The ex-chief executive of Southern Water has been charged with three others over an alleged plan to manipulate water quality tests to avoid paying financial penalties of about £45m, it can now be reported.
Matthew Wright is accused of conspiring to defraud the Environment Agency (EA) and water regulator Ofwat between 2012 and 2017, along with Philip Barker, Clive Massey and Mark Gregory, who also worked at the firm.
Wright’s solicitor says he “denies all wrongdoing and has co-operated fully” with the EA’s investigation.
Southern Water said the charges related to “a historic set of failures” uncovered in an internal investigation. It said it was a “completely different” company to a decade ago.
The EA asked a judge to issue a summons against the four, charging them with the offence, last year, but Wright launched a legal challenge, dismissed by two senior judges on Wednesday.
Massey, Gregory and Barker did not appear at the hearing in London and were not represented.
According to court documents, the allegations include arranging for wastewater to be removed from facilities by tankers in order to create “no flow” results.
This had been “with a view to covering up pollution and deceiving those whose function is to protect the public from such harm”, prosecutors allege.
In his legal challenge, Wright’s lawyers argued at the High Court in June that the EA did not have the power to issue the summons and it should be thrown out.
But the judges dismissed his claim and ruled restrictions previously preventing reporting of the legal challenge should be lifted.
Separate court listings showed the case against 60-year-old Wright, of Haslemere, Surrey; Barker, 57, of West Chiltington, West Sussex; Massey, 64, of Brandhill, Shropshire; and Gregory, 63, of Southampton, were scheduled to be heard at Medway Magistrates’ Court on 14 July.
The four are accused of conspiring between 2012 and 2017 to defraud those conducting the environmental and financial regulation duties of Southern Water, including the EA and Ofwat, by “the implementation of artificial no-flow events at wastewater treatment works”.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has sparked massive airport queues across Europe – with people complaining that they’ve had to wait hours to enter countries after landing
08:24, 19 Jul 2026Updated 08:51, 19 Jul 2026
EES kiosks have extended airport wait times across the EU(Image: PA)
Brits looking forward to a European getaway this summer have been issued a major travel warning by an airport boss after the EU implemented its new border system.
Officials implemented the new passport control system, named the Entry/Exit System (EES), on October 12 last year, requiring British citizens travelling to the Schengen area to register biometric details – including fingerprints and a photo – on arrival. The arrangements have caused massive pileup queues in airports across the area, and the system itself is reportedly plagued with bugs.
A boss at one of the busiest airports in the EU, located in one of the most visited cities on the continent, has warned that the system has nearly tripled the amount of time it is taking Brits to travel through passport control.
Ivan Bassato, the Chief Aviation Officer at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, told the BBC that large numbers of passengers are using the €12 million (£10.2 million) self-service “kiosks”. While recent updates to the system have “improved things significantly” with the e-gates, issues remain for UK nationals, who are now taking much longer to get through the border.
He said the average time has extended from seven to 20 minutes, and the process is still taking much longer than it would have before the EES rollout.
Mr Bassato said: “We are not at the point where you have the same quality of the process [as] before the EES.” The official added that the airport was “absolutely not okay with” waits lasting between one to two hours, urging: “I think that we need to fix urgently certain aspects of the system.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has previously warned Brits travelling into the Schengen area that they should be “prepared to wait” as the EES is implemented, especially if it is their first visit.
The Government’s portal advises: “On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival. You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths. You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country.
“The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.” Brits travelling into Rome have encountered lengthening wait times lasting hours.
Speaking to the BBC, Carl, who had travelled to the Italian capital with his family, said he was bowled over by the amount of time it took to enter the country. He said: “It was two hours queuing, from getting off the plane to getting through with children. I knew it was going to be bad, but not as bad as that.”
One traveller entering from outside the EU said in a post on Reddit that, on entry to Fiumicino, they encountered a non-EU immigration line that wrapped through duty free.
They wrote: “Flight was at 11:15 today. Arrived at FCO at 8:45. Checking in and security was a breeze. Immigration line was extremely long for non-EU passports. Wrapped through duty free into the domestic terminal. The line finally moved enough that was I was on gate side of duty free at 9:30. Made it through immigration around 9:55.
“Worth noting that we had fast pass in security and priority check in for bags. Much more time needed if we didn’t.” The European Commission has insisted that disruption in EU airports is limited, and that member states would receive continued EES support.
Striker Haaland has scored seven goals during Norway’s historic run to the quarter-finals.
This is their first World Cup since 1998 – and the furthest they have gone.
It has turned into a summer to remember after wins over Iraq, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Brazil, with Haaland hitting form.
On Friday, the main focus of the last-eight tie was on Haaland and England captain Harry Kane, who has scored six times in five games at the tournament.
Asked if it would be a straight shootout between the prolific goalscoring pair to determine the outcome, Solbakken said “it’s Norway against England”.
“It’s not a secret that Kane is match-winner number one for England and Erling is match-winner number one for us,” he added.
“There’s no doubt that he [Haaland] is our biggest match-winner, but I think you underestimate some of the other players if you think that’s the whole theme.
“He also needs service but you can’t deny that he is a big, big match-winner for us.”
After battling past co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in the last 16, despite having defender Jarell Quansah sent off in the 54th minute at a hostile Azteca Stadium, Solbakken is a big admirer of England.
He said: “We need to compete and defend properly. We need to concentrate on the pitch and then we can be ourselves.
“Jude Bellingham and Kane score from great positions. I think the most impressive [England] game came when they were better than Mexico.
“Mexico created very few chances and I think [Thomas] Tuchel managed to get their best players in good position. And being match-winners like Bellingham, Kane – they have several options on the wings which means that if one doesn’t have the day, another comes in and then obviously does something good, then steady out in the middle of the park with Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice.”
Norway had 66.4% possession during the memorable win over Brazil.
Asked if he expected his side to have a similar amount against England, Solbakken added: “No I don’t.
“It’s getting hotter. We have trained very lightly. We’ve not done as much hard work [in training]. We have had technical sessions but in a lower tempo.
McCulloch said: “If I were the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, I’d be looking closely at where’s my next source of energy security, and you’re standing on it.
