Slot's new formula, Salah the striker & Saudi interest in Hughes

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The Athletic FC

All right, Red, don't you ever enjoy a walk on your Liverpool podcast

from the Athletic?

I'm here with James Pearson, Simon Hughes.

Well, from boost to bliss.

You know, Amfield's was rockin'

as Liverpool slaughtered Galatasaray

to go through some of the last days of the Champions League.

We'll talk about that victory,

discuss the Saudi interests and Richard Hughes,

and plenty more.

We'll have to rush through it, say,

because James was going to get to the airport

because he's off on another not a holiday.

Hey, sure, break long weekends.

Tell us about it, James, where you're going this time?

I'm just off the tenoree for a long weekend.

How's this?

Just, ah, you know, just off the tenoree for a long weekend.

Been in the diary for a number of months,

and you know what, it's been a stressful week.

I'm going to put my feet up and watch Brighton away from afar.

Well, we better have three words.

I mean, man, for James, we always off somewhere,

but that's after three words from you.

Very good.

So, I, too up front, too up front,

yeah, yeah, works for me.

James, that's the standard.

I agree completely.

So, that's what we all think is what you're saying.

Brian Shaward, a Liverpool performance.

Rob Adamson, like new system.

Dominic Wade, that's the blueprints.

And David Bracey is a man, after I run her, say,

stuff three words.

Why can't we play with that tempo and believe every week?

Would you say, Guy, have you heard that?

To join our community of listeners on Facebook,

just search, walk on podcast and join the group.

Salah at the pass, I could take it!

Liverpool's celebrating front of the court.

And Hugo Wicked, TK makes it soon and on the night.

Two on to Liverpool and I bring it.

Well, James, a different reaction from Somzi.

What did you make of that?

I thought it was sensational.

Yeah, it was hard to believe, really,

that it was just what, 72 hours earlier,

that it was virtually the same group of players

that have been out there.

A lot of the same supporters, you think of the contrasting emotions.

It was different ends of the spectrum,

wasn't it, from the paucity of what I'd been served up on the field on,

on Sunday afternoon and the anger in the stands,

compared to like suddenly we could, we saw exactly what we want to see

from this Liverpool team in every single department,

that the tempo, the intensity, the move in the ball at pace,

the incision, the creativity, the aggression,

pressing as a unit, you know,

hounding and hassling opponents and forcing mistakes.

And when you play that, you involve the fans.

That's why the atmosphere was just, you know,

so spying tingling pretty much throughout.

I thought, and yeah, for, I mean,

in the end, 4-0, massively flat as Galatasaray.

My Fenerbahce supporting taxi driver last week,

who was trying to lift my spirits on the way back to Istanbul Airport,

he did tell us then that they're dreadful away from home

and that Liverpool would be okay.

And he was right, but take nothing away from Liverpool,

because we just haven't seen that enough from them this season,

but we know they've got it in them.

Yeah, yeah, and who to thought say,

getting, you know, getting there a bunch of players,

putting them in the best possible positions would wear.

Yeah, I thought the team selection was really interesting,

and I'm glad that slots change things up a little bit.

It was a bit more like the shape,

again, since I'm a LAN in December, where, you know,

it's difficult to distinguish whether it was a midfield time,

and it was sort of a 4-2-2-2.

Maybe we get obsessed by these numbers a little bit too much,

because it was quite fluid in attack,

but it was very clear to me, first of all,

Zobbislive was in midfield, you know,

and getting more involved in the game.

And not only that salad was playing more as a centre-forward,

than as a wide player.

And it just meant that he was closer to other players,

closer to the goal, more involved and more confidence.

You know, so I think from his, it was a really good night

from his perspective, even though obviously you missed the penalty,

but I think he responded to that really well,

and finished the game before he got substituted really strongly.

I think it's the shape that suits Liverpool at the moment,

because it gives them more bodies in the middle of the pitch.

It gives the defence a bit more coverage,

and it gets the midfield a little bit closer to the 4 players as well.

Now, you might not have these flying wide players in attack,

but it gives more license for the two fullbacks to get forwards.

