Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return after an international break they were only too happy to embrace. Looking back at the last two games, Galatasaray at home and Brighton away, leaves them wondering which Liverpool FC will turn up for the next couple of tests, Man City in the FA Cup and PSG in the Champions League. It’s enough to make anyone wish the break had lasted a little longer.
There is plenty of deserved credit for that Galatasaray second leg, a night where the players and the crowd fed off each other and Liverpool played with the urgency and quality that's been so frustratingly rare this season. But what followed was that trip to the south coast, Saturday lunchtime, and the contrast couldn't have been starker. Jay and Jim unpick Slot's refusal to rotate in the midweek game (still 4-0 up at 62 minutes, key players visibly flagging, and fresh options sitting unused) ensured the same players started the game out of sorts. Ex-Red James Milner, at an age where many a player has long since retired, had no trouble bullying Liverpool out of the game. The manager who complained about tired legs had, once again, created them himself.
The break also brought confirmation of Mo Salah's impending departure, and no matter how much we knew it was coming it still casts a long shadow. The hosts give it the space it deserves and there’s warmth and sadness in equal measure. Questions are raised about the free transfer decision, where he might end up, and what it means for Liverpool's future shape, with Jim and Jay both drawn to the idea of a back three that could unlock the potential of Isak and Ekitike together. A glimpse of what might be coming, whoever the manager is.
The other flashpoint is off the pitch entirely, as Liverpool's announcement of inflation-linked ticket price increases lands with a thud. Jim and Jay argue that in a week when the club could have banked goodwill from a famous European night, they instead reminded supporters precisely how transactional this relationship has become, pricing out the very fans whose passion fills the ground and drives the team forward. With FSG's long-term commitment increasingly questioned and Slot's position under scrutiny at every press conference, the feeling is less of a season reaching its conclusion and more of a club still trying to work out what it actually wants to be.
