POOL'S GOLD

Six weeks ago it seemed yet another glittering season awaited at Anfield.. now Slot's aura has been tarnished

- camondunphy

IT all looked so promising. Liverpool had swagger again. Jurgen Klopp went out like a conquering hero, the banners flying, the songs echoing round Anfield.

Arne Slot arrived with his neat suit, his tidy hair and his talk of “evolution, not revolution”.

The fans nodded. The pundits smiled. But football isn't played in PowerPoints. It’s played in blood, thunder and mistakes - and right now, Liverpool are making too many of the latter.

Six defeats in their last seven. Three-nil at home to Crystal Palace. Ten changes to the team. Ten! That's not rotation that's carelessness.

Anfield was full on Wednesday for Palace's visit. Nobody gets in for free there.

You have an obligation to your fans. You can't treat a home game like a training session. You can't throw in kids and journeymen and expect them to carry the weight of the shirt.

Chelsea made 10 changes the same week and got away with it. Liverpool didn't. The difference? Experience. Standards.

Last year Slot won the league with Klopp's team. This year? Slot's 2025/26 version of Liverpool looks unsure of what it stands for.

He threw in young lads against Palace including Irish boy Trent Kone-Doherty (right) who should have been protected, not exposed.

And it's not fair on the senior players either. Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez have been treated badly - left in chaos beside players who don't yet know what this club demands.