And I've got to say, a full care case was outstanding

for Liverpool last night.

I thought he actually really set the tone for the whole performance.

He was aggressive, only made one mistake when he jumped into attack

a little bit too quickly.

But he was slapping into tackles, you know,

and that got the crowd going early on,

and what a really liked about Liverpool's performance was.

They got out a grip of the game,

and then really went forward quickly.

They went passionate from side to side,

as we've seen, they got the ball forward.

They got into the channels a lot.

They were more direct.

And that's what you've got to do.

And then that should be the blueprints, of course.

You've just got to repeat that now.

Good people are happy this morning,

but you've got to do it again and again and again

to give them a chance both in the Premier League and the Champions League.

And if they perform like that,

you know, they've got every chance of finishing the season strongly,

but we haven't really seen the evidence of the season.

Have we that they can do that,

repeatedly over the course of, you know,

not just a few games, but several games and, you know,

multiples of games?

James, frankly, to team I was proud against Tottenham.

But, you know, it made a big difference.

Like I say, I haven't striked there, you know,

instead of causing a pull up on the zone,

you know, salar in a CTK.

It worked for both of them.

Yeah, I mean, like we said earlier on in the week,

I do have some sympathy.

I think we saw it from different viewpoints, Tony,

didn't we about the team selection against Tottenham?

Because I think when you've got a week like this one for Liverpool

and the courses are really quick turnaround now,

before they go to Brighton on Saturday,

you know, you do have to try and juggle your resources

and it's made more difficult going into that game

by the fact that a CTK and Canate,

neither of them are trained.

But, but yeah, I agree, I agree with Say that, you know,

that the balance of that team was so much better.

I thought, you know, salar flourished in that system.

More than anything, because although salar hasn't done himself justice

and of course, his powers have weighed this season.

That's been blatantly obvious.

But when you get him more centrally like that

and you get other bodies around him,

he's less isolated and he's in areas more often

where he can hurt teams.

And yeah, I was really, really pleased for him

because of course, the fear going into half time

was that that penalty miss might just deflate everything

but it didn't.

It, you know, Liverpool actually went to the next level second half.

Salar, one of the problems this season, say,

is he's been, he's been poor,

but he's been pushed wider and wider

and been marginalized,

getting them involved and getting them in positions

where he has opportunities is these days.

This goal scoring is the best part of it.

This pace is, is faded a little bit.

And if he's going to make an impact for the rest of the season,

you know, and he scores his 50th Champions League goal

eventually after missing a couple of chances,

you know, let's not, let's not over-prease him

because he did miss chances earlier.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But he stuck to the game, didn't he?

And he, he covers deserved rewards.

I was thinking about this.

Yes, saying that a bit of a discussion with, with a mate,

about it last night.

Yes, I have friends, before you say.

We were saying, you know, about the impact

of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool.

You know, maybe we just, we took that relationship for granted,

quite a lot.

I think a lot of people did, you know,

because both of their rise as Liverpool players,

coincided, didn't it?

Trent made his first big European moment against Huff and Harm.

I think was, was Salas first European match for Liverpool,

am I right in saying, you know, like, and over the years,

the past, you know, that they developed an understanding

on the pitch, which was so effective, you know,

where Trent Alexander-Arnold would, would get Salas

into the game very quickly and, and allow them to sort of do his thing,

because of his passing range and his vision.

Obviously, that's no longer there anymore.

And I do think it's a, it should be a reminder for Salas,

it, you know, he's not been able to do all this by himself over the years.

He's had a lot of support around him with top quality players.

I, I, I, I assume sometimes sense he forgets that a little bit.

Maybe just by his messaging, you know,

around certain things that he says.

And it's been hard from this season and he's been nowhere near,

you know, the level that we've come to expect from him.

And I can understand why people saying he always powers of ways.

Well, visibly, the heavy cart run as fast as he used to.

That, that is there. We can see that.

But, you know, there's a confidence thing as well.

Very difficult to measure confidence.

Is, is it physically, he's so tailed off to the point where,

you know, he's no longer functional or is it an element of confidence?

As well, he's lost his way a little bit.