“The wells are drilled, they’re hooked up. We’re just readying the systems. It will be ready for the 1st of October.
“Jackdaw will play a vital part of this winter’s gas supply,” he added, providing energy security, employment and taxation to the UK.
Environmentalists say Jackdaw will only produce 2% of the country’s annual gas demand during the lifetime of the field.
“It would be a huge betrayal of the British public for the UK government to approve new oil and gas fields at a time when ordinary people are suffering so much as a result of these record-breaking heatwaves,” said Tessa Khan, executive director of the campaign group, Uplift.
In response McCulloch said: “So we all watch the same news, and we see that.
“But what we’re saying is that Jackdaw should not take that on its shoulders, or it should take a very small portion of that.
“It’s a very, very small proportion of the total global emissions.”
The iconic pair will be teaming up in an untitled father-daughter spy thriller, loosely inspired by author Paul Warner’s debut novel A Spy in the Blood.
What’s even more exciting is that this upcoming series will be created by none other than Jack Thorne, co-creator of Netflix’s Adolescence, as well as other hits like His Dark Materials and the Enola Holmes franchise.
Harbour and Brown will be returning to familiar territory in the new series as they will be portraying a dad and daughter, very much like the familial dynamic between Stranger Things’ Hopper and Eleven.
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In the freshly announced series, Harbour will be playing “disgraced FBI agent turned security expert Matt Wolfe” while actress Millie Bobby Brown is behind Rebecca, his estranged daughter and FBI agent.
However, Matt is drawn back into the world that he left behind when Rebecca “vanishes on a mission, forcing him back into a field that has evolved beyond him”.
While the spy thriller has been given a straight-to-series order by Netflix, there has been no word on when subscribers can expect the series just yet.
Netflix Head of Scripted Series, US and Canada Jinny Howe said: “We are delighted to bring this spy drama to life with an extraordinary group of talent we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with before.
“Jack Thorne’s ability to find the deeply human story inside a thriller is unmatched, and watching Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour reunite — this time as estranged father and daughter on opposite sides of a crisis — is something audiences are going to love.”
Harbour hinted at the collaboration in an interview with Variety, teasing: “You’ll see more of me and Millie. 10 years wasn’t enough,” referring to their time together on Stranger Things.
“There is a special bond there. I love her, she loves me.”
Brown also praised her former Stranger Things co-star for bringing them back together, telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week: “Father-daughter is where we live, but Netflix will always be our home.
“The David Harbour project is sooner than expected, and it’s David’s idea, so kudos to him.”
Veteran broadcast journalist Katie Couric has leveled sharp criticism at CBS’ “60 Minutes,” detailing a culture of systemic sexism and marginalization she says she experienced during her tenure at the prestigious newsmagazine.
On this week’s episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Couric, 69, described incidents during her time at “60 Minutes” when her story ideas were reassigned to her male counterparts. She described the circumstances as “really tough situations.”
The Emmy-winning journalist said she suspected early on that Jeff Fager, the “60 Minutes” executive producer at the time, didn’t take a liking to her.
“I think maybe because he wasn’t really consulted about bringing me over,” said Couric. “I was sort of seen as somebody from a different network coming in and sort of muddying the waters. I hadn’t come up in the CBS system. So I don’t know, he just didn’t like me.”
Couric started her run at the newsmagazine as a correspondent and as an anchor at CBS News in 2006, after spending 15 years co-hosting NBC’s “Today” show. Her role at CBS made her the first female solo anchor of a national weeknight news broadcast. She stayed with the network for five years before taking on a new role as special correspondent for ABC News.
Fager remained at “60 Minutes” from 2004 to 2018. He also served as the chairman of CBS News. He was eventually fired for allegedly sending a “harsh” message to a CBS reporter. At the time, he was also facing accusations of ignoring inappropriate behavior at “60 Minutes.” He previously denied the claims. CBS could not be reached for comment.
Trouble first came to a head when Couric pitched a profile of the rising pop star Lady Gaga. Fager had initially turned down the idea until he decided to pursue the story a year later, as Gaga had gained more notoriety.
Couric said she had proposed a fresh angle on Gaga’s Catholic school upbringing, but when she arrived for the interview, she discovered her name had been replaced with Anderson Cooper’s. His interview with Gaga aired in February 2011.
“It made me crazy,” Couric said.
A similar situation occurred once again when Couric was set to interview then–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The confusion began when the State Department reached out to Couric, wondering why fellow correspondent Scott Pelley’s team was inquiring about Clinton.
“So I go to Jeff Fager, and I say, ‘I thought you wanted me to do Hillary. You told me explicitly that you wanted to assign that story to me,’” Couric said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, we decided to change things up.’”
Couric said she was frustrated with Fager, for repeatedly going “behind [her] back.”
“Like, without even the decency to call me and say, ‘Guess what? We decided to reassign the story, and this is why,’” she said. “Talk about getting gaslit. I mean to me, that is the definition of it.”
Couric isn’t the only former “60 Minutes” to call out sexism at the newsmagazine. Meredith Vieira, who worked as a correspondent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said in 2018, that she’d experienced sexism at CBS.
In the last few months, “60 Minutes” has undergone a massive upheaval. Under CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, several correspondents, including Scott Pelley, and the program’s top producers were fired. Anderson Cooper also recently resigned from his post at the newsmagazine. With the upcoming season slated to begin in September, the program is currently under pressure to replenish its ranks.
Ferrari has announced that Enrico Galliera, its chief marketing and commercial officer of more than 16 years, will step down, handing one of the most sensitive jobs in the luxury car world to an outsider.
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His successor, Massimiliano Di Silvestre, the former head of BMW’s Italian business, takes over on 1 July and will report directly to CEO Benedetto Vigna.
Galliera’s exit comes barely a month after Ferrari pulled the covers off the Luce, its first fully electric model, which received a reception few at the company were happy about.
The car, whose edgeless styling was developed with LoveFrom, the design studio founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, broke sharply from Ferrari’s traditional look and drew swift ridicule from enthusiasts and investors alike.
The backlash was unusually public for a brand accustomed to adoration.
Ferrari’s shares fell more than 8% in a single session after the reveal, a sharp market verdict on one of the industry’s most valuable names.
