NICK FEINBERG: SLOT MACHINE IS NOT PAYING OUT​

HELLO my good football people! Hope you’re doing well. Hold on, I should be saying commiserations to half of Cape Town after that, what do we call it? Damning defeat by the worst Manchester United team in history.

I mean things really ain’t good when you lose at home to that lot. I watched Virgil van Dijk’s post-match interview and it wasn’t funny. He looked about 168cm and 70kgs.

I’ve honestly never seen him so gutted following a defeat. Perhaps it was because his personal performance was so weak...

The Liverpool general, looked little more than a Sunday league player over 40 after a night out. He was awful. In an awful game (that was great to watch for the neutral).

I really enjoyed it. A good part of it was end-to-end, there was plenty of shots and lots of drama! However it was scrappy, a long way off the fast moving, slick Liverpool of recent seasons.

Star players are simply not performing and the worry of three defeats on the trot, has (and I know it is early in the season) now turned into a four-loss mini-crisis.

I say this as a huge factor this season was the unprecedented spending during the transfer window – £416 million (R9.7 billion).

The most ever spent anywhere in the world during a single window.

As mentioned last week, this was the owners doubling down and placing their bets on creating a success-filled few years ahead after winning the Premier League title so easily last season. But the strategy has badly backfired. Transfer decision-making is shared among a few senior executives rather than a single “director of football”.

Michael Edwards (chief executive of football) was appointed last year, he is part of the group which includes Richard Hughes (sporting director) who is responsible for the day-to-day sporting activities, including transfer decisions, liaising with scouts and coach Arne Slot. But what have they done?

I like Jeremie Frimpong. He is a brilliantly skilful player to watch, had a decent cameo on Sunday and Hugo Ekitike has looked lively so far...

But the rest? It just feels like too many, too soon, also, too may big-money signings in the same window.

It was interesting to see Slot fielded a starting 11 on Sunday that featured just one new face, Alexander Isak up top.

He is obviously feeling the disruption. The Dutchman took the reins of a winning machine.

He slotted in and carried on from where Jurgen Klopp left off. But now, a year later, many (including a small part of me) are thinking “imposter?”.

Yes, we’ve barely got going this season and there are Cups and Champions League to get into.

For f**k’s sake there are only four points separating the top four, but the pressure is already at boiling point.

Four losses in a row, players misfiring, Mo Salah (missing Trent Alexander-Arnold) shouldn’t even be on the frikkin pitch.

But it’s back to business this weekend. And the Reds face a “must-win” trip to Brentford this Saturday. I still believe (at some stage) we’re going to see the team start clicking again, but that pre-season chit chat about the “quadruple” seems about as likely as a gypsy with a mortgage.

Meanwhile, Spursy were at it again, while Manchester City and Arsenal quietly went about their business at the weekend.

And a last word about poor old Ange Postecoglou. I mean let’s face it, love him or hate him, appointing him at Nottingham Forest was always a mad one.

Then Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis unceremoniously sacked him, in similar treatment as was handed out to Nuno Espirito Santo.

It was interesting to see Forest outplay Chelsea in the first half on Saturday. But top-level football isn’t an easy place. I wish Postecoglou the best of luck!

Chat next week.

Bye bye.