He's maybe not quite, you know, he's just wanting to league like a lot of other players.

I think when you win the league that the challenges to go again.

And they found it difficult for all sorts of different reasons.

And I've been disappointed by that.

But there's the mitigation of all the stuff that you've spoken about before.

But Salah particularly just hasn't got going.

And yesterday was the first time I thought he looks like he was involved in the game.

Like from the start, he didn't necessarily

used a ball very well at certain points, even in the first arc before he missed the pen.

But he was involved.

He was closer to Akiteke.

You could see Akiteke benefited from that as well.

Because he had someone to play around, somebody to aim for,

somebody to occupy the space that he wanted to pull,

defenders into positions to create space for himself.

So it was a step in the right direction.

I just wonder whether, you know, slot will do it again.

Whether he'll stick with that.

Because he's very much a 4-2-3-1 man.

You know, that's been the way he set all of his teams up

since the beginning of his managerial career.

I just think sometimes you've got to get something, you know,

that works for the team in it in a moment.

And at that moment, that shape certainly in Europe is work for Liverpool.

Whether it can work in the Premier League is a different matter.

I just think at the moment, you've got to get these players confidence

and believing in themselves and working towards something.

Even if it has some weaknesses with that shape,

maybe at least the confidence that you take from the attacking options,

maybe just run with it and let the players figure it out a little bit themselves on the pitch sometimes.

I also think the players were acutely aware of how important that game was,

and there was an extra spring in the stuff from the first moments.

I think sometimes the challenge of getting into fifth,

psychologically, it's just not as exciting as trying to get into the Champions League,

you know, the Champions League quarterfans, is it?

And I think the players really censored there's an opportunity there.

I mean, let's face it, if Liverpool do get past PSG,

everyone's going to be saying Liverpool can win this competition.

There is no doubt about that.

Salah wanted to come up, which is unusual James.

Any updates on why?

Yes, lots and after the game that he felt some muscle tightness.

So he said, you know, obviously with the tie already done and dusted,

took no risks and hooked him off.

So yeah, they'll assess him in the next 24 hours.

Hopefully nothing serious because it was, it did feel like, you know,

a real step forward for him because he has been a tough watch of late.

There's no, there's no doubt about that.

And I just love the fact because I couldn't have been the only one who was sat there thinking,

is that image of him missing that penalty going to become like

the defining one of the night because for a team that's had to endure so many

setbacks this season, I did wonder how they would deal with it.

Despite the fact it had been so, so one sided up to that point.

But I think he deserves huge credit for how he came out and led the fight second half.

The assist for EK is, you know, the weight of that pass is absolutely elite quality.

And it was vintage Salah, wasn't it?

The goal he did score, cutting in how many times have we seen that over?

He is cutting in from the right hand side onto his left and bending it into that far corner.

Should have had another one when he hit the bar, but yeah,

13 touches he had in the opposition box, completed all 14 of his passes in the final third,

created two chances as well.

We all know that this, we could be watching the final few months of a legend in Liverpool's

history here, you know, there may well be a partner ways come the summer.

And it would be really sad if he went out with a wimper after everything he's done.

And I think Wednesday night was proof that there's a little bit of,

little bit of life left in him, yeah.

Yeah, and there's James, he reels off a stats package, immediately jumps in the cabin,

goes to the airport to fly off to foreign parts.

He's living his dream side.

He's living his dream.

Do you want some more stats?

You give us some more.

Come on, it's your all of these.

Liverpool had 32 shots, 16 on target and an XG of over five.

Sometimes you, you know, the things can be a bit misleading, kind of.

Sometimes you look at the numbers after a game and you think, well,

I didn't really feel that tally before I watched, but that really did, didn't I mean,

if you were being picky, you'd say some of the finishing left a little bit to be desired.

And I'll tell you, I know it didn't matter, but that was one of the most ridiculous decisions

I've ever seen.

The fact that McAllister's goal was disallowed late on for an alleged foul by Van Dyke on the goalkeeper.

You know, that was, I just think the VAR fell at that look and just couldn't be asked

because the tie was done.

He'd gone the pub.