Critics lined up to attack the design, among them the company’s own former chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who warned that the brand was risking the destruction of a legend and went so far as to suggest the famous badge be removed from the car.
Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, joined in, questioning the four-door model’s price, which starts at €550,000.
However, Ferrari has firmly rejected any link between the criticism and Galliera’s departure.
According to the company, he had decided to move on some time ago and agreed to remain in place through the Luce launch before pursuing what it described as a new chapter in his career.
Vigna praised his contribution and framed the change as part of the brand’s evolution rather than a reaction to it.
An outsider for an uncertain road
Whatever the motivation, the choice of replacement is telling.
Di Silvestre brings more than two decades of experience in the premium car market, having steered BMW Italy since 2019, and represents a rare move by Ferrari to recruit its commercial chief from a rival rather than promote from within.
He inherits the task of selling an electric Ferrari to a clientele that pays a heavy premium for exclusivity, at a moment when demand for high-performance EVs has cooled.
Ferrari maintains that interest in the Luce remains strong, though investors will not get a clearer picture until the company reports its second-quarter results on 30 July.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is not a fan of the controversial hydration breaks being used at the World Cup.
Tuchel, 52, was speaking before England’s second Group L game against Ghana in Boston on Wednesday (21:00 BST), where rain and cool temperatures are forecast.
England’s fans started the now customary jeering of the breaks when play was stopped in the first half of their opening game against Croatia in Dallas, despite the match being played under a roof in an air-conditioned arena.
The breaks will continue to be used in Boston irrespective of the weather, but Tuchel expressed his reservations about them and the impact they are having on games.
“I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought. I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter,” Tuchel said.
“They were shorter and they were just in a few matches. In the interests of fairness here, it is now done in every match for every team.
“It breaks the match almost in four quarters. And I think it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary O’Neil are among the leading candidates to become manager at Ipswich.
Former Manchester United boss Solskjaer is high on the Tractor Boys’ list to succeed Kieran McKenna at Portman Road.
Solskjaer took a break from management after leaving Manchester United in 2021 but was keen for a quick return following his exit from Besiktas last summer.
He was overlooked for a return to Old Trafford last season, in favour of Michael Carrick, with United feeling it would be better to avoid someone who had done the job before.
McKenna worked under Solksjaer – along with his assistant Martyn Pert – at Manchester United when the Norwegian led them to second in the Premier League in 2020-21.
He played at Bristol City when current Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton was CEO.
The French side had been confident of keeping the former Wolves head coach, who joined the club in January, but he remains a contender for the Tractor Boys.
The 40-year-old took charge of the Tractor Boys in 2021 and guided them to three promotions in the past four seasons, two of which have taken the club into the top flight.
McKenna was linked with the Fulham job after Marco Silva’s departure, but quit to take a break from the game and spend more time with his family.
“I feel this is the right time for me to step aside,” he said.
“I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club.”
“I am the person who takes full responsibility and I will be accountable for my job and the future plan of Wolves,” said executive chairman Nathan Shi last month.
After the shock sacking of Rob Edwards last week, one which blindsided the manager and his staff along with many at Molineux, it is not just Shi who needs this change – which is a gamble – to work for Wolves.
Shi and owners Fosun led the change and after replacing Jeff Shi in December, he could find himself the focal point of supporters’ anger just like his predecessor.
If it fails, a fanbase who had started revolting over the past 18 months will look for full revolution against the owners.
Automatic promotion is the plan next season and Cesar Peixoto has to have Wolves in the title race in the Championship.
Even then, there is no harmony or patience with Fosun after what supporters see as a managed decline over the years of selling off the club’s best players and failing to replace them.
Wolves and the ownership deny that and they are expected to financially back Peixoto – just like they had planned to do with Edwards – to ensure they return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
The club wanted more experienced players, with knowledge of the English game, to help and also reflect the club and city better and Raul Jimenez’s return does just that.
So there is positivity, the mistakes of last summer’s window look to have been learned from.
But after Edwards’ dismissal – him and his staff finding out about a possible change on social media – and the unity presented, with words like “alignment” used over the past few months, the direction of Wolves remains hard to judge.
The 26-year-old went viral as the Ibiza Final Boss last August when a clip of him boozing and grooving was viewed over 20 million timesCredit: TikTok / @zerosixwestibizaAfter Jack went viral Alisha took to TikTok to make sure every knew her man was the Ibiza Final BossCredit: TikTok/@alishaacookk
The 26-year-old was spotted boozing and grooving while holidaying on the Spanish island of Ibiza.
A clip of the former builder was viewed over 20 million times last August and fans became obsessed as they felt his distinctive look perfectly encapsulated the party isle’s clientele.
Jack became known for his bowel haircut, oversized chain, vest top and square shades and it wasn’t long before his girlfriend, Alisha Cook, decided to stake her claim.
Stunning Alisha dumped Jack after he flew out to Ibiza but they later reconciled before ending things for goodCredit: InstagramJack has now hinted that he could find the one on the party isleCredit: Instagram/@jack.kayy1
Jack told The Sun he was single and doesn’t see a Mrs Final Boss on the horizon for quite some time.
Although the Misfits boxer did hint that he could find the one over on the party isle.
He said: “I might do.
“But I haven’t found Mrs Ibiza Final Boss yet, but probably a couple of years for that.”
It seems Jack’s partying days are not yet behind him as he admitted he’ll be making his way back to Ibiza this summer.
Some people are still processing “Euphoria’s” evolution away from its roots as a gritty drama that explored highly mature and dark teenage experiences to, in its final season, a fever dream-esque look at adulthood that played like a full-blown neo-noir crime thriller. But another show’s creative transformation has taken the stage now.
The third season of AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s “Interview With the Vampire” brings a reset to the captivating world of bloodsuckers. While the first two seasons adapt the original 1976 novel, relying heavily on the recollection of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) as he recounts his centuries-long life and romance with Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) to a journalist, the new season shifts narrative focus and perspective over to Lestat, who transforms into a charismatic frontman of a glam-rock band to publicly set the record straight. As such, the series has been retitled “The Vampire Lestat,” which is the name of Rice’s second novel. For this week’s Guest Spot, I spoke with showrunner Rolin Jones about the show’s rebranding and Reid’s commitment to the musical challenge.
