Arne Slot’s Liverpool , Eddie Howe’s three years at Newcastle United , Kai Havertz , Cole Palmer , VAR, Darwin Nunez , Lewis Hall , Premier League tough guys, ACL injuries...
The variety of questions posed by subscribers to The Athletic during our question-and-answer sessions never ceases to amaze and our latest instalment was no different. I tried to answer as many as I could but, wow, the time went by in a flash! Advertisement Thanks to everybody who participated or contributed or who is reading now. It was an intense hour or so where I tried to balance being as speedy as possible with being as insightful as I could — a decent challenge for both my brain and my fingers.
We’ve edited things here to either make more sense or add a bit of context. Thanks again and see you next time! Cheers, Alan. Matthew J asked: Do you think the praise for Arne Slot is over the top? He’s taken over a team of leaders and winners that pretty much runs itself.
On the contrary, I think Slot has done brilliantly. Yes, Liverpool are a well-oiled machine with some very good players, but he’s added to it, he’s made them tougher defensively and they’ve only lost one game. That doesn’t feel like a case of too much hype.
Sometimes, new managers give their teams a bounce, but there have been enough occasions when influential long-term figures have gone and things have fallen apart. Intensity or identity can dip. That’s certainly something Liverpool would have been desperate to avoid w.