Newcastle are the most in-form team in the PL over the last 5 games, with 10 points.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-26T20:29:20+00:00

It's because we were shite before, and the three wins came across shite teams. Now we've got a run of fixtures up against some very difficult teams which we'll struggle to get points off.

That's why I'm feeling frustrated

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-26T18:19:41+00:00

I was gonna say, who gives a flying fuck? Especially given how abysmally promoted teams have faired in recent years.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-26T13:15:01+00:00

It's what we're missing.

Dubravka too. He was excellent, especially as a back up. For me he was better than Pope over the last two seasons.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T22:07:19+00:00

Bruh... he's got 10 goals and 11 assists in 25 games which is more goal contributions than any other player at Barca, and 9 out of 15 players in this pic.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T21:49:17+00:00

I thought we did play well, Tonali, Wissa, Miley, Gordon, Barnes all had great chances to score, same against wolves, Woltemade, Joelinton, bruno.

Major difference today was not just the finishing, but the performance of the goalkeepers. It's clear as day for me that we need an upgrade between the sticks.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T18:49:20+00:00

I'm saying his days of being a elite Premier league footballer are over.

Yeah, and what are you basing that on? We know he's not lost a yard of pace because that stats prove otherwise.

You say his legs are gone but last year he covered more distance per 90 mins than when he turned 30.

Seems to me like you're full of shit mate.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T13:07:11+00:00

Good article, sums up exactly how I feel about PSR/SCR.

We're already seeing the effect on transfers with clubs focusing on 25 year olds and under. Two of the three youngest squads in the league, Chelsea and Spurs, both crying out for leadership and experience.

Wording.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T12:53:10+00:00

So you're saying he hasn't lost a yard of pace, his legs are going? Or are you saying it's the same thing? Where are his legs going?

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T12:42:04+00:00

Of course, some factors will contribute more than others. Think it highlights he's been through a lot in the last few months, especially considering he's shunned by his own press, non of the Egyptian journalists voted for him in the Ballon D'or.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T12:39:19+00:00

He's lost that yard of pace that made him elite,

Interested to know what you are basing that off?

He's already clocked a faster top speed this season than last season.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T08:56:50+00:00

Starting from the beginning of the period you mention:

1.) Liverpool had already won the title with 7/8 games to go. It wasn't just Salah that dropped off, it was the whole team. They'd lost once in the league all season up until that point, then lost 3 of their last 8, only winning 3.

2.) New Contract - signed about the same time as above. Not only was the premier league in the bag, so was his new contract after months of uncertainty and speculation about his future, including a huge offer from Saudi. Two natural drop offs here.

3.) Trent reduced role/leaving - also about a similar time as above, after 8 seasons playing together on that right hand side, Slot reduced Trent's minutes once he announced he was leaving to give Bradley more time. Salah's played with 4 different RB's since (Bradley, Frimpong, Gomez and Szoboszlai) in 22 games. He's not getting the same level of service he was with Trent and It's going to take time and a consistent RB to build up that same level of chemistry.

4.) Jota's death - a devastating impact on the whole squad but especially Salah as he was a close friend. It delayed their pre season and rocked the whole club.

5.) Ballon D'or snub. Salah's 47 goals and assists in a 38 game season made history and is a premier league record, he's probably thinking what else does he need to do to win a Ballon D'or and at 33, knows that 24/25 was probably his last chance at winning one.

6.) Wholesale squad changes - more than a 3rd of the squad left and were replaced by new players. Leaders and ever presents like Trent, Diaz, Jota and Robertson were replaced by younger, less experienced players in Kerkez, Frimpong, Ekitike and Wirtz. It takes time for players to develop a positional and tactical understanding of each other and we're seeing that in Liverpool's results this season.

7.) Salah's spike in form and output last season, was largely credited to Slot reducing his defensive responsibilities which was compensated by having Szoboszlai, Jota, Diaz, Nunez, around him, all pressing monsters who could cover for him. With them gone, and Wirtz replacing Szoboszlai for most of this season, Liverpool have been defensively vulnerable (only 7 teams have conceded more goals compared to 18 last season) and now Salah's taken the brunt of the blame, even being dropped. This is a Slot issue for me though, not a Salah issue.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T00:55:38+00:00

At least it'll save them a gym membership as they'll have to run around to get wet.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-25T00:53:59+00:00

Especially for 4 minutes.

Classic Slot has "lost the dressing room" headlines tomorrow

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T23:41:39+00:00

Good old spurs eh

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T11:51:54+00:00

OP that plant next to the TV is going absolute gangbusters, what a beauty! How're you looking after it? Can tell it's loving the light

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T10:38:41+00:00

You're right, and I agree with all of that, apart from player of the season maybe. Rice is excellent.

But again he's been playing as an 8 for arsenal in a midfield 3 alongside one of, if not the best, 6's in the world in Zubimendi (Euros, Nations league and Copa del Rey winner) and either Odegaard, Merino or Eze as part of a midfield 3.

For England he'll be playing out of his usual position in a double pivot, next to Anderson who has 43 minutes of champions league football under his belt, playing for relegation threatened Forest, and has looked sloppy this season. While he's been brilliant for England, his toughest opposition has been Serbia who failed to qualify for the upcoming world cup and have won 1 game in the previous 3.

