Liverpool
Slot Rejects Criticism of Isak as Liverpool Outline Cautious Integration
Arne Slot defends Alexander Isak’s character and outlines Liverpool’s transfer approach vs Burnley..
Arne Slot has publicly defended Alexander Isak after the striker’s decision to withdraw from Newcastle United duties drew criticism. Speaking ahead of Isak’s potential debut for Liverpool against Burnley on Sunday, Slot argued the Swede’s actions should not be read as a mark on his character and stressed Liverpool would handle the situation differently.
Isak has said Newcastle had “broken” a number of promises made to him, leaving him “no alternative but to try and force a way out of St James’ Park.” The striker’s goal that beat Liverpool and secured Newcastle the Carabao Cup last season also ended a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
Some have accused Isak of breaching the spirit of his contract; others have suggested clubs can exercise too much control over a player’s career and exile those they deem surplus, citing Manchester United’s and Chelsea’s “bomb squad” of unwanted players as examples.
Slot pushed back on judgments of the player’s character. “No [it doesn’t reflect badly], I just look at the club. It’s not necessary at our club, because we also trade players,” Slot said. “If a player wants to leave and we get the right money for him, this club has shown so many years now that we then sell.
“You can just keep on training here – Lucho [Luis Díaz] and Harvey [Elliott] get their transfers , Tyler Morton gets his transfer, all these players, I can come up with eight, nine, 10 I think in the last window, that just conduct themselves in the best possible way.”
Slot confirmed Liverpool will manage Isak’s introduction carefully because the striker lacked training and first-team minutes over the summer, which may prevent him from playing immediately. Still, Slot expressed clear confidence in Isak’s quality. “He is one of the best in the world,” Slot beamed. “But for him to become the best, I think the best players in the world win trophies.
“It [the fee] might put pressure on him and me but nothing extra – if you have this [Liverpool badge] on your shirt there is always pressure,” Slot added. “We target a player and we want to have him. We decide what his value is, if that matches with what the club wants then we are not afraid to act. We get that money from trading players and winning the league after we didn’t spend anything at all.”
Liverpool
Liverpool Maintain Faith in Arne Slot as Poor Run Deepens
Liverpool back Arne Slot after five defeats in six amid tactical issues and squad disruption report
Liverpool acknowledge the need for an immediate improvement in results but remain committed to Arne Slot despite a sharp dip in form. After a sequence of early wins sparked by late goals, the club have lost five of their last six matches, including four consecutive Premier League defeats.
Reports of unrest and speculation about Slot’s position have circulated, yet Fabrizio Romano states Liverpool’s faith in the Dutch boss remains unwavering and there are no plans to even consider making a change in the dugout. Club officials are said to be “100% convinced” that Slot is the right manager to guide the side forward.
Inside Liverpool there is an acceptance that alterations to the squad have affected fluidity and cohesion on the pitch, and that those adjustments are a significant factor in the slump. The squad is understood to still support the manager and are prepared to give him time to find solutions.
The club view the recent defeats as primarily tactical problems: opponents have taken approaches Liverpool have struggled to counter. The list of recent losses includes Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford. That sequence has prompted debate about the team’s physical profile and set-piece vulnerability.
Jamie Carragher, who recently argued the Reds were approaching a “crisis”, attributed part of the problem to a lack of physicality, saying the side have failed to deal with long throws and set pieces.
The immediate priority for Slot and his staff is to adjust tactics or personnel to address those shortcomings and restore cohesion. There is hope within the club that such changes will halt the run of poor results.
Slot’s next opportunity to stem the pressure arrives on Wednesday, when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie. Palace were the first side to beat Liverpool in this recent sequence and also prevailed in the Community Shield earlier in the season.
Arsenal
Five notable absences from the 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees
Five absences from 2025 FIFPRO World XI: Kane, Gabriel, Szczęsny, Mac Allister and Caicedo shortlist
The 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees were announced on Monday and the shortlist left a number of established performers off the list. Several omissions have prompted debate over which players deserved recognition.
Harry Kane was one of the most surprising names absent. He led the Bundesliga in scoring last season, finished with 41 goals in all competitions and won his first major trophy. Kane also finished fifth in the European Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski. The shortlist included two of those names and excluded two, making his omission notable given his scoring numbers.
The exclusion of Gabriel also raised eyebrows. “It’s honestly preference comparing Gabriel and William Saliba, but for many who watched Arsenal closely the Brazilian was arguably the better of the two last season.” The piece highlights Gabriel’s role as a defensive leader who also poses a significant threat from set pieces and notes he is being spoken of as a potential player of the season for the current campaign.
Wojciech Szczęsny was another overlooked name. He returned from retirement midseason to join Barcelona in crisis and made his debut on Jan. 4. By the end of the campaign he had added three more trophies as Barcelona completed a first domestic treble. He subsequently earned a new contract extending his stay through 2027.
Liverpool’s midfield pairing also suffered from the voting. The article points to Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch being left out and argues both had strong claims. Mac Allister missed only three Premier League games last season, contributed 10 goal involvements and was an important part of the title-winning engine room.
Finally, Moisés Caicedo was highlighted as a major snub. Caicedo played every Premier League match last season as Chelsea secured a top-four finish under Enzo Maresca, scored in the UEFA Conference League final and played a major role in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup victory over the summer.
These five absences underline the difficult choices in assembling a World XI and why the 2025 shortlist has drawn criticism.
Liverpool
Carragher Sounds Alarm as Slot Admits Liverpool Have No Answer to Long Balls
Carragher warns of crisis as Liverpool are exposed by long balls, set pieces; Slot admits no answer.
Jamie Carragher warned of “crisis time” for the reigning champions after a sequence of defeats that exposed persistent tactical flaws. Opponents are increasingly exploiting long balls and set pieces, a problem that left Arne Slot openly puzzled after yet another game in which those methods produced goals.
Brentford’s recent success from dead-ball situations was no accident. Keith Andrews was exclusively tasked with overseeing the club’s dead-ball strategy before taking over the hot seat from Thomas Frank in the summer, and an ever-expanding pool of Liverpool opponents have adopted similar direct plans. Manchester United and Chelsea both racked up season-high tallies of long passes in their recent victories against the Reds, leaving Slot to bemoan such a strategy from teams “with all their talented players.”
The Dutch boss conceded: “It is definitely that teams have a certain playing style against us; it is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet.”
Carragher blamed the lightweight profile of the squad for their failings in these robust aspects of the game. “Liverpool have to look at the physicality and height within their team because, right now, I don’t think they have enough,” fretted the retired centre back—who takes great pride in amassing more than 500 Premier League appearances despite standing at less than 6’ tall—on Sky Sports .
He added: “Losing four games in a row for Brentford would be a disaster,” and warned: “To see the champions do it with the expenditure in the summer means we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now.
“There will be a lot of serious questions asked in the dressing room between the players and the coaching staff and the people above the manager. When they’ve looked at what they’ve spent, they’ll be looking for a lot more.”
Several of the players accused of frailty arrived in the summer. Florian Wirtz hasn’t quite caught up to the Premier League ’s blood and thunder while Jeremie Frimpong is rarely fit enough to prove whether he can meet those demands. Even though Milos Kerkez thrived in a buccaneering Bournemouth side last term, the change of scenery has seemed to rob the fullback of any physical authority.
Gary Neville offered a milder verdict. “It’s not just a blip any more, it’s becoming a concern,” he mused, adding: “Arne Slot’s Liverpool remind me a bit of my old Man Utd team.” “We went through mad periods where we always looked capable of scoring, but we were all over the place.”