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Also in this week’s Screen Gab, TV critic Robert Lloyd steers us away from the usual streaming options to recommend a man’s video journal that documents his quest to travel the world by foot, while culture critic Mary McNamara suggests a new British comedy about codependent BFFs navigating the sort of tricky development that would end most friendships.
Speaking of endings to relationships, it was announced this week that “Doctor Who” showrunner Russell T Davies is exiting the series (again) seven months after Disney+ decided not to continue its partnership with the BBC to distribute the long-running sci-fi series. BBC also announced it will not air the show’s previously announced Christmas special this year. Lloyd, a longtime Whoverse follower, is a voice of calm through it all. He shares his thoughts on why the new questions swirling around the franchise don’t necessarily have to be cause for alarm — evolution is part of the show’s essence, he reminds us. Elsewhere in current events, if you’ve been curious (… sure, that’s the right word!) about the UFC Freedom 250 live event that will unfold in an oversize cage on the White House South Lawn in celebration of Trump’s 80th birthday and the country’s 250th anniversary — and will be streamed live on Paramount+ — check out our explainer about the controversy — and lawsuit — it has sparked.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have another Matthew Rhys story to read so I can maintain my executive membership in the fan club. See you next week!
— Yvonne Villarreal
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In February 2023, Alexander Campbell, then 27, set out from Sydney to walk west around the world. Currently he is somewhere around Albania, having traversed, among other places, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Bulgaria. He’s been documenting his progress on camera all along the way, but it wasn’t until Day 938, in Georgia, that he began posting the longer, “uneventful” videos that make his channel such a singular, meditative, even hypnotic, form of vicarious travel. Walking alone to the sound of his own footsteps, through sun, rain, sleet, snow and dark of night, over mountains and deserts, through forests and fields, he becomes a character in a peripatetic, nearly one-man show. The occasionally encountered friendly local will warn him about wolves or bears or the hunters who might mistake him for one, though he meets more dogs than people. (He calls them all “Buddy,” warily.) Titles include “I Slept in a Barn Full of Stray Dogs,” “I Got Caught in a Snowstorm With Nowhere to Sleep” and “Something Was Out There in the Forest.”) — Robert Lloyd
Jemaine Clement, left, and Nicola Walker in “Alice and Steve.”
(Lara Cornell / Hulu)
“Alice and Steve” (Hulu, Disney+)
What would you do if your ex-turned-longtime bestie slept with your 26-year-old daughter? Well, Alice (“The Split’s” Nicola Walker) 100% loses her mind. Sure, during a drunken convo at a bar, she did tell Steve (“Flight of the Conchords’” Jemaine Clement) that he could have any woman he wanted, but she most certainly wasn’t talking about Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). Having just returned home after breaking up with her boyfriend, Izzy decides that Steve, now bunking down on the sofa, is “strangely hot” enough for a little rebound sex and then a romantic relationship. And Steve, though initially regretful and more than a little shell-shocked, decides this is what he wants too. “I really like her,” he says by way of sheepish explanation. It leaves Alice no choice but to hilariously alternate between screaming and scheming as she tries to put a stop to the proceedings even at the expense of her marriage, her career, her friendship with Steve and her self-respect.
Clement’s sad-sack charm successfully boosts the leap of faith required to keep Steve from becoming an oblivious creep, but the show belongs to Walker. Her Alice becomes a blazing embodiment of the emotional maelstrom inside every woman who is expected to somehow put on a supportive, understanding face no matter how outrageous or impossible the situation. The laughs she elicits are exhalations of shock, recognition and relief. We can’t all ditch the high road for pure, luxurious fury, but it’s mighty fun to watch someone who does. — Mary McNamara
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A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt in “The Vampire Lestat.”
(Sophie Giraud / AMC)
If you thought posting cryptic digs about an ex on your social media accounts as a way to cope with unresolved emotions was petty, this TV vampire may have you beat. The wild new, music-infused season of “The Vampire Lestat” (formerly “Interview With the Vampire”) revolves around Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid) on an elaborate mission to tell his side of the story after his ex-lover, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson) published a scandalous memoir — with the help of journalist — that detailed their turbulent romance. In his bid to control the narrative, Lestat becomes an immortal glam rocker who launches a music tour and enlists the same journalist — newly turned into a vampire — to direct and film a music documentary about his life. The result is a flamboyant seven-episode season that blends rock-opera style performances (the season will feature 20 original songs) with personal reflections from its flashy frontman. As it enters its second week of release on AMC and AMC+, creator and showrunner Rolin Jones spoke over video call recently to discuss the show’s creative pivot and more. — Y.V.
To kick off the new season, there was an immersive premiere concert event at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City earlier this month. Was that a surreal experience? Did you feel like a music manager?
I have a hard time talking about the work — the selling of the work, all that kind of stuff. I want to finish my edit, and then I want to like disappear at the Arctic. I knew we were doing this and I knew that there were like fans from all over the world flying in for it — some who didn’t have tickets. I knew there were people who had worked on the show from Seasons 1, 2, and 3 who got on a plane, asked for a ticket, and made a pilgrimage there. I was really moved by it. It was about as good as these things can ever be. It felt really beautiful. It felt like Vampire Church. It was pretty cool. And Sam — “surprising” is not the word because I’ve worked with him for a long time — was way better than he should have been. It’s incredible.
In this TV landscape, taking a show and giving it a new title as it enters its third season is a daring move. The series moves focus to the second book in Rice’s oeuvre. And while it continues the story of these characters, at the same time, it feels like a new show. What made you nervous about carrying out that kind of creative transformation? And what was thrilling about it?
We could start with a thrilling part because the idea to be able to go to the people who worked really hard and say, “Hey, let’s rebuild it” — that’s exciting. That part’s cool. The executing part about it is where the terror begins because most worthwhile art — you can call TV art — invariably has to have risk and danger involved in it, otherwise you’re probably performing a magic trick. No offense to magicians. But you want something that when you turn off the TV, you’re not immediately forgetting. The more risk you do, in terms of form, in terms of all that, you want to be able to feel like you can pull it off because, otherwise, they [the audience] have nothing to grasp onto. [And they say,] “You just destroyed this thing we love, how dare you!” But generally speaking, everybody — from the top of the network down to the actors who are doing it — was down for it. Mostly because, if you listen to our fandom, I think they demand it. They’re out there on a limb telling everybody “it’s the greatest TV show, and blah blah blah” and you have to deliver that for them so that they can continually confidently bombard all their friends and neighbors and say, “Watch the show.” There’s nobody who didn’t give everything [to this season]. It was a real collective leap together.
