failings at his former club in exchange for criticism of the owners at every turn. Quite how he’ll carry that on now INEOS have taken control of the footballing operation at Old Trafford I’m not sure, but he’ll do what he can to avoid being critical of the manager and the players.
Slot’s Not Shy of Making Changes
It goes without saying that I love Jürgen Klopp. I adore the German who gave us so many amazing nights, another European Cup and the club’s first title of the Premier League era. Yet I also think we need to be honest about his time in charge of Liverpool, especially towards the end of his tenure. There were numerous times when it was reasonably clear that the Reds were struggling in one area or another, but the manager was far too slow to react and change things. It is possible that Slot might head that was in the future, but it was heartening to see that he made the change that needed to be made quickly against Ipswich Town, demonstrating that he’s not afraid to do what needs to be done to set us on the right track. The manner in which he took Jarell Quansah off at half-time was heartless, but it was precisely the change that he had to make to stop Ipswich from being able to win so many second balls and to put us on the front foot. It is fair to say that it worked, given the manner in which we looked so much better second-half.
“The second half was a joy to watch”
Arne Slot reflects on his Liverpool side’s first Premier League game of the season 🙌
🎙️ @lynseyhipgrave1 | @petercrouch pic.twitter.com/2cb9WVk8yY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 17, 2024
The stats tell their own story. In the first-half Liverpool managed just three shots, none of which were on target. In the second-half we had 15 and five of them were on target, from which we scored two goals. Slot spoke to TNT Sport and admitted that he said to his players, “We don’t need to talk about tactics if you lose so many duels.” The big question is how Quansah responds to that. Will he take it as a challenge and step up his game when we play Brentford at Anfield, or will it cause him to go into his shell and regress a little bit? Everything you read about Slot’s time at his former clubs suggests that he is an excellent man-manager, so I’m hopeful that it will spur the young defender on to prove that he can win his battles all over the pitch. Even if Quansah doesn’t react to it the way we want, it is clear that Slot’s been able to get his message across to the rest of the squad and that he won’t put up with players losing their battles when they’re playing for him. It may also give Ibrahima Konaté hope that he can win his position back, which in turn might stop him from getting so many niggly injuries.
Trent’s New Contract Can’t Come Soon Enough
Whilst I personally would be offering new contracts to all three of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, I can understand why the club might be reluctant when it comes to the first two names. Virgil is now 33 and definitely looked like he was a little bit slower at times last season. Salah, meanwhile, is on a huge amount of money and you’re unlikely to be able to reduce his wages with any new contract offer, so do you want to commit to the 32-year-old until he’s 35? That is me playing Devil’s Advocate, of course. I believe that the two players are the best in their position in the world, even taking into account the fact that they are entering the twilight of their careers. The same cannot be said of Alexander Arnold, however. The 25-year-old isn’t getting anything but better, so if Slot can harness his talent even further and build a team around him then he could become one of Liverpool’s all-time greats. I’m sure that those in charge at Liverpool are thinking the same sort of thing and if they’re not then I would suggest that we need new people.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold that led to Liverpool’s first goal 🤤🤌🏻 pic.twitter.com/vxbejY31Y4
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) August 17, 2024
It isn’t just that Alexander-Arnold is a much better defender than he’s given credit for, nor that he’s got a passing range that most midfield maestros would dream of. It is that he is, as the song goes, ‘the Scouser in our team’ and would be a brilliant captain at some point in the future. That is why I think that Trent would like to sign a new contract if one were offered to him, but I can also understand why he might be at least tempted to see how he’d get on at the likes of Real Madrid. He wouldn’t be human if his head wasn’t turned by the possibility of playing at the Bernabeu with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. It is the job of Richard Hughes and others in Liverpool’s hierarchy to ensure that he stays with us for the entirely of his career. His performance against the Tractor Boys shows that he isn’t slowing down any time soon. I’m quite sure that Slot must be licking his lips at the idea of working with him for the next few years, but also that Trent will be weighing up working with Slot. Has the Ipswich match done enough to persuade them both this could be the perfect marriage?