Exactly.

It was a, it was a sympathy vote.

So it seems to be there that wanker pierces just told us that

according to XG Liverpool underperformed.

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Y'all listening to walk on.

So we just spoke about, you know, the senior players,

realizing champions league, you know, this, this is it.

They've got the experience.

We know they've got the ability.

We know the ones that performed in James Row has written this week,

which comes to an end there is amongst other senior players,

you know, need to step up at this moment.

Is this the moment where, for all the pressure on the manager,

the manager matters least in the next, you know, games like this?

Well, of course, it has to be a responsibility on the players.

I mean, yes, the manager selects the team.

And sometimes the manager, I think, or the head coach, should we say,

you know, you can critique his substitutions, his team selection,

his tactical choices.

But within that framework, even if it's not necessarily set up to benefit the players,

in the way that you might hope, you can expect a bit more from the players,

you can expect them to run hard, you can expect them to try and do certain things,

to change the direction of the game.

And I thought, yeah, I thought the the Galatasaray game yesterday, I mean,

it was the first time, for quite some time, and I'm

feeling there was more of a connection, actually,

despite everything that happens over the weekends, you know, with people leaving early,

people then leaving after top and scours.

You know, I think it should remind the players that if they run a bit hard,

if they're a bit more aggressive, if they do the right things that get people on the sides,

I'm feeling we're still back yet, and there's a wider discussion to be had about this.

And you know, I mentioned in an article this day, the society that is unconditional,

support is always been a bit misplaced, and I'm

thrilled, is that it's most potent when it believes in a team.

And sometimes that team might be struggling, I'll try and get behind it,

but if it stops believing in that team, it can turn, you know, the crowd can turn away from it,

you know, they don't believe in it, they can turn away from it.

Last night, I thought it was the first time in quite some time, where

it felt like the crowd responded to what the players were doing, they were being aggressive,

they were making it hard for Galatasaray. I don't think Galatasaray helped themselves with all the

injuries, you know, I think they were being quite clever by slowing the games on, I just fired

everybody up. So it's a reminder that yes, Anfield is still alive, and it still can play a very

key role. And the one thing that sort of annoyed me a little bit was all this hand wave, and from

the players, it felt a bit like the job was slided it, so everybody else started doing it.

It didn't need that, we don't need the players to be waving the fans on.

Need them to do the business on the pitch, and that will come naturally.

You're miserable. What's wrong with waving your arms?

Oh, it's just, it's almost like, I almost sensed it was like, you've let us down.

We don't need lessons and support.

No, but like, no, come on, you talk like when suppose I did that last night.

I wasn't just saying there was several players who followed and started doing it.

It didn't need that in that moment, it was almost like, but do you not think part of that is

showing appreciation? I don't think he was saying, come on, we need, we need you more.

I think he was just saying, we're in this together. Come on, let's crank it up even further.

After having to go at the fans after the Tottenham game, and in their environment,

I didn't think it was needed to say I'm with you on that.

No, I don't think it was needed. I think it was like that. Anyway, it didn't need the cheerleads

or rallying. It's like, the only person who's been able to do that without anyone

sort of question it over the last 10 years, a year and a half, and that's because of his status

in the game. Yeah, I question, yeah, going over it.

Yeah, people did it at the beginning, didn't they? But people accepted it eventually

because of who he was and what he's delivered. And he was the manager ultimately,

you know, he's the manager. So what he says counts for the bit more.

And that the crowd has been quiet times this season, because the team can pour into watch,

plays it too slow. You've got to move the ball a bit quicker. It's on them to get them,

the crowd going. I think two other quick points wanted to make. One was

fair playters of Bosnite because you know, I saw he got a fair bit of stick for coming out and

saying what he did about fans leaving early and, you know, people are entitled to their opinion

about that. But I think when you come out and say something like that, you have to back it up on

the pitch. And he did that again to get a task right. That was another proper performance of

someone who is blossoming into a leader in this team. And the other thing, I just like the fact

that that was the most animated we've ever seen on a slot on the touch line. And I just think

as well, people, you know, I know, I know you want a manager to be authentic. But I'm, you know,

I'm not having the fact that he is as calm and composed on the inside as sometimes he likes to

portray, you know, on the, on the outside. And we saw that emotion come to the fore. He,

his heat map must have been greater than some of the Liverpool players in the first 20 minutes.

