The former Liverpool midfielder discusses Slot’s start to life at Anfield, Postecoglou’s future, and his toughest midfield opponents.
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New manager. Three senior players out of contract. Yet Liverpool are top of the table at home and in Europe. How has Slot kept it together?
First and foremost, I think he’s got the players on board with what he’s doing, which is always a good start.
As a collective, the messages seem to be going across to the players, the intensity is good and the quality.
In terms of the three lads who are out of contract, two of them are nearing the end of their careers, very senior, very experienced, so it’s probably fair to say that when you’re at that stage in your career, it’s easier to deal with that type of stuff, that type of speculation and focus on you.
I think that’s a benefit when it when it’s happening to players of that experience.
Even with Trent Alexander-Arnold, even though he’s a lot younger, he’s been under the microscope for years and years now.
It was probably only the Manchester United game, where in the context, it was the end of the week of all the speculation, it was the only game that look like it affected him.
Other than that, I think he’s had a good season.
So, Slot has three players who are out of contract which is quite unusual for a club doing so well, but the reality is, there’s three really experienced players who love the club and love playing football.
I think between them all, it’s been an easier manage than maybe the outside world has thought.
I don’t think there’s constant conversations going on or any concerns, all the players are loved by the fans.
Sometimes you get a player who’s running out of contract and the fans can turn more quickly, especially if the performances aren’t good.
Everything’s gone well in that respect.
The fans are on board, they seem healthy, fit, happy and even their body language is good, so I don’t think it’s been all down to Slot.
I think he’s been part of the management of that situation, but the players have to take some of the credit to.
Do you think we’ll get to see how Slot handles Liverpool through a form slump this season? Are there any thoughts that he may struggle?
I think everything he’s done so far, from a media perspective, has been really good.
He’s very articulate, and he’s very calm.
I know that’s easier to be when you’re winning, but even the times he’s been a little bit annoyed at performance or you can tell he’s a little bit agitated, he articulates it really well.
There’s no reason for me to expect him to not be able to deal with a few bad results.
I mean, he probably more than anyone else is expecting it to come at some point.
To think that you can go through a whole season playing at the levels they have, and not losing games is probably unrealistic in his own head.
So, I’m sure he’ll be prepped for that if and when it happens.
At the moment when Liverpool aren’t quite at it, they’re getting results because their firepower is tremendous.
They make chances even when they’re playing badly, and they’ve got great resilience.
He’ll be hoping that he doesn’t have to deal with it, but I’ve got no worries about him at all.
Every interview I see him do, he’s always calm, and measured, so I don’t see that changing.
In 2004 you made the tough decision to leave Liverpool. What advice would you give to Salah, Van Dijk & Alexander-Arnold given the decisions they have to make soon?
I think it’s sometimes hard to compare, I grew up a Liverpool fan and never wanted to leave.
I also didn’t ever have the option of a Real Madrid to consider, so it’s a little bit different.
My gut feeling is that Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk won’t go to another club like Liverpool.
It’s unlikely that either of those who are going to be joining Real Madrid or Barcelona because of the age or the profile of them.
Maybe the only place they’d be going is Saudi Arabia or America for a more of a lifestyle change.
I would be saying to them stay as long as you can because playing at the top level of football is a privilege and something you only look back on when you finish.
I’d say analyse it properly and understand how fortunate you are because it goes quickly.
The other thing about those two as well is that they’re in a position now where they could win the biggest trophies of all and where else are they going to go and have that opportunity with the situation Liverpool are in right now?
So, those two I’d be saying, don’t drag it out for the sake of a negotiation of a year or an extra few quid.
I don’t think it is money that’s an issue, but I’d be telling them to stay, and you won’t regret it. With Trent it’s a little bit different because he might have the opportunity to go to one of the biggest other clubs in the world and create a legacy there after already creating one in Liverpool.
He’s always lived in the area as a local lad, and maybe broadening his horizons and having a new life experience as well as a new football experience is something that every player can benefit from.
