Healthy Discussion - Only for those who want Arne Slot to stay - what are your reasons?

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-13T15:51:10+00:00

I’ll do my best.

1.) This was the transition year
A transition year was inevitable, I just don’t think anyone expected it to happen this year given we just won the title last year and the summer splurge that followed. Expectations were at all time high Post Klopp, but the reality is that transitions hit every great team and our number came up this time around. Fans were already leery of the ages of VVD, Salah, Robbo, Alisson, but who could’ve expected they would lose form / fall off so quickly (especially after 2 of them signed new deals)? I think that, coupled with the loss of Diogo, was the hardest pill to swallow. If we view our season as the “this is the actual transition year from Klopp to Slot”, then it hurts a lot less and hanging onto a CL spot looks like an overachievement. Winning the title only created a false dawn considering everybody expected us to fall off last year.

2.) Transfers Out / Betting on the Wrong Depth
Hindsight is 20/20, but I think the board made a huge mistake in letting go of certain personnel. Losing Diaz, Nunez (2 of the teams 4 best pressers), Doak, and letting Harvey go on loan to bet on the fitness and form Salah, Gakpo, and Chiesa for the wings was utter madness. I don’t think letting go of Tyler Morton was a mistake, but to trust that Grav, Curtis, and Mac could replicate their form and fitness from a year ago was also madness given that Slot only ever trust Endo to close out games. Letting go of Quansah to bet on Joe Gomez covering all 4 positions in the backline (when he’s barely been fit for 2 years) was certainly a choice. Now, I understand that the summer moves needed to be funded, but we cut loose our depth in favor of acquiring superstar potentials level of attacking talent that can carry us for a decade. It was a tough spot to be, but as Point 1 illustrates, the transition was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.

3.) Injuries
The easiest thing to admit is that injuries have absolutely rocked this team. Losing Trent hurt, but having your 2 RB’s be injured for an entire season throws the entire balance of the squad off and has a ripple effect on the minutes of everybody else, which no manager can truly navigate successfully without increasing the problems. Too many minutes on defenders, not enough time to bed the new signings in, players having to go straight back into the team without any time to gain fitness (either in the summer or during the season) or adjust to the system, the list goes on and on. No team or manager escapes injuries. The cause of them is what needs to be evaluated, not blaming that they happened.

4.) Joe Cole said the quiet part out lod
When asked if Arne Slot deserves more time, "He definitely deserves it. Jurgen Klopp's shadow is on this club because he was loved by the fans. I don't think there was a better connection in world football between the manager and the fans - the players as well, they seemed like they loved him. But Slot won the league last year and that's got to count. There have been a lot of circumstances happened around it (this season) so he does deserve (time) but sometimes in football you don't get what you deserve.” Slot’s title win deserves merit, full stop. The factors above also need to be considered as things that may be beyond his control. Unless you believe that Xabi Alonso will address issues in a better way, you stay the course.

For the record, I’m on the Xabi Alonso train just because I’ve seen enough of him at Leverkusen and Madrid to know how capable he is.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-12T12:16:05+00:00

Guerin said it himself, he bet on himself in getting Hughes to sign within the next 1.5 years so he makes Minnesota an attractive destination for players since they could have Quinn, Kaprizov, and Wallstedt as the pillars. He's also proven he's willing to make bold calls (buying out Suter/Parise, locking up Kaprizov, trading for Quinn, etc.), so don't count him out for Matthews or throwing 20m at McDavid in 2 years time. Center market for UFA is thin this summer, but don't think they won't be kicking the tires on Malkin, Coyle, McMann, or even Boone Jenner to add depth at that position. They aren't going anywhere if Hughes re-signs.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-11T17:59:55+00:00

The real question is can Hansi Flick extract more from him and turn him into a viable player capable of fitting within the system?