Sam undergoes quite the transformation to make this rock star vampire persona believable. What struck you about how he approached embodying Lestat this season?
I gained 20 pounds in Toronto, and that’s because I kept stuffing my face with bread, and about every three or four times I would have this big sloth of butter on bread, I’d go, “Poor Sam” because I know Sam had not touched a piece of bread. Let’s start there — 0% body fat, the dimensions on the waist. The level of dedication. He was living and breathing every second about the role and about the demands of it — sing songs, and not only sing songs, but go learn to be a musician, and go train with people who have been doing it their whole life so you can fake it. I feel very confident saying this: Anybody who watches this season and Sam’s performance will feel like, at the end, they saw one of the 10 greatest performances in the history of our medium. I think he absolutely disappeared. James Gandolfini did not sing songs, Swearengen [the “Deadwood” character played by Ian McShane] did not sing songs. Mr. White [the “Breaking Bad character played by Bryan Cranston] did not sing songs. I’ll put him [Sam] up against all of them. He’s incredible.
What if he wants to go off and be a rock star now?
He could do it.
Jacob Anderson as Louis De Pointe Du Lac in Season 3 of “The Vampire Lestat.”
(Sophie Giraud / AMC)
You have a rock band posing as vampires fronted by an actual vampire who is the focus of a documentary being directed by a vampire passing as a human. And for all this to work, the band has to be good. What was the challenge of making this fictional band’s stardom believable — the charisma, the presence on stage, the discography? It’s a tall order, in addition to making a compelling TV show.
Anytime you have seen these things, following a band, there’s so many ways it can fall flat. You can do three or four of the things you need to do, and if one of them falls apart, you’re still stuck there, going, “Eh.” We all, who are working on it, love music. We’ve all been in clubs. The first thing we did was remove the stardom for budget reasons, but also for singular storytelling — he decided to do rock ’n’ roll in the year 2025. Some basic building blocks, we need songs. So with [composer and songwriter] Daniel Hart, we bring him into the [writers’] room because it’s not only writing songs, but writing the context about when and where he’s [Reid] singing them. He has to be aware of what we’re doing in the room. We also have to be able to pivot when he has pure inspiration; he can come in with something we’ve never talked about, and go “Boom!” And it’s OK, now what do we do with this song? And quite often this year we restructured episodes because the song was beating our episode. [We had to] hire actors who can play or musicians that can act — and that’s not everybody, so that shrinks that down. Make sure when you’re in the club, or whether you’re singing the song in rehearsal, let us uglify it, embrace the mistake, make it a little dirty. We have a song this year that has some of the most beautiful orchestrations, but because of where it landed in the season and what it talked about, we ended up going with the most stripped down, bare version of it. Don’t worry, you’ll get to hear these beautiful orchestrations [at some point]. [It’s also thinking about] how do you carve out the time you need to shoot it and the playback elements of it, and what sacrifices you have to make on other set pieces that you would normally put in is a lot. But everything from the beginning was with one thing in mind: Do not suck. How can we suck less? Let’s not suck. And we just kept going over and over again with that.
At the end of the first episode we see Lestat reunited with his undead mom, Gabriella, who he has, I think it’s fair to say, an oddly intimate relationship with —
Multifaceted.
And obviously the Louis-Lestat romance is far from being over. What are you interested in exploring within those two dynamics, in particular, moving forward since they’re so central to Lestat?
It becomes immediately about him going, “Let me try to explain this … I might have just repelled 80% of you.” I’m really interested in the viewers who are really off-put by it. I want to see where they’re at by the end of Episode 7, if they trust us. And see what they’re feeling. I guess [some people feel], “Oh, you’re not allowed to do this in the TV world unless you got f— dragons and s—, but all the things that you would have thought [that the network might say], “Don’t do this,” we didn’t really have a lot of those obstacles. There was a lot of trust. The thing with the Lestat character is like it’s probably harder to cuddle up to him like you could Louis. Louis is a Faustian tale; here it’s like a Faustian tale but Elton John’s at the center of it. There’s a series of questions like “Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Why do you keep get trapped into these things?” It’s like going on odyssey, or as Jacob called it, an idiocy, with a character that is exotic and eccentric and contradictory. For us going forward, as we wrote it, every time we fell into the something that felt well-made or cool on a twist or turn level, we found we were very suspicious of it, and we were trying to make alien TV as best we could. So, what do I want? It’s less about exploring those two dynamics, although they’re richly part of this fabric. It was, how can you take them on a magic carpet ride, a very difficult one? The idea is to actually have, by the end, every single person recognize that part of themselves in him. And how can you normalize him over seven episodes? How can you deliver that to an audience?
I know you’ve been super–busy, but what’s the last thing you watched that you found yourself recommending to everyone or something that you were obsessed with right now?
A TV show I’m watching, one that I’m enjoying right now, is “Widow’s Bay” [Apple TV]— that has been very enjoyable. It’s so much fun.
Matthew Rhys’ facial expressions are so good.
Oh, he’s great, and that show just really knows what it is, and is joyfully silly, and has a great atmosphere. It’s one of the most beautifully shot things I’ve seen in a while. I’m not finished yet.
OK, before I let you go, I hope we get a concert out in L.A. at some point.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Where would you put it up? Echoplex?
THE Ibiza Final Boss piqued the interest of the masses after he was spotted boozing it up on the party isle last August.
While most Ibiza goers like to indulge in the lifestyle Jack Kay found viral fame for his trancelike dance moves and good old-fashioned bowl haircut.
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Ibiza Final Boss shot to fame last summer after fans spotted him living it up on the party isleCredit: instagram/@jack.kayy1Jack Kay told fans that he’s ‘not worried’ about ‘staying relevant’ despite his overnight fameCredit: The Sun
Jack, 26, who was seen donning a vest, shades, and a blingy chain, was famed for perfectly round trim, which became the subject of thousands of comments.