So, I think with Trent, I wouldn’t be necessarily advising him to stay, I’d be advising him to do what he thinks is right from a football perspective, irrelevant of who pays more or how long the contract is.
From a footballing perspective, do what you think is best for you and go with it.
Don’t let somebody else change your opinion because of their feelings, do what you want to do.
That’s what I’d say to Treat, just go with your gut.
If you were forced to choose which of those three, do you think Liverpool will miss the least, and why?
They’ll miss all of them because of how good they are.
There’s no other centre-back, I don’t think, who has the influence Virgil does.
There’s no one who’s going to come in and score the goal Salah does and there’s no one who can do the things Trent does from a fullback position.
But if I was if I was forced to give an answer, I’d say Trent.
That’s probably for two reasons; one is Connor Bradley and the emergence of him and how good he is.
And the second reason is, even though Trent can win games from right-back on occasion, it’s a less important position than a centre-back who is the king pin of your team, the leader and the captain.
Also, if you’re comparing to Salah, we know the percentage of goals and assist he brings, and that’s not an easy thing to replace, so Trent would be the answer out of the three.
With Diogo Jota injured again and Darwin Nunez struggling for consistency, does a striker become a priority for Liverpool in the summer?
I think it’s looking like that will be an area that Slot will be looking at.
It doesn’t seem that Darwin Nunez is at the top of Slot’s selection list.
Every time there’s a big game; he tends to go for Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota down the middle.
So, that tells its own story in many ways, the only real way I can see Liverpool not prioritising in a striker is if Darwin Nunez has a finish to the season that really impacts Liverpool’s success.
Whether that be he gets a run in the team and scores the goals that fire Liverpool to win the Champions League or the Premier League.
I remember Divok Origi being a Liverpool legend now in many ways, and he hardly played.
Everyone kept him because of his efficiency when he came off the bench.
So, if Nunez has an amazing finish to the season and kicked on a little bit, then maybe they’ll analyse it differently and think we’ll keep him and work with him.
But my gut feeling is that I think Slot will probably go into the market.
It seems logical because Nunez has been there a while now and not kicked on and not actually become the player a lot of people thought he would.
Although he’s got loads of real good qualities and strengths, Liverpool needs a striker that’s a bit more reliable in front of goal.
People are right to point out Jota and his injuries, it’s been consistent since he’s been at the club that he really struggles to maintain a good number of games.
So, if you want to be successful and stay at the top of the table in terms of winning leagues and Champions Leagues, then it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Liverpool are in a market for a striker.
Ryan Gravenberch has started every Premier League and Champions League game this season, and many fans would like to see another similar player signed to add cover and competition. Given that Martin Zubimendi appears he could be off to Arsenal, who else could be an option?
I think it’s a really difficult one because when you’re looking at the balance of it, it’s hard to answer.
When you look at a player like Ryan Gravenberch, his performances this season have been incredible.
I think he’s surpassed everybody’s expectation in that role.
Every aspect of his game, without the ball, with the ball, the traveling with it, the technical ability he’s got, fitness levels, everything about him has been phenomenal.
He’s probably been the best player this season, so to go and spend £60/70 million on anybody seems strange.
For example, if you think of someone like Joshua Kimmich at Bayern Munich who can play in that position, is a player like that going to come in and do better than what Gravenberch is doing?
There’s an argument to say at the moment, he’s the best holding midfield player in Europe and it’s very difficult to argue against that.
So, would you use a huge chunk of your budget to bring someone in who’s going to sit on the bench for 60 or 70 million?
People forget how good Endo was at some stages last season as well and what a job he did because obviously Jurgen Klopp preferred him in there more than Gravenberch a lot of the time.
He’s more than capable of filling that position if and when.
I think the likelihood is, if they go into the market for holding midfielder, it’ll be more of an understudy, more of a lesser-known name.
Somebody who maybe they can mold and work with.
Nobody really springs to mind in that respect because we know what Liverpool’s scouting networks is like.
It’s more likely to be someone who pricks the ears of supporters because we haven’t really heard of them, or we don’t know them.