And I like the fact he was all over the fourth official. He was all over the ref in terms of

their blatant play acting. And then it was such a, it was such a not like a cynical ploy.

Wasn't it from Galatasaray? I think four of their players went down in the first 20, 25 minutes.

And of course, you know, a couple of them ended up suffering bad injuries later on in the game.

No, we wish no a long well because that was a horrible injury suffered on the advertising

hall. And he went off to hospital and as I'd surgery on his finger. But, you know, there was a lot

of play acting and time wasting and attempts to kill Liverpool's momentum in the game. And I like

the fact that that slot was like, no, we're not tolerating that. And I think that helped whip up

the atmosphere. So, you know, he's not your club. We know that. But I would like to see

a bit more as much as we want to see more of that on the pitch. I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more

off the pitch from slot as well. All right. It was better when I saw the team sheet. I was like,

okay, it wasn't the reaction I had before the Tottenham game when I saw the team sheet when

it was human. But I hear at the moment, I'm still not prepared to return my trust to this

lot of players or the manager. How did you think? Vert's played. I thought he was okay.

Created eight chances, the most by Liverpool player on record in a Champions League game.

Vert, Vert. Well, I've been taking a lot of a stick from quite a few people, particularly on

Spotify because of me comments about him. And you know, she expect me to turn around and say,

no, he was brilliant. He was brilliant. He justifies as free. Do you know, he'll be footballed over

a year. No, he was okay. He was okay. That's a barrier. That's the minimum I'd expect from a player

like him against a team like Galatasaray. Keep your comments on Spotify coming in. We love to

read them even when they're not very complimentary. No, I know, I know what you mean. Tony is one

game doesn't just make everything that's gone before. Okay, does it? It's a process of regaining

people's trust. And I think that goes for attitudes towards the players as well as the manager

because of it has been so many, so many setbacks this season. But it does, it does show again

what this team are capable of when things do click. The problem is it just hasn't happened often

enough. I saw another thing that I couldn't quite believe. But this is only the fifth season in Liverpool's

history. They've made the last eight of both the FA Cup and the Champions League or the European

Cup in the same season. So it's like as bad as it's been for a lot of it domestically. There's suddenly

there's two cup runs here, which there's mountain opportunities. It's going to be a PSG is going to

be a big step up in class. That goes without saying. But do you know what Liverpool, that came down

to fine margins last season. They ran PSG closer than anyone did in the knockout stages of that

competition. And when you look at hopefully a bit of a resurgence from Salah, you could

ESAC getting him back. He could well be involved. Certainly in the second leg, if not the first leg in

in Paris, home advantage for the second leg of that quarter final. It's it's it's it's possible,

isn't it? I don't think I don't think there's anything to to fear there because in fact, Liverpool,

Liverpool have had the most of their problems this season against teams who are really limited and

try and shut them out. PSG won't do that. It'll be two proper games. You know, I know Bacola went

often. He was a bad ankle injury the other day. Or that's one less attacking option. They're

probably going to have against Liverpool. So yeah, it just gives you that little bit of belief that

something could yet be salvaged from this season. I'm aware. I just like to say, I mean, of course,

his position was quite interesting last night. I mean, he cannot play. He's not a left side of

the attacker. He just isn't. But he was he was sort of sent to left last night. Wasn't he

was sort of tucked in field, but to the left. And I think again, it was a reminder that you've

got to get players close to him and playing around him in his orbit, you know what I mean? So

he can make little passes here, open up the play quickly, speed up the game. You know, he doesn't

really have the pace or the strength to just to just go past players. That's not to say he's slow

because he isn't. But if you get him in a space where there are other players around him who are

raising them well, like a TK, they would all play him pretty closely. I thought there's like a

TK salad and it worked nicely last night. I like any player. I just think he needs a bit of

consistency. It's like, you know, when Torres came in as the record record signing, very quickly,

him and Steven Jarred developed a relationship and they were close to each other on the pitch,

they were had a telepathy almost. It's like, it feels like a falter me like he was developing

that a little bit with a TK. And then he got injured and that pulled him away from that rhythm

that he had. And then he's come back into the team and it's struggling again. So there is

mitigation for him. I personally would judge him at the end of next season really. Like I would

lot of these Liverpool players, you know, when they've had time to sort of develop a relationship

hopefully without having lots of injuries scattered all around them.

