zet33

There’s a strange idea that Slot should just ‘make it work’ regardless of the circumstances. It’s about a few key positions not fully matching what the system needs, which then affects how the whole team functions. In football, if 2–3 crucial profiles aren’t quite right, it has a knock-on effect everywhere else on the pitch. That’s why ‘just make it work’ isn’t that simple if you understand the game, systems rely on specific roles, spacing, and balance. On top of that, he’s also had to deal with unprecedented circumstances and a disrupted pre-season, with no one really knowing the full psychological impact that’s had on the players. Look at City last season. A well-established team with a world-class manager who’s ingrained his style over years, but take out a few key players through injury or age and they suddenly don’t look the same. Even Pep has to constantly recruit each window to maintain standards, and when replacements don’t immediately fit, levels drop. When key profiles aren’t functioning or aren’t there yet, performance dips even at the very top level. That’s not an excuse, it’s just how elite football works.

RB Leipzig have now decided to make a final push at the end of the season to convince Yan Diomandé to extend his contract, offering a significant pay rise that would also include a release clause for the following summer. Jürgen Klopp is heavily involved in the process, and the club are prepared to exhaust every option, fully aware of the message it would send if they were to lose their standout player after just one season. Nevertheless, there is a growing sense within Leipzig and across the wider industry that Diomandé already has a clear destination in mind. There were indications as early as January, first revealed by me, that a personal agreement with a Premier League club could already be in place, with Bayern Munich representatives having the feeling that the destination is none other than Liverpool FC, England’s most mythical footballing institution. Diomandé has repeatedly made it clear that his dream is to play in the Premier League, a stance that was already communicated to Leipzig even before his official signing and later reiterated directly to Bayern during negotiations, where they were ultimately rejected and informed that an agreement is already in place with a Premier League club, while the identity of that club remains undisclosed. This was first reported by me at a time when narratives suggested a move to Bayern was on track, a narrative that, four months later, has not just faded but been completely overtaken by reality.