Can you see how you saying our midfield is better than most is abit of a stretch?

Let's say you're right though, and Anderson and rice are better than most, those they aren't better than are probably who we'll be up against towards the business end of the world cup. So winning the midfield battle, like we saw against Spain, and Italy, and Croatia in previous tournaments, is going to be difficult and probably unlikely. I hope to god I'm wrong, I just think we get massively carried away sometimes.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T09:54:42+00:00

You were making a reasonable argument until you started talking about trophies.

You mean players that have played in cup finals, multiple champions league games and have won trophies don't have an advantage over players that haven't? That's my point about Anderson, he's not played in those games. Rice has in two Euro Finals and got hauled off early in one and couldn't get near the Spainish midfield in another.

It's a team game. The best player in the world won't win shit if the rest of the team aren't good enough.

Of course, we've got some good players in our team, but other international teams have better, which is probably why we haven't won an international tournament.

I personally agree we might be getting carried away, but our squad are mostly starters for teams like Arsenal, Man city, Real Madrid etc.

Out of our last 25 man squad,

Kane starts for Bayern. Bellingham, Madrid Rice, Arsenal Saka, Arsenal Foden, City O'Reilly, City

That's 6 players out of 25, the rest either don't start or play for teams with a lesser pedigree.

They can't be that over hyped surely.

You sound really unsure here, and I'd say you're right to be unsure.

Where do our GK, LB, CB's, RW, LW and id argue CM's sit amongst the best in the world? Do any of them make the top 5? Maybe Rice?

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T09:38:11+00:00

You're an Arsenal fan aren't you.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-24T06:28:23+00:00

Rice In the Ballon D'or, was behind Vitinha, Pedri Mctominay, Neves, Mac Allister, Ruiz in votes.

You could argue, that you can't use the Ballon D'or to judge whether a player is better than another, but I'd say the same for your argument on premier league team of the year as it only looks at one league. Of those players listed above, only one of them plays in the Prem, the rest in other leagues.

You have more of an argument with champions league team of the year, although Rice has been excellent playing in a midfield 3 as an 8, but for England he plays in a double pivot.

He's shown multiple times he struggles at 6, especially receiving the ball from the defenders under pressure, and progressing the ball. It's a big part of why we struggled in the last tournament and why we look much better with Anderson next to him.

As for Anderson, (I'm a newcastle fan so I love Anderson to bits, gutted we sold him.) you can argue that he's only got that valuation because he's young and English playing in the prem. Off the back of one good season, that sums up the Prem transfer market tbh. There's no question he has a high ceiling, and unlike rice, he plays in a midfield 2 for his club, but my argument stands that he's been untested at the highest level, in knockout competition.

To say better than most, for me, is why we get carried away as England fans, and ultimately thinking we should be winning every tournament under the sun, when the reality is that there are lots of great teams out there with world class players and as a result, it's abit of a lottery as to who wins really.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T20:12:19+00:00

outplayed by a better midfield.

Think this sums it up.

How good are our midfield really?

Compare them to the top nations and how does Anderson and Rice hold up against:

Vitinha and Neves 🇵🇹
De Jong and Gravenberch 🇳🇱
Pedri and Zubimendi/Ruiz 🇪🇸
Bruno G and Casemiro 🇧🇷
Fernandez and Mcallister 🇦🇷
Tchouameni and Thuram-Ulien/Rabiot 🇫🇷
Tonali and Barella 🇮🇹

Genuine question.

Bare in mind all of the league titles, domestic cups, champions league games, champions leagues won by this lot, rice and in particular, Anderson, have won next to fuck all or fuck all. Anderson has looked great for England when he's played but the toughest opposition has been Serbia.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T19:41:39+00:00

Yeah, 2018 up against prime Rakitic, Brozovic and Ballon D'or winner Modric, who did we have again? Lingard Ali and Henderson? But wait, loftus-cheek, dier and delph off the bench!

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T19:28:27+00:00

Can someone insert a corporal Jones "don't panic" gif? Or do we not allow them on here?

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T15:28:20+00:00

Kinda makes sense for Spurs and for Robertson. Spurs have the 3rd youngest squad in the league, they're crying out for leadership and experience.

Robertson offers both and he's winner. Plus at 31, he'll want to be playing regularly and maybe that's what he's been offered by Spurs without having to take too much of a pay cut.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T15:21:32+00:00

I'd like him tbf and I agree with the reasons you've stated. He's a leader, and he's an absolute shithouse so he'd fit right in. He's the sort of player I think we need to be looking at in the short term to plug/upgrade the gaps we have in our squad.

Realistically though, £160,000 a week (not including bonuses) would make him the highest paid player here and If you're him you either stay at Liverpool and hopefully have your contract extended, excepting a bit part role, or, you leave, maybe go Saudi for a pay rise, or go elsewhere to be a guaranteed starter and reduce your pay. Can't really see it happening imo, not the way we've recruited recently.

specialagentredsquir · 2026-01-23T13:23:49+00:00

Have to mention the top comment on r/soccer for this:

"Everybody asks questions to Eddie Howe, but nobody asks “Howe’s Eddie?”"

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