But because of the emergence of Gravenberch, I don’t see them getting a holding midfielder.
I don’t think it’s going to benefit the team spending money in that area because I haven’t seen someone who’s better than him.
Jamie Carragher recently called you the most underrated player he played with at Liverpool. Who would be the most underrated player you played with during your time at the club?
I think in my time, when you play for Liverpool a lot of players do get the credit they deserve because you’re always being watched and you’re always playing on the telly and in big competitions.
So, it’s rare that someone goes under the radar, but I think during the time I was there, the one who probably didn’t get the credit he deserved was Stephane Henchoz
Jamie Carragher played full back in in those seasons and Sami Hyypia was the one who got all the plaudits generally and obviously became a Liverpool legend.
But Sami’s partnership with Stephane was so crucial to our success and Stephane was a very quiet guy.
He used to go about his business, and he was a really clever player.
He had great timing in a tackle, tough guy and always fit, so he just went under the radar for me.
That partnership was occasionally spoken about, but Henchoz was a silent assassin in many ways.
He could dish it out and he was clever, he was a really good centre-halve and I never really hear him being brought up in conversations about his impact on the team.
What do your former club Tottenham need to do to get out of their funk – a new manager, new owners, new players?
First and foremost, Tottenham need all their players back fit because defensively they’ve been all over the place.
Now part of that isn’t just personnel because they lost games when they had Micky Van de Ven and Christian Romero, but they’re certainly two wonderfully gifted centre-halves who make Tottenham better.
I think the confidence has dropped and drained because the results keep going badly for them which has had an impact.
Some of the younger players, who’ve done well actually, but they’ve been thrust into a situation that’s really difficult for any young players to come into and remain consistent.
Although the league form has been really poor, whilst they’ve still got a chance to win three competitions, I think it would be silly to change the manager.
I don’t think the owner’s going anywhere anytime soon, that’s pretty obvious.
Of course, strengthening in the window would help, but I think the general feeling for most Tottenham fans is that defensively they’re really struggling and have been for a while.
They do make chances and score plenty of goals, so that’s not their priority, although you can never have too many good attacking players.
But I would say that they need their two centre-halves back really quickly and then judge at the end of the season.
Ultimately, if Tottenham don’t win anything and finish mid-to-bottom half of the Premier League, then it’s very unlikely he’s going to be in the job at the beginning of next season, that’s for sure.
Do you think Ange Postecoglou will be in charge of Tottenham at the end of the season?
I do think they’ll leave it until the end of the season.
They’ll know a lot more in the next couple of weeks in regard to the FA Cup and League Cup of course, but the Europa League is a massive deal.
If they were to win that, and they are one of the favourites, then they could be in Europe that way.
So, if they were to win that, it makes things a lot better.
I don’t think changing managers in February or March time, if things don’t go well over the next month or two, is going to have a positive impact on the team.
I think it takes a manager a while to implement ideas, and somebody’s going to want to bring their own players in.
I just don’t see the logic in getting rid, there’s not a standout candidate everybody’s desperate to bring through the door or whose sitting in the wings.
Sometimes there’s somebody on the side lines, if I think back to Liverpool when Roy Hodgson was struggling, and Kenny Dalglish was in the stands.
The Liverpool fans wanted Kenny back in and that’s what happened.
Tottenham doesn’t have that situation, so I think he will stay, and I think he should stay and be judged at the end of the season.
But it is a really precarious position for him at the moment, it’s a massive couple of games coming up in those two cup competitions.
What do you make of Postecoglou’s ‘menacing moodiness’ when he speaks to the press after bad results? Does he cross the line at all?
I wouldn’t say he crosses the line, but I don’t think it’s helpful.
I was very lucky because I worked with people like Gerard Houllier, Roy Hodgson and Mark Hughes who are good guys, and I got on with really well.
Gerard, especially at Liverpool under pressure and under the microscope all the time, was very adamant on not having the blame culture and not making excuses.
He wanted to be an ambassador for the club, and he was very careful with his words.