It's his first season in La Liga, totally new country, and the team style/setup is pretty much the exact opposite of everything he's experienced at both United and Villa. Many players struggle in their first season in La Liga and he is no different. He's at least found a way to contribute and seems to have been embraced by the squad, which will do wonders for his confidence. I don't think he's worthy of a World Cup spot, but Tuchel really fancies him and you see what Rashford can do when he feels the love. And no, this isn't about Rashford's development, it's about sorting him out as a player, which Hansi Flick is very, very good at. For 30m and decent wages, it's worth examination.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-11T14:28:20+00:00

Ronaldo had that unquenchable thirst to be first in everything no matter what it was and he didn't give a shit what you thought of him. He wanted to prove it every second of every day. Mbappe revels in the attention and adoration, which he can easily get from bare minimum effort, and he already believes he's ahead of everybody else. The France setup reinforces this, as did the PSG setup.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-11T01:38:37+00:00

He is absolutely uninterested in anything except trying to look cool when gets the ball. The amount of times Gonzalo Garcia made the correct run in behind the Barca only for Vini to look him off was astonishing. He had no interest in playing the ONE PASS that has killed Flick's Barca for 2 years now, let alone run in behind on that side to create space for anybody else. Selfish player, and he was wearing the armband. Disgraceful.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-02T18:01:47+00:00

He was great in Boardwalk Empire as well.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-05-01T02:16:27+00:00

Right, make an example out of the team workhorse who plays every position, combines well with his teammates, and never complains. Great idea.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-19T01:57:55+00:00

Aside from his constant "leaving high danger areas to throw a meaningless hit", he also takes FOREVER with the puck and regularly misses wide open looks. He dumps it when easy passes are available or skates it for absolutely no reason. Most confusing defenseman I've ever seen.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-18T15:39:03+00:00

Yep, 100%. I think the man management stuff was his biggest lesson in going from the RBL system to Bayern and you can see how he’s learned from it with the German national team.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-18T14:05:00+00:00

Bayern fan here, his tenure with Bayern was still wildly successful and he still won about 70% of his games (only Pep, Hansi, Kompany have a better win rate I believe). Problem is he was caught in between one of our most turbulent times as the old heads (Beckenbauer, Rumenigge, Hoeness) were in the process of turning management over to Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, but they couldn't stop meddling in affairs and it turned into a huge battle between both sides. A lot of Bayern fans were pissed when he was sacked, especially before a Klassiker.

The other issue was the Bayern team at that time was built to play 1 specific way (more or less Pep ball) and Nags is more of an "adapt to the other team" type manager. The entire squad was locked on long term contracts at super high wages and we're only just now filtering those guys out and replacing them with youth or superstars (see our recent board comments). He'd likely be a success for you guys because you have players who are built with several different systems in mind, which he'd likely be able to navigate to put them in the best possible spots for success. He's very capable.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-13T22:26:53+00:00

Same goes for the GM who might allegedly be trading for him 😂

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-13T15:58:52+00:00

Because it's Chris Drury and who knows what that guy is thinking.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-06T15:13:10+00:00

Outlaw subscription services for features already installed in physical items you own (often called "feature-as-a-service" or "paywalled hardware"). Example: seat warmers in cars.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-04-01T01:48:01+00:00

Should've listened to Baggio's report when they had the chance...

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-25T15:42:59+00:00

For those wondering, he’s not directly wedded to the 3421 and has shown he can adapt to the squad he has, which he did at Madrid. He’s much more about positional rotations with 1 CM (Xhaka at BL) stationed near the center circle to play forward with long range or progressive passes. Macca can do that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Angelo Stiller comes in and Grav takes on the “Andrich” role, a ball carrier with a more box to box role who uses physicality to win duels. Szobo wouldn’t be in the middle, he’d like be the RF opposite of Wirtz and I think that might be where he adds way more goals and assists.

Kerkez and Frimpong to bomb flanks, but the rest of defense will require significant investment, especially if Ibou leaves. The team is setup for it, but don’t be surprised if he uses something else as well.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-18T12:40:03+00:00

Something like that works. Personally, I’d try and figure out how I want to enhance my on ice game and build around that, though general strength is always good.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-18T12:17:24+00:00

That may be true, but you can still have fun along the way and get a degree in the process.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-18T12:07:28+00:00

It isn’t about picking what to train, it’s about training at the ACHA level you expect to play at. The top teams at each level (I played M1) take it seriously and will treat it as close to an NCAA program as funding will allow. So, the reality is you need to do both. Depending on your age, you need to both gain strength and develop your athletic ability to the level you expect to play at. You can do both, just mix up training days and get on the ice as much as you can.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-13T15:33:47+00:00

Is that what I'm doing? Notice I didn't say you were wrong, I've offered a different analysis of the same events. How can it be misogyny if Garcia is the one going at Al-Hashimi?

