AlwaysBeClosing

What is your favourite - not necessarily the best - 3 film run of consecutive films by any Director? I think mine is John McTiernan with Predator, Die Hard and the Hunt for Red October. I love all 3 of those films.

@SamMcGuire90 @DistanceCovered @lfcruin @PeteKopite No. We spent a record fee on a striker and the coach can’t even get him touches let alone chances. There will be more mitigating circumstances next year too - a lot of ins and outs, players playing crazy numbers of minutes this season then playing world cups etc

@JoeSimpson79 @DistanceCovered @lfcruin @PeteKopite Even when taking everything into account, can you say Slot has extracted max value from any player this season? Or even gotten close to doing so?

Unbelievable this. Would love to know what Edwards and Hughes are seeing the rest aren't.

@SamMcGuire90 @DistanceCovered @lfcruin @PeteKopite In any job mitigating factors can only count for so much. There have been mitigating factors but is there anything he can point to and say despite the mitigating factors I have done this aspect well? The clubs just behind us have imperfect squads (and much less talent to call on)

@DistanceCovered @lfcruin @PeteKopite We've been a 63 point team for 75% of his time here. Mitigating factors are doing some heavy lifting.

For the first time since Arne Slot arrived, Liverpool's six-game rolling average non-penalty xG against in the Premier League has been higher than their rolling average non-pen xG for across more than one game. #LFC

Really good this piece - probably the best assessment of LFC and Slot that I have read:

We lost 8-0

107 presses attempted by Liverpool against Chelsea 206 in last Klopp game v them Liverpool had 48% possession in both matches #Standards

We need one more point to get 60 pts what Klopp got in his first season when he took over in October with one eye on a europa final with this squad

LFC signed the 2 most expensive strikers, most expensive midfielder, most expensive right back and 2nd most expensive left back on the transfer market in the summer. Anyone who thinks transfers alone are gonna solve this hasn’t been paying attention.

Would love to hear Hughes’ justification to FSG for persisting with Slot. Hughes: Despite the awful season we are giving Slot another year as he had to deal with a woefully unbalanced squad. FSG: WTF it was you who shaped that squad by spending £450 million on new players!

'For weeks walking around the city, speaking to ordinary people, their first question to me is "this isn't going to continue, is it?" or some variant thereof.' 'For me the question is almost entirely about who and what is right for what comes next.' ✍️ @Knox_Harrington’s review… 👉 Read here: mailchi.mp/theanfieldwrap…

Chelsea pod with me, John and Paul theliverpoolway.podbean.com/e/liverpool-1-…

Burnley, Spurs and Chelsea all came to Anfield on runs where they couldn’t buy a point. All three left Anfield unbeaten

Can’t decide which I love more about this team The arguing and finger pointing about who isn’t pressing or who should have picked up the runner They have no idea what they’re supposed to be doing They’ve had 1 game a week for the last 3 weeks. What are they practising?

There is absolutely nothing to hang your hat on here. No signs of encouragement for next season. There's no way the nerds have cause for optimism. Whether it's the eye test or stats. It's awful across the board.

Would love to read what Richard Hughes’ 60 page dossier would look like if it was based on Slot’s coaching this year.

Remarkable he's going to stay in the job really. Good process.

Alright gang, Crosby Stuart, our girls, are one game away from a perfect season and have been nominated for team of the month Could you do them a favour and give them your vote, the poll is immediately under the post below? Thanks

Some news. My freelance life is over. I'm going to be a Data Visuals Journalist in sport for The Guardian. Starting next month. From a hobby to a job to a national newspaper. It's been a journey. And it's only just starting.

As referenced on Review…. Liverpools defensive record this season makes for grim reading In amongst talk of wingers and midfielders the personnel, approach, team shape & structure required to deliver a strong defensive record should be a priority Liverpool have currently conceded 70 goals *excl Charity Shield all comps Liverpool are 5 goals away in all comps from conceding the same number of goals in a season as Souness’s 92/93 season 25/26 played 1 less game currently In the league its a higher goals conceded per game ratio for Slot 92/93 = 1.30 goals conceded per league game 25/26 = 1.34 goals conceded per league game Rodgers worst defensive season was 1.32 goals conceded per league game To be in the same conversation as Graeme Souness’s 1992/93 side that included 50 appearances by a combination of David Burrows, Torben Piechnik & Nicky Tanner is quite incredible - all hard working players but limited it’s fair to say They conceded 16 from set pieces in all comps 92/93 This has been surpassed by the 25/26 squad in the premier league alone Different era, different game but to be delivering those defensive numbers this season is quite incredible Liverpools underlying defensive numbers vs league average paint a slightly better picture courtesy @Statsbomb ⬇️