I think sometimes Ange Postecoglou does himself no favours because the way he is sometimes can be negatively viewed by the Tottenham fans.
Ultimately all you want to see is a manager saying, ‘I’m going to get this right’.
It’s not good enough, I want to get it right and snapping at a reporter because he doesn’t like the way he phrases the question, I think you’ve got to rise above it.
I’ve always thought that when managers go in there but it’s understandable because it’s pressure.
It’s emotion, he cares about the club.
He’s very likable, a lot of his conferences are really good, they’re really enjoyable.
He’s a warm charismatic guy, but you can tell the pressure’s getting to him, but he’s not the only manager. We’ve seen it with the best in the world with Pep Guardiola, Pep can lose it with reporters as much as anybody.
So, I do understand it and it does show he cares, he’s passionate and he’s bothered about losing, but my feeling is that the manager is the one who has to rise above it. It’s going to be interesting to see how he is over the next few weeks with the big games that are coming up.
Like with Mourinho and Conte, we’re now hearing the inevitable whispers from the training pitch about players questioning Ange’s methods. Can you see Daniel Levy siding with the manager this time?
I hope so, and I think so. Since the day I played football, there’s always players who are going to be disgruntled, agitated, frustrated, moany or whingy about the manager.
Even when managers are successful, the players who aren’t playing are still having a whinge. I think more often in the more recent years these kinds of things get out more than they did in the past with social media and all the different ways that people talk now.
I think Daniel Levy will stick with him, as I’ve said before, I don’t see the benefit in getting rid.
There’s not a perfect person to come in and in the summer, if they were to get rid of Ange, there’s going to be many more options than they’d have now.
So, I don’t think it’s helpful if players are leaking disgruntlement about their situation or the training because it just keeps more pressure on the players as well as the manager.
You don’t want that when you play, you want to be an environment where you try and get the supporters back on board, and everyone is it together.
It’s just the way the world is at the moment with footballers and not just footballers, but people now in life generally do a lot of chatting about everything online and things get leaked.
But I do think he’ll stick with him, and I hope he does.
I don’t think a few disgruntled players is new, it’s just part and parcel of a situation when results don’t go so well, players and start questioning things.
We were all moaners; football players are all moaners.
We all think we know better than the manager, and I used to.
I used to whinge more than anyone, go and see the manager about this and that.
It just didn’t get out as much back then, but I don’t think Ange would be too worried about a few players whingeing.
Antonee Robinson is establishing himself as one of the best left-backs in the league this season, do you think that he could play for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal & Manchester City if they came calling?
I think he’s got all the capabilities to play at a higher level in terms of Champions League football and in a team, that’s winning things.
He’s had a terrific couple of seasons under Marco Silva who’s helped him massively.
He’s fit, he’s strong, he’s quick and he’s good with his one-on-one defending.
His assists have been helpful to the team, and he had a great game at Anfield recently.
I saw the game and I’ve seen him and Fulham a few times live, so I think he’s a really good player, but he he’s a late developer.
The reality is that rarely do the big clubs go for a player who is at that age.
He’s 27 and I think he would be unlikely to move, although for me, if there’s a player who’s playing at the top of his game and he’s better than what you’ve got, it wouldn’t concern me too much that he’s 27.
So, I wouldn’t rule it out, but I think if the clubs we’re talking about seem to go for a younger profile of a player that might have sell on three or four years down the line.
Although he probably deserves a move, I doubt he’s going to get one to a Champions League club in the Premier League.
I don’t see it, not because of his talent, just because of the way the recruitment systems seem to work at the bigger clubs now.
You’ve praised and criticised Ruben Amorim since he came to Manchester United, do you think he’s the right man to eventually turn things around and have INEOS put the foundations in place for him to succeed?
In terms of the foundation, we’ll see what they do in this window, and we’ll see what they do in the summer.
I think only then you can you judge whether they’ve given him the tools or the finances to try and implement his own style and bring his own players in.
So, we’ll have to wait and see on that one.
I think a lot of what he does, a lot of what he says and the way he conducts himself is admirable.
