Sunday Best today looking back on a on at the weekend’s results so far as Manchester City completed a domestic cup double against Chelsea on the weekend they appointed Xabi Alonso, and Mo Salah decided to go native on Liverpool’s dismal season before his last appearance in a Red shirt.

Neil Atkinson hosts Lola Katz-Roberts, Mike Bankole and Stu Wright.

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• Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best
• Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: The Review
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: The Anfield Wrap
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 | The Anfield Wrap
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: Match Review

Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s review podcast looking at another defeat on the road for the Reds, once again losing having fought their way back into a game, this time away to Aston Villa, ultimately losing 4-2 in Birmingham.

Dan Morgan hosts Neil Atkinson and Sean Rogers.

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• Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best
• Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: The Review
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: The Anfield Wrap
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 | The Anfield Wrap
• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: Match Review

Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: The Review appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s weekly free podcast, coming after Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Neil Atkinson hosts Pete Bolster, Joel Penny and John Gibbons.

Also in the show, Neil visited the The “Joy” Facility in Birkenhead to catch up with the team at the Open Door Charity.

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• Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best
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• Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: Match Review

Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: The Anfield Wrap appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s weekly free podcast, coming after Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Neil Atkinson hosts Pete Bolster, Joel Penny and John Gibbons.

Also in the show, Neil visited the The “Joy” Facility in Birkenhead to catch up with the team at the Open Door Charity.

Download the Peloton app and check out the six Liverpool FC-themed classes, and connect with Neil, John and other Reds by joining the #TAWPelotonClub tag…

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Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 | The Anfield Wrap appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 in the 2025-2026 Premier League at Villa Park…

WHAT we are talking about here is the stupidest team in the country. The stupidest team in the country wandered into Villa Park and got precisely what their idiocy deserved.

It takes eleven to tango where that is concerned. Any eleven. Any eleven you care to mention. This isn’t the same as saying eleven played badly – they didn’t. Within all the doombrain football there were moments where some acquitted themselves well. You just knew, Aston Villa just knew, that stupidity was just around the corner. A great example is just after it went 4-2 and Liverpool played into Villa’s hands with aplomb.

Eleven? Twelve. Let’s include the manager who ultimately oversees this stupidity. His name is above the door. Liverpool managed to have one of those days where they didn’t have enough players going forward but weren’t compact and left gaps going backwards.

Coaching staff too, if you want.  Indeed: The football club from top to bottom has been remarkably stupid for 2025/26 and tonight is the epitome of it. A crisp distillation of everything they have been through this season, into one evening. 

The thing about the opening goal was that it looked choreographed. So much so it looked like Liverpool were in on it. It was like something from professional wrestling, as though pre-match both sides had got together and arranged it all. 

Obviously that isn’t the case. Aston Villa just knew they were playing the stupidest team in the country. The men who never talk. The XI that has looked at every rake as a friend they hadn’t stepped on yet.

It was the man Aston Villa would want in the specific place they would want him. And it proves the constant from this season: Hang in there, Liverpool will give you a chance. They may be on top now. But Liverpool having the ball is unlikely to mean a Liverpool opportunity. Instead it just means they will lose the ball. And then you never know.

But they do know. They have a plan for it. They know Liverpool offer nothing in their box and know that Ollie Watkins can offer something in ours. They know they will get to burst beyond lines and they know it will be just there.

And they know: Someone might fall over. Someone will ball watch. Someone will press when they shouldn’t. Someone will stand off when they should press. Somewhere Liverpool will make it easy. Because they cannot make it hard.

It goes 1-1 and it becomes a game of wondering how precisely it will go 2-1. The way it goes 3-1, after the histrionics, showed that along with tactically stupid and practically stupid, Liverpool could also be psychologically stupid. Roll up! Roll up! See what the circus has to offer next.

John McGinn makes it four and it is what everyone deserves and Virgil van Dijk makes it two because actually Aston Villa aren’t that good. But they don’t need to be. Because Liverpool are broken.

There is so much wreckage around the place as it stands. This starts from last summer. From both the horrendous tragedy of Diogo and Andre but also from decisions made in the summer, decisions made around prices, decisions made in January, decisions made around the manager. The players don’t seem to like or trust each other, don’t seem to know where to be, seem to be looking at one another like they are the next shoe to drop and that is no place to play football.

Liverpool can still hit the bare minimum KPI this season but at what cost? Who has confidence in this? The decisions made through the season, some by the manager and some not, now gnaw away at the manager whose own head must be burned out by what his side find their way to. The wreckage is everything and now any reasonable eye thinks “my god, there is so much to do”. There is a lot to be said for continuity, there always will be, but there is validity right now in asking “continuity of what?” 