The former builder has now opened up on the hefty amount he’s insured his hair for – and it’s seven figures.
He claimed: “Obviously it’s my USP so I have been looking to get it insured and I’ve insured it for a million pound.”
The 26-year-old claimed he’s had his barnet insured for a million poundsCredit: GettyJack told The Sun he’s ‘made a killing’ since finding fame and has huge projects in the pipelineCredit: instagram/jack.kayy1
Celebs often get parts of their bodies insured if it’s a huge money maker for them.
While the Ibiza Final Boss’ life turned on its head over night, he told The Sun he’s not worried about “staying relevant.”
For influencers and viral internet stars overnight fame doesn’t usually last long with some desperate to stay in the spotlight.
But Jack, from Newcastle, would be “happy,” if it all ended tomorrow.
Jack said: “I’m not worried about staying relevant.
“I’ve signed a multi-fight deal, my agents got big things happening for us like end of this year starting next year as well. So I’m not worried about that.
“Even if it all ends tomorrow, which it won’t but if it was I’m happy with that I’ve made a killing do you know what I mean I’ve smashed it.”
He acknowledged that his time in the public eye won’t last forever but he’ll certainly be making the most of it two stepping across Ibiza this summer.
Jack added: “Listen nothing lasts forever does it so you’ve just gotta strike while the iron’s hot and make the most of it.”
Benfica said they had “reached an agreement” with Silva who is set to sign a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season which can be extended to 2028-29.
Fulham were Silva’s fourth English club after spells in charge of Hull City, Watford and Everton.
Mourinho’s exit from Estadio da Luz was also announced, with Benfica saying Real Madrid will pay them £13m (15m euros) in compensation to bring the 63-year-old back to the Bernabeu.
“The coach [Mourinho] has given his agreement to this hiring,” added a Benfica statement.
“Thus ended Jose Mourinho’s second spell as manager of Benfica’s professional football team.”
Mourinho took charge of Benfica in September and led them to third place in the Primeira Liga this season as they went through the league campaign unbeaten.
In his previous spell in charge of Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, the Portuguese won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
Born in Rosario, Argentina, Bielsa hails from a family of educated minds, with his brother having worked in politics and his sister a renowned architect.
Both of those professions require analytical thinking – a gift Bielsa also possessed from childhood. However, he was drawn to football, not necessarily playing it but absorbing the tactics.
Every day he would send his mother to the local newsagent to buy football magazines and newspapers, spending hours reading up as much as he could about how teams played and how different managers worked.
Bielsa was still a capable but limited footballer. A defender but lacking in pace, he came through the youth system at his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys before frustrating spells in the lower leagues of Argentinian football meant he decided to call time on his playing career at the age of 25 to focus on coaching.
His post-playing career started with the Buenos Aires university football team and, after two years there, he secured a position back at Newell’s as a coach of the reserve team.
Bielsa’s frustration with his limitations as a player played a significant part in his coaching philosophy, as he focused on ensuring that any player he coached was able to get the maximum out of their ability.
His training sessions were intense, with lots of focus on repetition – if a player did not have the talent to make something happen naturally then he would be sure to drill the processes into their minds.
Bielsa was appointed Newell’s manager in 1990 and his methods brought instant success as they won the Argentinian championship.
A spell in Mexico followed before Bielsa returned to Argentina in 1997 to manage Velez Sarsfield. There he would be labelled ‘loco’ (crazy) as he insisted on fielding two teenage centre-backs. He would have the last laugh, however, as he immediately helped them to win the league title.
Bielsa, who has said his nickname of ‘El Loco’ actually predates his time at Velez Sarsfield, very briefly became manager of Spanish side Espanyol but left them when he was offered his first international post in 1998 – as Argentina boss.
At the AI on the Lot media conference last week in Culver City, speakers laid out a view of artificial intelligence that was very much complementary to human workers.
Artificial intelligence is a tool that must be wielded by humans, several said. The idea was to help skilled artists and production specialists do their jobs and experiment, others said.
Of course, to many in Hollywood, AI is not that simple.
Guardrails on its usage emerged as a central issue in the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, and additional rules were added in the recent Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Writers Guild of America contracts. There are still big questions about AI’s effect on jobs in the entertainment business, as well as copyright and ethical concerns.
Whether it’s good or bad or some combination of both, AI, in some form, is probably here to stay.
So, eight months ago Amazon MGM Studios opened an AI Studios division to start work on Project Nara, an AI production toolkit built on Amazon’s AWS cloud computing platform that could be used by teams of filmmakers. Project Nara is still in beta mode, and the company set up a GenAI Creators’ Fund to give filmmakers interested in using the toolkit financial support, while also giving the studio feedback.
The beta testers got eight weeks to produce an animated short and, out of those, the company greenlighted three animated series.
Shortly after the conference, filmmaker Jorge Gutierrez, whose stop-motion-style “Punky Duck” was chosen as one of the greenlighted series, pulled out after an online backlash over his use of AI.
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“We respect Jorge’s decision, as well as his incredible talent, his voice and the world he created with ‘Punky Duck,’” an Amazon MGM Studios spokesperson said in a statement. “We continue to be excited about the innovative work moving forward at our studio and the GenAI Creators’ Fund.”
Before the flap over “Punky Duck,” I spoke with Albert Cheng, head of Amazon MGM Studios’ AI Studios, about the goal of the division, what’s next for AI and his belief that humans are at the center of creativity. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Why was AI Studios formed?
AI Studios was started last fall because we wanted to learn how to leverage AI technology to build tools that would help enhance or redefine the workflows for film and TV production.
When you look at the horizon of what it takes to drive continued engagement of a global streaming service like Prime Video, we need more original programs. So if you can figure out how we take the same amount of money that we spend and be able to make more shows, that’s ultimately what we want, and we think AI is going to be a help to drive that.
With AI, now we’re looking at how does technology change the way we actually create our cinematic storytelling? It could mean that with AI, we will hear from a lot more voices. If we can actually get the biggest costs down, we will be able to have more voices, be able to take more risks and creative risks most of all.