I think he’s very likable, and he’s very bright, but what I am surprised at, as the weeks have gone by, is how adamant he’s been on the system and not tweaking that.
It was obvious to me that when they played big teams, sitting in and be more pragmatic, they were safer, they would look better, and the system was fine because they played on the counterattack.
Especially at Arsenal and Liverpool, those were two very good performances.
When I spoke about this previously, it felt like as soon as they played someone who they feel that they can go after a little bit more, Brighton being a good example, even Southampton, their deficiencies in that system were going to be highlighted.
A lack of athleticism, especially at the back, the gaps in midfield by only playing two in there, and that was exactly what happened in both games, they got dragged all over the place.
Although I like him and I think long term, he will find the answers because there’s something about him.
I always feel when the good managers come, there’s something about them that you feel in the interviews, that you sense in terms of being a winner or being relentless on their mission.
I’ve felt that with him, but the longer he stays stubborn and keeps doing the same things and getting the same results, the more I’ll doubt it.
Even in the last couple of games, I was the Brighton game, and I was in disbelief really that he persisted with the same system after the Southampton performance because the flaws are obvious.
It doesn’t take a brilliant football genius or pundit to understand the efficiencies in that system.
There’s a reason only one team has had success in the Premier League playing three at the back.
Even if you take away the three at the back, nearly every team now plays three in midfield whether it’s one holding and two ahead or two midfielders and a number 10.
United’s two in midfield, unless you’ve got Rodri and Kante, you’re going to struggle, and he hasn’t got either.
So, I am shocked that he’s persisting with this because in football, it doesn’t matter what level you play, you have to play the cards you’ve been dealt.
Unless he can bring in three maybe in this window, I don’t see how that system’s going to work for him from now until the end of the season.
Teams know how to work it out, so that’s been a real surprise to me that he’s been so adamant on a system.
Right now, it’s not about the long term and you’re talking about international players who can adapt back again in the summer when he brings in his own players.
You can go back to that system and then try and work on it when you’ve got six or seven weeks.
The reality right now is that United need results and needs to get the fans back on board.
Trying to do it in that system, they don’t look comfortable, and you can tell they’re not comfortable.
I do think he will get success, I do think he’ll improve the club, but I think it’s going to be a slow burner.
Right now, I’m really shocked that he’s persisting with what he thinks is the right thing.
After that Southampton game, when they did the same against Brighton, it was the first time I thought to myself, I’m not sure why he’s doing it and actually some doubts have crept in my mind about him.
But when he talks, I do understand his reasoning to a degree, but I need to be convinced again, but I do think he will bring success.
Who are you more worried about catching Liverpool in the title race, Arsenal or Manchester City?
Arsenal, absolutely Arsenal.
They have had some wobbles recently, thrown away the lead against Aston Villa, a few poor results at home to Everton.
They haven’t actually made ground on Liverpool when Liverpool have had a little tiny blip themselves in terms of draws at home to Fulham, Man United and at Nottingham Forest.
It’s been good for Liverpool in that respect, but I still think if you look at all the teams who look capable of going on a run and winning a lot of games, you’d still say Arsenal.
Yes, their fans are frustrated at a lack of strikers, but generally this Arsenal side over the last 18 months has been really good defensively.
I know recently they’ve conceded a few when Saliba was missing obviously in the Villa game, but they’ve got real quality players.
Even with the injuries, they’ve got strength in depth, and they’ve got a good squad.
I don’t think they will catch Liverpool, but I think they’re the only ones capable.
If you look at the second half of the last season, Arsenal was terrific, so they could go on a run.
I don’t see anyone else capable at the moment of putting a run together that’s going to trouble Liverpool.
City are too far away, you need Liverpool to lose five and City win all their five, which you just can’t see happening.
Whereas, if Liverpool lost a couple and Arsenal won a couple, then it’s title on.
So, Arsenal are the only ones for me, I don’t see Forest challenging but they’ve done amazingly well.