Further, it is valid to make the point that when a season ends and the league tables go back to zero that doesn’t mean the previous twelve months are forgotten. We are actually not goldfish. Would it be better if we were? Well, neither is the rest of the football world and right now it is perfectly valid for other top sides to anticipate a Liverpool next season that has not just not won in any of their grounds but actively shot themselves in the foot. 

It is valid for Liverpool players to look at the men next to them and the man in the dugout and think “you helped make a show of me last year.” Resets are not easy. This would also be fair for a manager who can look at last summer, look at the people above him and think, “my god, you could have helped me out lads”. Further, what is the continuity argument worth when the three most senior men on the technical side of the club have contracts that run out in 57 weeks.

Everything in life is rolling the dice, of course it is, but it is also very human to look at the people who have rolled a load of ones, know that the dice is the dice but also thinking “well, I don’t think I want you to roll them again”.

We end up back here – whose name is above which door? What has been luck, judgement and where the two meet? But the manager’s name is above the door marked performance. It just is. And Liverpool have now lost as many games this season in the league as Sunderland and Leeds United. Two sides they failed to beat at home.

But tonight is just doombrained. Just doombrained. Doombrained is the worst. It is no way to live, no way to play a game of football. There’s a thing around The Anfield Wrap and, I’d say, around a lot of culture in the city. You never, ever want to be thought of or called a divvy. You’d rather be called a bastard.

You don’t want to be called a sausage. You’d rather be called a prick. 

You don’t want to be called a balloon. You’d rather be called a cunt.

Liverpool are bad divvies. Liverpool are frigging sausages. Liverpool are fucking balloons, enormous fucking balloons, and everyone is sick of it.

Neil

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Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2: Match Review appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s player ratings video, talking through the individual performances from Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2.

Neil Atkinson is joined by Dan Morgan…

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Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 | The Ratings Video appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap post-match reaction video from the Mayflower pub after Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 in the Premier League at Villa Park.

Kieran Molyneux hosts Kev Reilly and Ian Salmon…

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Aston Villa 4 Liverpool 2 | Post Match Pint appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

Liverpool lose 4-2 at Villa Park after once again getting themselves back into the game having gone a goal behind.

Neil Atkinson hosts Steph Senyszyn, Andy Bell and Emilia Bona.

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• Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best
• Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: The Review
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Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: Post Match Show appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The personality to be Liverpool manager has always been vital. The last two seasons have shown that winning now overrides that notion…

CAST YOUR mind back for me. Where were you on 24 May 2015?

What were you doing? How were you feeling? I was at a wedding, blissfully ignorant of the pandemonium unfolding at The Britannia Stadium. Not watching and not allowing myself to comprehend the reality of the numbers on the scoreboard.

The sobriety and graveness of the situation came to light the next morning. All the newlywed bliss had evaporated and mired into crisis. As if someone had decided not to forever hold their peace.

Stoke City 6-1 Liverpool was even worse than the scoreline had suggested. Brendan Rodgers’ side got legged by Charlie Adam and Jon Walters. The away end turned fully on Raheem Sterling, and Steven Gerrard was the subject of national ridicule once again on his final Liverpool appearance.

The Reds had finished seventh on 61 points, a place behind Everton in the table. On 2 June 2015, it was confirmed that Rodgers would remain in post following an end-of-season review with Tom Werner, which apparently yielded ‘a comprehensive plan for improvement’.

We know how this story unfolds. But think about this: how much clamour was there for Jürgen Klopp after Stoke away? How much vitriol was being aimed at Rodgers for Liverpool’s performances and the exit of a club legend? How many pelters was Ian Ayre getting?

I’m not advocating that the Northern Irishman should have been chased out of the club by a digital or in-person lynch mob. But it’s now fascinating to recall a time when there was an unspoken understanding that the managerial position would not be undermined unless absolutely necessary, or Roy Hodgson, as it’s otherwise known.

There has always been a general agreement at Liverpool that we wouldn’t publicly berate the manager or team unless on-pitch standards and messaging were substandard to the point of challenging our entire identity.

It’s reasonable to suggest those standards have slipped far beyond what we deem acceptable in 2025/26. Despite being on the back of a title winning season and record-breaking transfer summer Liverpool have regressed into an uninspiring, unfit and tactically inept outfit.

There is so much mitigation. They are dealing with an unprecedented loss of life. They are suffering with injuries. Miraculously they remain fourth in the table.

To many, however, Arne Slot has become public enemy number one. A figure of not just blame but hate. An inept charlatan who is the single leading cause of Liverpool’s demise.

I’m not sure I’ve seen levels of dislike towards a manager like this, and I include Hodgson in that.

Rafa Benitez divided supporters, but his acolytes were just as entrenched as his detractors between 2006 and 2009. Kenny Dalglish was rightly untouchable in the toxic criticism sense, but the silent judgement towards his tenure at the end of 2011-12 spoke volumes for everyone at the club.