There’s always concern about what does AI mean for jobs. We believe that it actually creates more jobs and different types of jobs. In fact, people with experience, plus the tools, become even more valuable in terms of their ability to produce excellent quality work. So it’s always about the human behind it.
You mentioned that some of these production crews had more than 100 people, but crews in the past would have been much larger. How do you respond to concerns about that?
You may have smaller crews, but we’ll do more of them [productions], and more in a short period of time. When you actually have smaller productions and you do more of them, you’re increasing your throughput. Your turnover rate of the available jobs is much faster, so your job totals are actually going to be bigger.
You spoke about the idea of AI filmmaking bringing jobs back to L.A. and expanding California’s production incentive eligibility to include AI-assisted filmmaking. Can you elaborate on that?
When you look at AI production, it can be done on a soundstage. We don’t need to go to London, we don’t need to go to other places.
We do have technology companies in California that are driving this, we have people here in the city that have experience, if given the AI tools, can produce great work. So, how can we not incentivize more companies to use our soundstages and finally make productions and make more of them?
Have you or anyone else at Amazon spoken with government officials about this idea of expanding the incentive criteria?
We’ve been talking to a number of bodies about whether it’s possible. The question is, who’s going to take the ball?
How much can you decrease a show’s production budget by using AI?
I think we can get a show to half the cost, [or] to almost a fifth of the cost.
What was the thinking behind the GenAI Creators’ Fund?
We wanted to provide a support and invest in creators who wanted to try it, and then also give us feedback.
We also wanted to show that storytelling is the thing that drives the content. It’s not the technology; the technology just enabled them to make it.
What is the biggest misconception of AI use in production?
There’s a narrative that AI can do so many things by itself, that you don’t need people. That’s absolutely not true. It’s just a technology, it can’t make decisions.
In order for something actually quality to be made, a person actually needs to be behind that, and that’s been proven over and over again. People are still responsible for the output.
The $10-million horror flick, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a furniture store owner who finds a mysterious portal in his basement, was directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons and is based on his online series of the same name. Worldwide, the film made nearly $118 million in its debut weekend.
Focus Features’ “Obsession” also had a big weekend with a 10% jump in domestic box-office revenue in its third outing. The horror movie, which had a production budget of less than $1 million, was directed by Curry Barker, who also built his reputation on YouTube.
Together, the two films highlight the growing power of YouTube — and online culture as a whole — on the big screen. They beat out franchise film “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which dropped 69% from its debut last weekend to rank third at the box office.
What I’m watching
I’m just one episode away from finishing this season of “Bridgerton” on Netflix. While I liked that the show dived into the social class dynamics behind Benedict and Sophie’s romance, I have to say that I loved the secondary focus on Violet Bridgerton and Lord Anderson finding a second chance at love.
Bristol City are close to appointing Lincoln boss Michael Skubala as their new manager.
The Robins have moved quickly for the 43-year-old after failing to convince Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick to join.
Nothing has been signed yet but it is now expected Skubala will move to the Championship side.
It will cost Bristol City over £1m in compensation with Skubala understood to have signed a new contract at Sincil Bank after initially missing out on the job to Elphick.
Skubala won the League Managers’ Association League One manager of the season after taking the club to the second tier for the first time in 65 years by winning the title.
He is close with Bristol City sporting director James Ellis, only formally appointed at the Robins this month, with the pair having worked together in the Great Britain Universities setup.
The former Leeds Under-21 boss was one of the leading contenders before the Robins initially chose Elphick, 38.
The former Brighton and Aston Villa defender had positive talks and was impressed with the club and its personnel but decided against making the move on Wednesday.
Bristol City, who finished 12th in the Championship, are looking for a permanent manager after appointing former England boss Roy Hodgson as an interim replacement following Gerhard Struber’s sacking in March.
Mauricio Pochettino has held initial talks with AC Milan to become their next manager following Massimiliano Allegri’s sacking.
The 54-year-old Argentine is currently preparing for the World Cup with the United States, but his contract expires after the tournament.
Pochettino’s immediate focus is on this summer’s finals, which begin on 11 June and are being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but an eventual return to club football may interest the former Tottenham and Chelsea head coach.
However, speaking after training on Thursday, Pochettino replied “no” when asked if he had met with AC Milan’s management before being opaque about his representatives’ dealings with the Serie A side.
When asked if his representatives had had a meeting, he replied: “Maybe, possible, because they need to do their job.”
He added: “If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone?
“We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me into trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”
Pochettino said he and US Soccer Federation chief executive JT Batson had discussed the possibility of him staying.
“He asked if we are open to listen [to] the project of the federation for the next four years,” said Pochettino.
“And we said of course we are open. Do you think that if we have a commitment with another people, we are going to waste time to listen?”
Batson said Pochettino has been “incredibly transparent” about approaches from other clubs, right from when they first met a couple of years ago, and that “there were lots of people interested in Mauricio and his team”.
Batson added: “He had standing offers from other places and he wanted to be here. He’s a big believer in what we’re doing at US Soccer. He’s a big believer in soccer in America, and he’s a big believer in this men’s team.”
Pochettino’s last club spell was as Chelsea boss for the 2023-24 season, with the Blues finishing sixth in the Premier League and losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool.
Before that he was at Paris St-Germain for a season and a half, winning the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.
He also had a five-and-a-half-year spell at Tottenham and reached the 2019 Champions League final, only for Spurs to lose 2-0 to Liverpool.
Pochettino, who has also managed Espanyol in Spain and Southampton, was a defender during his playing career and made 20 appearances for Argentina.
AC Milan sacked Allegri earlier this week after failing to qualify for the Champions League, in a season the club’s hierarchy described as an “unequivocal failure”.
Milan dropped from third place to fifth in Serie A after a 2-1 home defeat by Cagliari on the final day to miss out on the elite European competition for the second year in a row, although they did secure a Europa League spot.
A FRENCH actor with a role in Netflix series Emily in Paris has died after a brave battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Pierre Deny, a dearly beloved face on French television for decades, died on Monday at the age of 69 from complications with the disease that causes progressive muscle paralysis.
