Liverpool legend Phil Thompson looks ahead to the new season
The new Premier League season kicks off on Friday, with Liverpool traveling to Newcastle on Sunday for their opener. Liverpool icon Phil Thompson looks ahead to the season with World Sport's Amanda Davies.
Video Transcript
I'm delighted to say we are joined by, without question, a, a Liverpool legend, seven-time league winner, three-time European Cup winner, FA Cup winner, former captain and Liverpool manager, Phil Thompson.
It's great to see you, Phil.
Thank you for, for joining us.
I mean, I see you and Robbie Fowler had a beer with the new boss, Anthony Iraola.
I mean, was it only the one?
A beer?
It was a couple more than that, but not too many.
I don't wanna sort of go overboard on it.
But it was really nice.
It was in a really good sort of environment in Chicago, standing there talking about all kinds of things, and it wasn't just football, because obviously, that is important, that's what it's all about, but it's about his family, how he's settling in.
Had he found a house?
Had he found a school for his children?
It was all things like that, but we went all round the place.
He was a very, very engaging man.
Yeah, I mean, you are somebody who had that period as, as Liverpool caretaker boss, but somebody who has lived and breathed this club.
I mean, what is your advice to a new manager walking into Anfield and, and how to deal with a pretty unique environment?
It is.
I, I would like to think it's a unique environment.
I, I've been a Liverpool fan since I was a fetus, for goodness sake, so I do believe it's special.
So for Iraola coming in, I'd say try and enjoy it, because it is hard, it is tough.
Results go up, results go down.
Everybody's so down.
Even if you play really well but you get beat, it's, it's as though, you know, everybody is sort of depressed.
But you have to try and enjoy it, because it is a special football club.
There will be special games.
There'll be special nights for him to enjoy, and that's the way it is.
Not just him, but his staff, and I just That would be the big thing for me, is to really enjoy the moments.
Yes, you've gotta then be thinking of the next match.
You cannot get too carried away.
But I do think it's, it's a great appointment.
I think he will, his style of football will excite the fans, and I think that is what they're all looking forward to.
Yeah, so I mean, what have you made of, of what you've seen and heard so far?
How confident are you that things are heading in the right direction?
Well, I would love to be overconfident and think everything's gonna accord, go according to plan.
We would, we're going to win the league and everything like that.
But it's, I think after last season, I think the fans want a little bit more sort of excitement.
I think, you know, getting down to the right-hand side or the left-hand side on, on the corner of the box, and then it ends up with Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahim, Ibou Konat.
You know, we wanna see more crosses into the box, more shots going on, some more excitement.
And of course, from the games, what I've seen in pre-season, I think it's hard for the managers to just stout, 'cause everybody's gotta have minutes.
You've gotta try and get everybody sort of involved.
But what I've seen is he's trying to get players to pass the ball forward that bit quicker, that more intensity forward.
And I think one of the things where we lost last season was that high press, that intensity, what, what we'd all gotten used to under Jrgen, under Arne Slot's first season.
We seemed to lose that identity, but we felt that was a little bit back.
Although it was players trying to get minutes, I felt that that's what we could see, and that's what people were excited about.
How surprised were you, I mean, how worried, how, how quickly the cards did come tumbling down towards the end of last season?
Of course, nobody sort of liked that.
To go from somebody who'd just won our 20th league title, for them to the, the, the season unravel was really disappointing.
And I, I could feel for Arne Slot, because being in there, being assistant manager, being manager for six months, you know the trials, tribulations of having to make those right choices of team selection, substitutions, getting things right was always difficult.
But you could feel it unraveling, because, again, I do feel we're a special club, and I do like to think we, we know our football.
But for the fans to start falling out was, was a little bit sort of disappointing, and you could feel it all going wrong.
So did I think there was gonna be a change?
Although you go, well, give the manager a little bit more time.
But then you want a new manager to have the pre-season, to have his choice of players.
So you understand things do have to change.
It doesn't matter how long you've been at a football club, it all comes to an end somehow, some way.
And talking of a, a manager's choice of players, you know, there's been a lot of talk about the big name, big experience exits.
I mean, i- in terms of players heading the other way, I mean, would you like to see a few more?
How confident y- are you there is enough in that dressing room?
I think you'd always like to feel there's a bit more.
We were all very extremely worried about the, our sort of center-back, problems.
And we, we played just against Como last week, and Jrmy Djeghor came in and gave one of the best 45-minute cameos at the start that I've ever seen.
That sounds as though I'm getting carried away, and obviously, it's a long season and there's different games, but oh my goodness, what a 45 minutes.
And then Haruho, who came on the second half, gave you that little bit of confidence.
Had to defend a little bit more, but defended extremely well.
And then we've got Leone and Joe Gomez coming back to fitness.
That feels a little bit better.
But of course, I'm a fan more than anything, and you do wanna see more recruitments.
We do wanna see another wide player.
We do wanna see another If Curtis does go, as you were explaining before, because changes happen, and you do like to see a few more players.
Everybody likes to see a few more players.
But you like to see quality players coming in, and hopefully, there will be one or two more before the deadline comes on September the 1st