Now let's move away from the on pitch action and James has told me that really had me scratching

me out a little bit. The speculation over Richard Hughes position, we've discussed how this season

is not just a, you know, down to slot and his weaknesses. You know, there's a whole collective

responsibility there and Hughes is one of the people who've spoken about in this.

The athletic report that Al Halal, a considerum as a leading contender, to become their

sporting director. Well, why would you want to go to Saudi Arabia and retire?

It's a good question. Yeah, I think it's important to say that the story that we publish

was that Al Halal wanted at the moment, there is no suggestion that that is what Richard Hughes

is intending to do. Every one I've spoken to has down pleased. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's been

downplayed to me as well. Yeah, I think, of course, there is this degree of uncertainty because

as we've talked about previously, you're going to, in a couple of months time, you'll have

Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and Anna slot all down to one year left on their on their

contracts. So, you know, I think speculation is inevitable on that from what I do know is that

FSG definitely won't want to lose Richard Hughes because I know that this season has been far

from straightforward. And of course, there's lots of fingers being pointed that recruitment

decisions and imbalance in the squad. But I've never got that impression of any frustration

from the ownership's point of view. You know, they've only ever had good things to say about him

and in terms of, and also, I think even some of the deals you'd point out have not given Liverpool

much bang for their buck so far. The policy was always about, you know, investing in young talent

for the long term, rather than just expecting an instant return. And when you think that, you know,

Hughes led the search for Klopp's successor, no matter what anyone thinks about slot this season,

you know, the impact he had last season was sensational winning the league title. You know,

you speak to people around the Axitrain and Centre, Hughes is a popular figure. It's created a,

you know, I'd say a more kind of collegiate way of working there in terms of empowering people

in different departments to make big decisions. Then you had the leadership he showed

in the aftermath of the tragic loss of Diego Giotta. You want stability at a big football club,

don't you? And, you know, at the moment, of course, there's still question marks over over slot's

future. But yeah, I hope that Liverpool aren't in the market for a new sporting director come

come the summer. Yeah, I mean, it's a bit of very bad luck, wouldn't it? You know, because I mean,

you know, just since Michael Ezward stepped down in 2021-22, Ezward stepped down and Julian

will come in, then Schmattaker will wear him with Klopp and Richard Hughes. When you have such a

turn over in that role, it's a role that's supposed to encourage stability just seems a bit

weird, doesn't it say? You know, the sporting directors tend to come in and outline their job

as being sort of medium to long-term strategy. Why do you think it's become became that sort of

position? Or are we perhaps reading too much into this speculation? I was thinking about this

the other day, you know, in terms of what we expect from directors, not sporting directors,

but directors or the people who run Liverpool. You know, I think back to like when I first started

watching football and the people running Liverpool at the time were David Moore as a chairman

who would only ever sell the club if, well, for the reasons that he did, and Rick Perry,

you know, who's the chief executive, and you know, the other directors with influence as well.

But these people sort of seemed like they were almost life-timers, you know what I mean,

that was their job, you know, if they managed to deliver results on the pitch, and let's not forget,