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Pierre Deny as Louis De Leon in episode 308 of Emily in ParisCredit: MARIE ETCHEGOYEN/NETFLIXDeny in Emily in Paris alongside the rest of the castCredit: MARIE ETCHEGOYEN/NETFLIX
“It is with deep emotion that we announce the passing of Pierre Deny, which occurred this Monday following a sudden and severe case of ALS,” his daughters said in a statement.
Also known as Charcot’s disease, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
It leads to muscle weakness, atrophy, and paralysis, eventually affecting the ability to speak, eat, and breathe.
Tributes have been paid to the star by other celebrities, hailing him as a “generous actor”.
Sylvie Vartan, Bulgarian-French singer and actress, wrote on Instagram: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Pierre Deny.
“I shared many wonderful moments with him on stage in Isabelle Mergault’s play.
“He was a generous actor and a sensitive and funny man. In these painful moments, my thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
Raphael Benoliel, someone who said was a friend of Deny’s, described him as a “great artist” and a “magnificent person.”
What is ALS?
AMYOTROPHIC lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
It is a debilitating and painful condition in which the motor neurons – cells that control voluntary muscle movement – are gradually lost, leading to people slowly losing control of their bodies.
The average age of diagnosis is about 60 years old, though it can also affect people who are significantly younger.
In the early stages, the symptoms can be subtle, but as the disease progresses, they become more noticeable.
Here’s a look at what to watch out for:
Weakness in a limb, which develops over a few days or weeks
Slurred speech or difficulty swallowing
As ALS progresses, you may experience more common symptoms such as:
Muscle twitching and cramping, especially in the hands and feet
Loss of control in the hands and arms
Trouble using your arms and legs
Tripping or falling more often
Dropping things
Extreme fatigue that doesn’t go away
Uncontrollable laughing or crying
Slurred or thick speech, and difficulty projecting your voice
In the later stages, ALS can cause:
Difficulty breathing
Trouble swallowing food or liquids
Paralysis
Some of these symptoms may be caused by other health problems.
“I shared with him a passion for soccer that he loved above all else … he was a true enthusiast, and we were still playing together just a year ago like a couple of kids,” the post on X read.
“He had the joy of the game, the joy of being together, the love of effort, of life … That goddamn Charcot’s disease took him away far too soon … it’s so unfair.”
The actor began his career in theatre in the 1980s before moving into film and television.
He was particularly known for his roles in the police series such as“Julie Lescaut”or“Une femme d’honneu”, where he played Captain Philippe Kremen.
He also played the role of Renaud in the soap opera“Demain nous appartien” in which he appeared in 500 episodes.
Most recently, Deny appeared in seasons three and four of Emily in Paris, in which he played Louis de Léon, CEO of fashion giant JVMA.
The sun shone and the tears flowed on an emotional day at Anfield as Liverpool said goodbye to two of their greats in Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.
With Champions League qualification never really in doubt, the focus throughout the draw against Brentford was on the pair, who went off in the second half and were given a guard of honour.
Nine years on, their chapter at Liverpool is over. As for Arne Slot, the next chapter may well define his own Liverpool future.
In his first interview as Liverpool head coach in June 2024, Slot was asked about the “few similarities”, external between his style of play and that of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
Slot spoke about how the Reds hierarchy did not want the exact same style but were looking for a similar approach, which was was one of the reasons why sporting director Richard Hughes opted to appoint him.
“We were all inspired by [Pep] Guardiola and Klopp and I think at a big club, which I worked in at Feyenoord as well, it is probably the only style you can play – to have the ball a lot, to have a lot of energy… there are comparisons between the club I left behind and the club I am going to work for now,” Slot said at the time.
“Both fans love to see a team that wants to do everything to win a game and if things are tough they try to do everything to turn the game around.”
In a stunning debut season, Slot’s Liverpool romped to the Premier League title, losing just two games before the trophy was sealed in April 2025.
In their first 34 league games, Liverpool averaged 2.4 points per game. The style was certainly not ‘heavy metal’, but they were measured in possession and experts in game management – winning 21 of the 23 games when they scored first.
By contrast, Liverpool have lost 12 league matches this season and 19 across all competitions in what has been a feeble title defence.
They may have secured Champions League qualification for next season, but fan discontent over the course of the campaign has been clear and it is a worrying direction of travel under the Dutchman. Across their 38 league fixtures, Liverpool averaged 1.6 points per game to finish with 60 – the joint-lowest total for any English side to qualify for the Champions League via their league position.
“I mentioned it many times, this has been the most challenging year in my career,” Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports. “It’s tough to take, and tough to go through that as a team but we are Liverpool and we come out of it stronger. That’s the main focus now.”
Slot insisted earlier this month that he has “every reason to believe” he will be the Liverpool boss next season, with his current deal expiring next summer. Liverpool are also closing in on appointing Slot’s former assistant Etienne Reijnen to their coaching staff – a move that would further underline their commitment to Slot.
There is of course credit in the bank and Liverpool are not traditionally a sacking club – but there is no disguising the fact that Slot’s relationship with the fanbase appears increasingly fragile.
On a number of occasions this season, Liverpool have been booed off at Anfield. Salah’s statement last week calling for a change in the style of play only added fuel to the fire – Slot did his best to downplay the situation but it certainly did not look great for him and the club. Sunday’s display was again mediocre.
“In my opinion, it should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play,” Slot said in January.
He will know that is an area in which his side must improve. Right now, there is none of the energy he mentioned in his first interview but at least Slot is aware, admitting he hasn’t liked a lot of what Liverpool have played this season.
And he insists that his side must find a way to evolve and a way to compete while also delivering a brand of football that Anfield can get behind.
Liverpool‘s average possession in the Premier League (59.4%) is second only to Manchester City over the season – but their football has been stale and without risk.
Against Chelsea earlier this month, supporters were heading for the exits well before full-time even though it was a Saturday lunchtime fixture.
Fundamentally, Liverpool fans want to see a team that does everything to try to win a game – as Slot alluded to in his first interview – and far too often this season, it has not seemed that way.
Slot often points to teams setting up in low blocks against his side and there are mitigating factors with the amount of injuries Liverpool have had and the emotional challenges they have had this season after the passing of Diogo Jota.
Come August, with the players at his disposal, Slot must get fans excited to watch Liverpool again and turn Anfield back into a place that the opposition fear. That alone is the bare minimum.