I think the difficulty with Forest is they don’t have the same strength in depth if they get a couple of injuries.
Also, the pressure, they haven’t been in this situation before.
The other thing with Forest is that, although they’re obviously not in a European competition, they have to work tremendously hard to win games.
They put everything out there every game and playing that way without the ball is hard work.
This season will get harder as it gets into the final months, so I think we might see a little drop off from Forest, in terms of fatigue, the system and the way they play.
It’s a great way of playing for them, but I think it means that they will just drop off.
They’ve got some tough fixtures coming up Forest.
The second half February, early March, they’ve got to play all the big boys, so we’ll know a lot more, but Arsenal is the only team that can compete with Liverpool now.
Who are the top three midfielders you played against in your career? What was it about them that made it a difficult game?
Paul Scholes would be in there because it never really mattered what you’d tried to do to stop him, he’d always impact the game.
There was the odd game where he maybe didn’t play well, but more often than not, you’d come off the pitch and go ‘Jesus’.
He’s some player, you get tight to him, and he just pops it around and then you sit off him and he starts dictating the play.
Scholes was someone, I more than once came off the pitch thinking, don’t want to play against him again.
He just had that wonderful way about him and he’s a nice guy, obviously was in England squads with him, but he’s a really humble guy who I respected and a brilliant player.
Some of these are obvious, but for a reason.
I would put Steven Gerrard in there because, although I played with him, I did play against him as well and Stevie’s just the greatest midfielder I’ ever been on a pitch with.
He could do everything, he could read passes defensively and get himself in good positions.
With the ball he was phenomenal, he was quick, could outjump, outrun you, smash you in a tackle, play around you, score goals and make goals.
So, on a couple of occasions, I came up against Stevie, although he was my mate, it’s just it’s an impossible task.
You can’t do it on your own, you need cover and somebody near you.
He has this athleticism and this football IQ that’s just remarkable, just the best I’ve ever been on a pitch with.
I played against so many good players, so it’s hard to pick, the likes of Roy Keane and Patrick Viera.
But I’d probably say Frank Lampard and I know this is a Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard thing, but all three were great players.
Lampard had this amazing way of getting in the box undetected, even though you’d worked all week on stopping him.
You’d go into games and were like right Lampard’s the danger and we’re going to stop him.
Someone might man-mark him and we might cover space, whatever it may be, but he still ended up scoring and getting in these positions.
More than once in a game as well and you’re thinking how is he in there again?
But the one thing about Frank which is why I’d put him in there, that people don’t talk about and don’t remember it, especially if you haven’t played against him on the same pitch.
It’s not spoken about how hard he worked without the ball and his defensive side of his game was so much better than people give him credit for.
So, just because he was flying forward and he was in a great team, he always got back in.
When he comes to defend against you, he did it properly and he’s a big lump.
He’s a big guy and strong as an ox, so defensively, I think Frank doesn’t get the plaudits for that side of things.
Obviously for the goals he does, but he actually contributed to the defensive aspect of the game in terms of off the ball very well.
As I say, unless you’ve been on the pitch with him, you don’t know it till you’re there. So, I’d go with those three, they’re obvious, but they’re just so good.
Which British stadium did you fear playing away at the most?
I think probably Highbury with Stamford Bridge a close second.
I’d probably go Highbury because when I became a regular in the Liverpool team and we were trying to compete with United and Arsenal, their team was absolutely phenomenal.
It always felt really tight and intimidating.
With their quality and their size as well as being wonderful footballers, Arsenal just had this power and presence.
Dennis Bergkamp, six-foot plus, Thierry Henry, six-foot plus, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Viera.
Robert Piers as well, they were brilliant players, but they were huge as well.
It always felt like you never could get in the game, they were always on top of you and dominating you.
I think maybe we got a draw there once, but generally got our bottoms spanked.
We got pump there a couple of times and that was the one fixture where I didn’t enjoy.
You’re in the tunnel and it’s probably the only place I used to go and think not sure how we’re going to win this today.
You’d think this is a big ask today, so I’d go with Highbury.