I mean, Rick Perry, you became the chief executive, the most sort of, I would say, it's not

to say powerful, but public facing director role, or public facing person at the club for a long

period of time and got an awful lot of stick, quite rightly on occasion, you know, maybe unfairly

on other occasions, depends on what issue we're talking about. But in nevertheless,

created this sense that, you know, there was some longer term thinking at Liverpool,

albeit, you know, the big issue for him at the time was trying to sort out the stadium issue,

you know, which was outstanding, and holding Liverpool back to the point, which I actually think

ends up with FSG, and before them Hicks and Gillette Cummins taking the club. But the point,

the point I'm making is now, you know, we've got the people who run the club, and even the owners,

it just sort of feels like they're just passing through really, you know, being the

spot and director of Liverpool, you would expect for anyone to be sure to be the pinnacle of their

career, you would think, but that's not really the case anymore, so for all this sort of talk,

about long-term visions, looking after the long-term health of football clubs, it doesn't really

tell you what the reality does it because they're working towards contracts, they're, you know,

not from Liverpool, they're not Liverpool supporters, it's not their job, the gene job,

yes, they respect Liverpool and they respect Liverpool's history, but there's always opportunities

elsewhere, so this idea of any sort of long-term health existing because of sporting directors and

because of, or their technical directors, it's just a total fallacy. I go back even fairly,

you know, TV, Williams, Peter Robinson, and never thought would be in a position,

even recently, where you go, oh, you know, the sporting directors, he's only got a year left on

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We move on to Brighton, Brighton Away, an awful fixture, I think. I go to James to talk about it,

but he'll be on the beach in Tenerife. Of course, yeah. Yeah, you know, while other people

are doing their V-lifton. I'll be watching it with a peanut collada.

With a little umbrella in the top. How long are you there for, James?

Only four or five days, it's a long weekend. Is it four or five days, James? You must know

the answers to that. It's a difference between four. Well, you know, I don't know so

about my own travel. I believe I, I believe I come back to the UK on Tuesday evening.

Brighton. Well, yeah, it's a place where Liverpool have not tended to get results in the seasons

when they haven't been performing. Is that fair to say? Yeah, yeah. I just think, yeah,

there was those two chasing in defeats, wasn't there? What was that 22-23 when the wheels came off

under, under Yurg and wasn't it? You think of, I think of that Fabino challenge. Do you remember

the one where he was like, he was almost like, like, he'd like baffled himself. And it was like,

just send me off and put me out of my misery. I'm sorry. He looked gutted. He only got a yellow

for that. He's back in the Brazil squad, isn't he? Is he? Yeah. He's in line to go to the

World Cup, yeah. Well, that's remarkable because he, the tail end of Liverpool career, he looked

absolutely spent, didn't he? He looked slower, slower than me with sciatica. Can you imagine

a midfield in the US of Casamero and Fabino? I know he likes to lean on experience. I'm sure

a lot he does, isn't he? But I mean, Fabino was a great player for Liverpool, by the way. I

absolutely loved him, but it was time to let him go, I think, when he went. But yeah, I mean,

it's Brighton's in a game where certainly if you go there thinking you're better than you are,

as sometimes I've sensed a little bit with Liverpool this season, you know, just because

they beat Galatasaray for, no, it doesn't mean that they're going to sweep Brighton aside,

show the attitude, that's to be right. And they have to be right on it because they're decent

sides who aren't quite, I think they're not quite as good as some people like to make out.

You know, they're an easy team to like, aren't they Brighton for all sorts of different reasons.

But equally, if you sort of, if you just think it's going to, you're going to go there and get

three points, then you're going to have a bit of a shock really. So Liverpool have got to

perform with a similar level of intensity and see where it takes them. You know, I think if they

can perform with that intensity, it just gives them a chance of starting the game in a way that

will yield a performance that is capable of getting another three points. They're all big games,

aren't they? But it's Brighton City PSG. You know, if you're winning the league and then get

resulting in both of those competitions, suddenly you're going into April thinking, well, actually,

the end of the season could, could be pretty good by comparison. You know, if you lose those games,

you're thinking very oppositely. Well, James, one of the stats that did catch me in the Galatasaray

game was how, how much Liverpool outrun the opposition. Sometimes we haven't seen that

this season. They've got to take that approach again, haven't they? Yeah, they do. They do.

It has been a problem this season, isn't it, in terms of following it up in league games after

champions league clashes? What's a horrible list? Yeah. Yeah, it really is. And it's going to be

interesting to see what he does because it's too simplistic to just say, we'll just play the same

team and go again, because I think I think he will have to freshen it up. You know, I think he'll

be careful in terms of how he does it, but someone like Andy Robertson, you know, does it, do you

turn to him at left back? Do you, do you bring back Joe Gomez, potentially Curtis in midfield?