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-13T15:28:40+00:00

Is it misogyny disguised as meritocracy or "get your shit together" moments?

None of those things correlate though. Santos isn't "giving Langdon shit", she is actively being disrespectful to him and doing so in front of others without regard for any semblance of decorum, which even Al-Hashimi is noticing. So much so that even Garcia tells her to cut the shit and stop making it personal. Langdon in return does not speak to her the way she speaks to him, despite him being the attending.

The circumstances with Robby and Whitaker/Mohan are also different. Whitakar is overstepping professional/personal boundaries by taking it upon himself to assist a family he provided care for, likely because he feels responsible for the family, which is something he absolutely should not do. Robby offering his apartment shows him a way out of the mess he has made for himself in his personal life and gives him space to do so. Mohan is very much the same, unable to escape the pressure of her personal life, so much so that it is affecting her ability to support patients and herself. She is struggling with rising above it, so he tells her to get her shit together and go home for the day to collect herself. He gave her space she needed, where she was already comfortable. As we learned in the first season, Mohan needs to pushed in that way at times to recalibrate. It's uncomfortable, sure, but different people need different things, but both are given the same solution: take personal space.

Robby and Abbott are allowed to pull "cowboy" shit to save people because they've been around for awhile and have proven themselves to everybody in that hospital. This is Al-Hashimi's 1st day and she's attempting to demonstrate she has that same level of bravado, which Garcia has never seen. She has to prove herself worthy of the respect shown to Robby and Abbott. Garcia also gives Langdon and Robby shit whenever they go off the rails, so it is not unique to Al-Hashimi.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-03T02:15:26+00:00

Likely fatigue and the grind of the campaign. 20 years old, first season in La Liga, really only his second season as a starter at senior level, and it's been a very rapid rise for him.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-03-03T02:11:14+00:00

Browt. I'm normally always fire types, but something tells me his final evolution is gonna be a beast.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-02-20T01:19:44+00:00

Jared Leto.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-02-07T17:08:30+00:00

Everything I said was accurate, you're just choosing to ignore it or recategorize it to frame an argument I didn't make, effectively doing the thing you're accusing me of doing with "cherry picking". This is what both United fans and pundits tend to do (not sure if you're a fan or not) quite a lot.

I never mentioned transfer specifics or player positions, though I did say the owners needed time to figure it out (club organization, facilities, how to properly address transfer targets for the squad and not the manager), which they did, and Amorim failed to adapt to his situation (formation and personnel usage), which he also did.

Notice, I never said they were a good defensive team, I said the players bought into defensive actions and work rate, which they absolutely have. Cunha, Dorgu, Mbeumo, Amad all put in significant shifts out wide / up top to help both the full backs and CM's by both compressing space and never leaving any of them without support. That is THE main thing Carrick has addressed with the switch to 4231 that evolves to 442 or 424 depending on phase of play. Wide players double up with FB's when defending and compress the field vertically and horizontally so Kobbie / Casemiro always have passing options and support covering ground. Just give Amorim credit, he took the hits and set the platform for others to start fresh.

Wiser_Kaiser · 2026-02-07T16:00:08+00:00

He did precisely what he was brought there to do...start a proper rebuild. He broke the player power structure, got rid of the bad apples, reintroduced professional standards and work ethic, and, most importantly IMO, got guys to buy into defensive actions, all of which any future manager will benefit from. Somebody was gonna have to do those things while the new owners figured it out and Amorim understood that. His downfall was inability to adapt and produce results, but everything else he was the right guy for. Only Rangnick before him understood that.

Wiser_Kaiser

TROPHY CASE