For an entire generation now, the outlier will be Klopp, who ultimately went beyond his job description and created a human connection far beyond the capabilities of any manager on the planet.

Think of it this way, if the German had managed Liverpool prior to Rodgers, would the former Swansea coach have been given the opportunity to take Liverpool into a near title success in 2013-14? 

Slot followed Klopp with aplomb for 12 months, displaying a calm honesty and transparency whilst delivering results and the ultimate Holy Grail.

Whether you believe that, Slot deserves to be in the role or not, what isn’t in question is that something has shifted in the collective supporter base about how we’re communicating frustrations and satisfaction levels.

Whether it’s an internet comment thread or stadium reaction, the dial has ramped up significantly. This is, of course, a sign of the times. Content is everywhere and engagement usually stems from the more opinionated sources.

There is also a question of what Liverpool supporters want from a manager. Slot has been accused of everything from not being a good coach to not being committed to the role, with his family still based in the Netherlands.

If we want another Klopp, we’ll inevitably end up disappointed. We want someone who wins, first and foremost. Slot is living proof that characteristics won’t be scrutinised if you’re delivering on the pitch.

From 1995 to 2015, patience was in rich supply at Liverpool. There was a will to go on a journey with the right man. They found him. The journey was so incredibly joyous, heartbreaking and real that we couldn’t replicate it if we tried.

Nobody told us what to do once that journey was concluded. Where to base expectancy levels or how patient we’d need to be with the next guy. Rodgers’ reprieve after Stoke now seems ludicrous by modern day standards.

The looming spectre of Xabi Alonso and Chelsea’s desire to hire him now adds an element of urgency to the situation. Talk of Alonso holding out for Liverpool does suggest that there’s potentially something to hold out for. Yet Slot remains adamant that he will lead the club into 2026-27.

With Alonso comes a notion of implied unity given his former player status. His pedigree from Bayer Leverkusen speaks for itself and that is also alluring, but there’s a sense that Alonso would unite supporters and that is what’s needed more than ever.

I’m not sure any of this becomes harmoniously unified anytime soon. For years, there have been those following Liverpool who’ve pointed to a lack of transfer outlay as the reason more wasn’t achieved. This season, that argument can no longer be viewed as valid. There was an expectancy which has been severely underdelivered.

Slot must take huge responsibility for this. How that dissatisfaction has been shown is what’s most intriguing.

Whatever the outcome, one thing is now abundantly clear; the external perception of how supporters view and treat the Liverpool manager has changed – and not entirely for the better.

Dan

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• Salah Goes Native As Chelsea Appoint Alonso: Sunday Best
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Assessing Liverpool Supporters’ Relationship With Managers appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

Rattling through 10 topics in 10 minutes handpicked by you, the viewers, including Neil’s thoughts on the rebuild.

Josh Sexton is joined by Neil Atkinson…

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The Run-In & The Rebuild | 10 Topics 10 Minutes appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

It’s AFQ and joining Harriet Prior are Lizzi Doyle, Siobhan Biggane, Grace Mailey, Sian Bennett and Olivia Graham.

(Keep an eye on our Twitter feed to submit your questions for the next show)

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AFQ: The Takeover appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap places you in a Liverpool pub on a Thursday night, were we discuss Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League game against Aston Villa…

John Gibbons hosts Beth Lindop, Martin Fitzgerald and James Carr.

Aston Villa Preview | The Friday Night With Erdinger appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

As Chelsea face Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at the weekend without a permanent manager in situ and significant fixtures running right through to next week, twice involving Aston Villa, the 25/26 season edges ever closer to completion with the race for the title, Champions League football and the fight against relegation all in play with only weeks to go.

Neil Atkinson is joined in the studio by Mike Kearney, Phil Blundell and Keifer MacDonald.

Also in the show Neil chats to Ste Goldsmith and Dom Farrell.

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FA Cup Final Weekend: The Friday Show appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s pre match show ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Ian Ryan hosts Josh Sexton, Gregg Munikwa and Sean Rogers.

Also in the show, John Gibbons chats to Tom Fahy about Friday nights game and Neil Atkinson talks to Les Wright and Danny Smith about their charity 5-a-side fundraiser in June.

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Aston Villa v Liverpool: Pre Match Warm Up appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.

The Anfield Wrap’s pre match show ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Ian Ryan hosts Josh Sexton, Gregg Munikwa and Sean Rogers.

Also in the show, John Gibbons chats to Tom Fahy.

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Aston Villa v Liverpool | Pre-Match Warm Up appeared first on The Anfield Wrap - Liverpool Football Club Podcast, Videos and Writing.