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Liverpool must still make Arne Slot decision despite missing out on Xabi Alonso – Opinion

· Yahoo Sports

Liverpool must still make Arne Slot decision despite missing out on Xabi Alonso – Opinion

Removing Slot Matters More Than Missing Alonso

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Liverpool’s failure to move for Xabi Alonso this summer will disappoint many supporters, particularly those emotionally attached to the former midfielder and the memories attached to his legendary time at Anfield. However, despite the understandable frustration, I do not actually believe missing out on Alonso is the biggest issue facing Liverpool this summer.

Removing Arne Slot has been and is ongoing for many months.

That is the crucial decision now awaiting Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes, and FSG after the final game of the season against Brentford. Whoever the replacement is, whether it be somebody more experienced, or an entirely unexpected appointment matters less than ensuring the club decisively moves on from a project that has visibly collapsed over the past twelve months.

Because another season like this one simply cannot be allowed to happen, the fanbase and squad have been lost on them, in charge of the team.

Alonso appears set to take the Chelsea job on a four-year contract and, in truth, there is logic to that decision from his own perspective. Chelsea remains a globally recognised football institution despite the chaos surrounding them. They are still viewed across Europe as a giant club with enormous resources and significant potential if properly stabilised.

More importantly for Alonso, it offers Premier League integration.

If he succeeds in London, adapts to English football, and establishes himself tactically over the coming years, then perhaps the Liverpool opportunity returns naturally somewhere down the line. Three to five years from now, after another managerial cycle at Anfield has concluded, Alonso may well arrive with greater experience and stronger foundations to handle the expectations that come with managing Liverpool Football Club.

Because sentiment alone should never dictate appointments and this project needs to be earned and not rewarded.

If Alonso did not carry emotional ties to Liverpool, he would simply be one excellent candidate amongst several elite coaches worth considering. Brilliant tactician? Absolutely. Intelligent football mind? Without question. But football clubs cannot make decisions purely based on romance and nostalgia and the last project at Real Madrid must raise questions as to his ability to marshal a team of elite personnel.

Liverpool needs cold, clear decision-making this summer.

And that begins with acknowledging that the current situation under Slot is no longer sustainable, not even close.

Liverpool Must Protect the Next Era

Chelsea may be attracting Alonso, but they are hardly entering a position of strength.

Despite their global profile, the London club remains engulfed by financial uncertainty and structural instability after years of reckless spending under the current ownership. The lack of European football next season only intensifies that pressure further, with more pressure applied to the finance department. Alonso is taking on a rebuild filled with enormous risk, even if the prestige of the role remains attractive.

Liverpool’s situation is entirely different.

FSG have built a reputation for responsible ownership, smart recruitment, and long-term planning. That stability is precisely why the upcoming decision surrounding Arne Slot matters so much. Liverpool can survive one disappointing season. Elite clubs occasionally suffer downturns and transitional periods.

What they cannot survive is hesitation.

Allowing another campaign of tactical confusion, poor conditioning, passive football, and structural decline would risk damaging a squad that still contains enormous quality. Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Rio Ngumoha, and Ibrahima Konaté are not players that should be drifting through seasons fighting merely to secure Champions League qualification.

This squad should be competing properly.

Instead, Liverpool have looked disorganised, physically vulnerable, and emotionally drained for months. The recent collapses against Aston Villa, Manchester City, and PSG only reinforced the growing sense that Slot has lost control of the tactical and psychological direction of the side.

That is why the final game against Brentford feels less like an ending and more like the final stage before inevitable change.

Liverpool’s hierarchy now needs conviction. Not panic. Not emotional reactions to online noise. Conviction. Missing out on Alonso may sting supporters emotionally, but it does not define Liverpool’s summer.

Removing a failing manager and protecting the next era absolutely does.

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Spurs vs. Thunder Game 1 Western Conference Finals live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs

· Yahoo Sports

Spurs vs. Thunder Game 1 Western Conference Finals live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NBA Western C. onference finals kicks off Monday night with the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs battling the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

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San Antonio is coming off a 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday to win their semifinal series, while Oklahoma City swept the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on May 11.