You know, you know, you know, Gagpo, I guess, would be another one who only had a bit part role.

Yeah, I mean, I think I checked Liverpool have lost three of their last five visits to Brighton.

You know, the caveat being, of course, the one at the back end of the last season, nobody

was remotely bothered about because, you know, slot had been to Ibiza. The players had been

partying in, I think Dubai, wasn't it? And the title was already won it. There was nothing riding

on it. The stakes on Saturday are very different because that champions league qualification spot is

far from certain. And there's some really, really tough games to come, you know, it's bright and

dangerous, but also when you look at, you know, this stage of the season, they're all bright and

are also one of the few teams that haven't really got anything left to play for. I think they're

10th, they got 40 points, probably realistically aren't going to get you're up. The certainly not

going to get dragged into the relegation scrap. So despite the quick turnaround and despite the

energy that Liverpool expended in midweek, we expect them to go there and put on a show and go

into this international break with some, you know, a much needed positive week behind them.

Yeah, they can't afford to go into the international week shrouds in negativity, so you can't

leave. But you know, again, I'll go back to the record after champions league games this season,

they lost Chelsea after Galatasaray away in September, lost to Premford after Frankfurt's away,

lost at Manchester City after Real Madrid's home. But they did beat West Ham after PS3,

it's all West Ham, and lost to Bournemouth after mercy away. I mean, really encouraging that

tone, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, I'm asked, wow, I've gone to the wrong fellow here. I'm trying to get

you to like, bully me spirits. Yeah, well, the bottom line is, okay, well, what else I

is? The players and the fans, the manager, they now know that it's the business end of the season.

So they can't really afford any slip-ups. What happened last night? And given what potentially

is on offer for them in the champions league, if they manage to get it right,

should focus their man, surely, it should say we need to be right on it now. There's no,

you know, we've got to be aggressive, we've got to be intense. So I actually think last

night, they did put a lot into the game, but it was the sort of game where they won quite easily,

and it should loosen them up and make them move a bit freer as well, you know, in the game on

Saturday. It wasn't an exhausting game for them last night. They did a lot of running,

they should come out that game feeling really good about themselves. Hopefully, we share performance

with it, you know, the bouncings of the game on Saturday, I'd like to see them start a bit faster

with a bit of purpose. You know, I'd like to see Virgil hands like getting the ball in the first

couple of minutes and spraying one of those passes that he always used to do. They get everybody

confident thinking he's offered it today, he knows what's going to happen. They've got to start

like that. And then as I say, see where it takes them rather than I just got the feeling it's like,

let's feel our way into the game, let's not make any mistakes earlier on, let's see, you know,

let's be a bit impatient and let's try and get a grip of the game. And if it doesn't happen early,

then see it out for 10, 15 minutes and get a bit of composure into the game. You don't have to,

you don't have to necessarily just race into it and if it doesn't work out, sort of give up as well.

So I was very confident coming away from the ground last night, you know, that things might

actually end up okay, but then the more you think about it, you know, you realise what you're

coming up again, so in the next few weeks and it's not going to be easy. But as I said earlier

in the podcast, Tony, it's it's reminded me that now things can be got a Liverpool if you get it

right. Things can be brilliant at Liverpool. And James, I maintain there is enough talent to get

it right. But now's the moment, isn't it? Yeah, you can't keep on, you can't keep on stumbling,

you can't keep on being horribly inconsistent and then expect to keep repairing the damage because

we're at the stage of the season now where there are no second chances. Well, that's it from

this episode of WarCon. Thanks to Sam and James and thanks to you too for listening.

We've only got one message for the team this week. Keep up the energy levels and we'll be back on

Monday and we'll catch you then.

You've been listening to WarCon from the Athletic FC for more great football podcasts like this one

including the Athletic FC podcast, the Totally Football Show and our dedicated tactics show

search for the Athletic in all the usual places. WarCon is an Athletic Media Company production.

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