This summer, I believe many Liverpool fans are not feeling good. After sending Jurgen Klopp away, it was expected that the club's management would increase their support for the team, but since the summer transfer window opened, the team has still made zero signings, which makes fans lose the ambition of the management. On the other hand, the sworn enemy Manchester United, under the leadership of the new owner Lajue, both the management reform and the recruitment operation are in order, which makes people feel that Manchester United is on the road to revival. With such a big contrast, how can Liverpool fans not feel uncomfortable? A closer look at Liverpool's current situation is reminiscent of the fate of Manchester United's decline after Alex Ferguson's retirement.
During Ferguson's tenure, he was in charge of Manchester United, with management relying on him and players relying on him. However, with his retirement, there was a power vacuum in the team. Unable to grasp the power left by Alex Ferguson, the Glazer family handed it over to management, while the players in the dressing room gradually took implicit control. The unprofessionalism of Manchester United's management and the excessive voice in the dressing room have been the root cause of the team's sharp decline in results, while Moyes has been caught between the management and the players, unable to control the situation and has to passively accept various arrangements.
Jurgen Klopp's resignation bears many similarities with Ferguson's retirement. During Jurgen Klopp's tenure, although he did not have as much power as Alex Ferguson, he was still in charge of the team's football affairs and was able to decide whether to bring in or leave most players. Many players have chosen to join Liverpool because of Jurgen Klopp's charisma and charisma. However, after Klopp's departure, the successor Slot, although a capable coach, has a short resume and achievements, and cannot attract players to join like Klopp. The failure to convince Zubimendi to overcome pressure to join Liverpool is a testament to this, as evidenced by David Moyes' lack of appeal when he was in charge of Manchester United.
On the management side, after Klopp's departure, Liverpool owner Thierry Henry quickly took Klopp's power into his own hands and handed it over to management, thus ignoring Slot's role. As can be seen from Liverpool's player trade this summer, Slote has little say in this regard and can only passively accept it. When the invitation to Zubimendi failed, Liverpool said that there was no plan B, which was certainly not Slot's idea. He may be desperate to implement plans B, C and D, but with yet to achieve results at Liverpool, Slote has to follow the management's instructions and dare not raise objections.
While Liverpool's management can still be trusted in terms of professionalism, I am concerned that they rely too heavily on data analysis and thus ignore the value of football. For example, when it comes to dealing with veterans, they believe that players are getting older and their numbers are declining, so they choose to sell these players at the right time to avoid becoming a burden to the team. This is at odds with Klopp's belief in the veteran, and was the main reason why Edwards left Liverpool in the first place. Now Edwards' return may mean that he will not renew his contracts with veterans such as Van Dijk, Salah and Robertson. While it is understandable not to renew the contracts of Salah and Robertson, Van Dijk's role with the team cannot be assessed by the numbers, and his ability and experience are crucial to the development of young players, which is why the centre-backs who partner Van Dijk are often successful.
Relying too much on data can also diminish the potential role of a head coach! When Liverpool's management discussed whether to introduce Mane, the management felt that Mane's ability was fine, and later Edwards found that Mane had problems such as being late for training and difficult to get along with, so he once stopped the discussion of Mane's recruitment, but Klopp insisted on introducing Mane, and believed that he could change Mane's shortcomings, and only at Klopp's insistence did the deal go through, allowing Mane to help Liverpool regain the Premier League title after a 30-year absence. Relying too much on data to screen players weakens the team's culture and experience and the role of the head coach, ultimately turning the team into a money-making machine for the owner.
As for the locker room problem, I'm not worried that they will take the initiative to cause trouble or infighting or anything like that, but if something happens, Slote may not be able to stay for half a season and leave class! If Slot is unable to lead Liverpool to the desired results, the players in the dressing room are likely not to follow his orders. Historically, the Liverpool dressing room is not without such precedents. Hodgson's tactics were too conservative to follow his commands, and he was eventually sacked after less than six months in charge, with similar problems in Rodgers' later tenure.
During United's decline, at least the Glazer family was willing to spend money on the team, while Liverpool owner Thierry Henry was much more stingy. If Liverpool do fall as a result, they could be in an even worse position than Manchester United have been in for the past 11 years.