Pitch Points: is Slot at risk, what’s up with Trinity Rodman and is Birmingham’s stadium a fantasy? | Liverpool
Could Arne Slot’s job be at risk?
This time last season, Liverpool had just recorded their 10th win in 12 games to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. It was around this time that the narrative around Slot’s team shifted from wondering whether they could win the title in their first season after Jürgen Klopp to predicting how far ahead they would take of the chasing pack. A year later, the story has changed enormously.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest was Liverpool’s sixth in their last seven league matches. Now 11 points behind Arsenal and first place, their title defense is already almost over, with Champions League qualification also looking a long way off. Only a few months ago, Liverpool were widely considered to have “won” the summer transfer window. It seems like a long time ago.
On paper, Liverpool remains the strongest team in the Premier League. They have the top scorer from last season (Mohamed Salah). And one of the best goalkeepers in the world (Alisson). And arguably the best central defender of the Premier League era (Virgil van Dijk). Oh, and they added the most talented German playmaker in a generation (Florian Wirtz), as well as a striker (Alexander Isak) so good he’s been compared to Thierry Henry. They all played against Forest and Liverpool lost hands down.
In the absence of a clear explanation, the finger of blame begins to tip towards Slot. The Dutchman was wise not to overhaul the winning team he inherited from his predecessor last season. Today, however, he struggles to impose his own ideas and identity on a team that has lost the muscle memory of the Klopp era.
Fenway Sports Group is known for its calculated approach to most things. However, nothing that is happening now was planned. Liverpool are probably still a long way from seriously considering Slot’s position, but the longer their slide continues, the more their desperation will grow.
How would Trinity Rodman’s exit from the NWSL change women’s soccer in the United States?
If Sunday’s NWSL final was Trinity Rodman’s final league game, she could have done more to leave a lasting impression. Limited to a brief appearance on the bench as she recovers from an injury-plagued season, the USA international was powerless to prevent the Washington Spirit from a 1-0 loss to Gotham FC. Rodman was silent. By her own admission, she “definitely underperformed.”
Rodman could be forgiven for not being entirely focused. The 23-year-old is the subject of intense speculation over her future with several European clubs said to be interested. There is also an offer on the table from Gainbridge Super League’s DC Power which is “considerably larger” than the Spirit’s offer, according to the Athletic.
A move to USL Division 1 would completely reshape the hierarchy of women’s soccer in the United States. It would be a David Beckham or Lionel Messi moment for the disruptive new league. Even if Rodman leaves for Europe, as many other American stars have done in recent times, questions will be asked about the NWSL and its position at the pinnacle of women’s soccer.
Is the NWSL’s salary cap model sustainable in the face of increased competition for the biggest names? Rodman is at the forefront of a new American generation. There will be a Women’s World Cup in 2027, which the United States is expected to win. Rodman might just be the face of this tournament. Could the NWSL change its structure, removing its salary cap or significantly increasing it, to keep her and other stars of her ilk? The Rodman rule, to follow the MLS Beckham rule which gave way to designated players? The future of the league could depend on it.
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Birmingham City’s new stadium plans: brilliant or cheesy?
You’ve already seen AI collapse. It’s everywhere. It’s on Facebook, usually shared by an uncle tricked into believing that Zohran Mamdani and Joseph Stalin knew each other. It’s on your TV (is it “still the real thing”, Coca-Cola?). It’s on the social media accounts of the President of the United States. He is also believed to have designed Birmingham City’s new stadium.
The $3.2 billion project will be “a modern-day Coliseum,” according to Blues president Tom Wagner. It will be able to accommodate 62,000 fans, will feature 12 chimney-shaped towers inspired by the city’s industrial heritage and will be named The Powerhouse. The only thing missing is a giant sign that says “by order of the Peaky Blinders.”
No other stadium in the world will be like this one, and that deserves to be applauded. It’s refreshing to see a club want something other than a soulless glass bowl to call home. If The Powerhouse looks anything like the released renders, it will be instantly recognizable to fans everywhere.
It will also be corny. The world’s first AI stadium in real life. A theme park attraction disguised as a football stadium. Wagner insists the final article will resemble the caricatured images published last week, quipping “we are spending a lot of time and money on a stadium that will never be built.” They must have saved a fortune by using ChatGPT instead of an architect to design it.