Tipoff from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

Spurs vs. Thunder live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 1

4th Quarter- 3:52: TV Timeout. Spurs go a bit cold up 91-88. 

4th Quarter- 4:48: Spurs up 91-86 under five minutes to play. 

4th Quarter- 5:37: Both teams fighting for buckets. SGA layup with a foul by Wemby 89-84. 

4th Quarter- 7:06: Easy dunk for Luguentz Dort cuts into Spurs lead 89-82

4th Quarter- 7:30: TV timeout. Spurs up 89-80 with tough defense. 

4th Quarter- 8:47: Teams go into the first few minutes of the quarter trading buckets. Spurs hold lead 87-80

Wemby: 25 points, 15 rebounds and a block 

End of 3rd Quarter: Spurs 80, Thunder 73

3rd Quarter- 8.5 seconds: Spurs up 80-73. 

3rd Quarter- 1:07: SGA nails a 3-pointer. Spurs up 75-70

3rd Quarter- 2:20: Wemby goes back to the free throw line after splitting a pair, makes both for 73-67 lead. 

3rd Quarter- 3:24: Teams trading buckets with Spurs up 70-65

3rd Quarter- 4:44: TV Timeout. Spurs up 66-63

3rd Quarter- 5:34: Jared McClain hits a 3-pointer to take Spurs lead down to one point, 64-63

3rd Quarter- 6:05: With Wemby on the bench, OKC is trying to get points in the paint. 64-60 Spurs lead. 

3rd Quarter- 6:27: Wemby out. Stephon Castle makes both free throws. 64-58 Spurs up. 

3rd Quarter- 7:01: Julian Champagnie hit triple to put Spurs up 62-58

3rd Quarter- 7:33: Wemby hits two free throws for the Spurs to retake lead 59-58

3rd Quarter-7:33: Frustration is setting in with the Spurs, who give up the lead for the first time in the second half.

3rd Quarter- 7:46: TV Timeout. Luguentz Dort nails 3-pointer to take 58-57 lead. 

3rd Quarter- 9:57: SGA hits a 3-pointer with San Antonio's lead now 57-55

3rd Quarter- 9:11: Thunder keep hanging around with Spurs lead now three, 55-52

3rd Quarter- 10:50: Teams open the quarter by trading buckets. Spurs up 53-47

Start of 3rd Quarter- 12:00 

Halftime: Spurs 51, Thunder 44

Team Stats

HalftimeSan AntonioOKCFG18-4316-43Field Goal %42373PT7-196-22FT8-96-6Rebounds2920Assists1110Steals56Blocks13Total Turnovers85Points Off Turnovers124Fast Break Points014Points in Paint2018Fouls78Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead103

2nd Quarter- 51.1 seconds: Spurs up 51-41 with Devin Vassell 3-pointer

2nd Quarter- 3:30: TV timeout. Thunder cut Spurs lead to 44-41

2nd Quarter- 4:26: Thunder trying to cut into the Spurs 42-35 lead with Chet Holmgren at the free throw line

2nd Quarter- 5:55: Teams trading buckets with Spurs up 42-35

2nd Quarter- 7:19: Victor Wembanyama dunk puts Spurs up 40-32. 

2nd Quarter- 8:03: Another missed 3-pointer for OKC. They've gone ice cold in the quarter with four missed from beyond the arc. 

2nd Quarter- 9:11: Dylan Harper hits a 3-pointer and goes on 9-2 run and go up 36-29

End of 1st Quarter: Thunder 27, Spurs 27

1st Quarter- 3:03: Teams trading buckets with OKC taking 18-17 lead

1st Quarter- 6:06: Thunder go on 9-3 run to cut Spurs lead to three, 15-12 

1st Quarter- 7:28: Spurs jump out to a 12-3 lead early 

1st Quarter- 12:00: Tip-off from Oklahoma City

How to Watch Game 1 Western Conference Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 

Monday, May 18

Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC/ Peacock

More NBA Playoff news:

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Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi ‘a lot more serious’ after Hawaii trip ‘changed everything’

· NY Post

The supermodel and the actor recently returned from a romantic trip to Hawaii, which changed the game for their relationship, a source told Page Six.

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