Category: football

Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain has been ruled out of the Community Shield match against Arsenal after suffering an injury to his knee in training.

The midfielder wiill miss the rest of Liverpool’s pre-season camp out in Austria after picking up the knock, including the two friendly games with Stuttgart and RB Salzburg.

The 27-year-old was involved in a challenge during training when the incident occured and boss Jurgen Klopp explained that it looks like a smiliar injury to the one captain Jordan Henderson suffered toward the end of last season against Brighton.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has returned to Melwood for rehabilitation with club medical staff.

“Really unfortunate,” Klopp told the official club website.

“An unfortunate situation as well; it was a challenge [in training].

“It looks like it is very similar to what Hendo had, which keeps him out for we don’t know for sure exactly how long, but for sure this pre-season he will not make a game, Arsenal for sure not and then we will see. The next game is probably two weeks later, but I don’t know.

“We have to wait but it is far away from being perfect, of course. It is really hard for him and hard for us, but it is not to change.”

Jurgen Klopp was left “very happy” with his team’s performance in their first pre-season outing, with a 3-0 win against Stuttgart providing the required level of intensity away from training.

The Reds were greeted by a downpour as they prepared for their clash against the German outfit, leaving a heavy, water-laden pitch at the Saalfelden Arena.

Having travelled to Austria one week ago, the boss was eager to see his players ramp up the intensity from training into game situations, with the Premier League season kicking off in just three weeks’ time.

And he was “very happy” with what he witnessed, with his two different XIs keeping Stuttgart off the scoresheet while Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Rhian Brewster all etched their name on it.

While conditions did not always allow for slick movement, there were an abundance of positive signs to emerge from Kostas Tsimikas making his ‘debut’ to Takumi Minamino‘s sharp touch and, in general, a valuable run out.

“I’m very happy, very happy,” Klopp told LFCTV after the game. “It was a super intense session today because the weather, wow!

“It rained like crazy, the pitch was really difficult – you could see the water was still on the pitch. That always makes football games tricky.

“Good organised opponent obviously but we scored nice goals but for me, the most important thing was that we felt 45 minutes football was different to a 90-minute session.

“There you have breaks, but here there are none so you just have to go and do it and that was the most important thing to do today, and the boys did it.

“They felt the intensity of the game, very good. So now tomorrow we do less, Monday have two sessions, Tuesday is Salzburg – interesting. So it’s all good.

“I think Ki-Jana [Hoever] rolled his ankle a little bit but apart from that they all should be fine which is obviously very important.”

On the makeup of the goals and his newest signing, Klopp was full of praise, adding: “How we made the goals was absolutely exceptional.

“Obviously Taki was in pretty good shape, Kostas showed some nice glimpses of his talent – so we know we have good boys here.

“Curtis first-half, obviously around the goals, Harvey hard-working until the end, Rhian – they all look really promising.

“They had to work today and that’s what they did, so I’m fine with the performance.

“[Kostas is] a pretty quick player obviously and pretty confident, a really good player. Did well.

“The next challenge is now to get used to all our defending and that will take time, no doubt. But when he has the ball it looks not so bad.”

The Reds will now continue to train over the next few days in Austria before meeting Salzburg at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday afternoon, a clash Klopp is expecting to be “pretty intense.”

Romelu Lukaku suffered the agony of an own goal that handed Sevilla the ecstasy of a sixth Europa League triumph. After an explosive opening half the final had entered its closing phase when Diego Carlos intervened to become the Spanish club’s hero.

The defender, leg heavily strapped, attempted an overhead kick that was missing the goal before Lukaku’s attempted clearance went straight in. Internazionale rallied: Alexis Sánchez, a late replacement, had an effort cleared off the line by Jules Koundé but ultimately this was Sevilla’s night.

Luuk de Jong’s reward from Julen Lopetegui for the winner that knocked out Manchester United was to start as his central striker. Antonio Conte’s XI showed the former United players Ashley Young and Lukaku in his 3-5-2 though Sánchez was a substitute only.

Inter had not won a European trophy since the Champions League triumph a decade ago, while Sevilla had claimed this competition three times in the last six years.

The Spaniards had proved feisty against United and Danilo D’Ambrosio signalled Inter would go toe-to-toe with them by handing off Sergio Reguilón in the opening moments. Nothing came from the free-kick but when moving down the other end instantly Inter had a penalty.

A Lukaku burst took him into Sevilla’s area and Diego Carlos pulled the No 9 down. Danny Makkelie in his first continental final pointed to the spot but the referee gave the defender a yellow card when red seemed appropriate. This completed a hat-trick of penalties conceded by Carlos – to follow those in the quarter and semi-finals and when Lukaku converted for Inter he joined the Brazilian Ronaldo’s mark of 34 in a season for the club, and Conte’s team had the lead.

This initiated a first-half goalfest. Sevilla’s response was to probe via a Suso cross Inter scrambled away. But when Jesus Navas hit a ball in from the same right flank De Jong’s flying header was too powerful for Samir Handanovic, Inter’s goalkeeper beaten to his left.

In a hectic final, Conte was booked by Makkelie after the latter failed to give a second penalty when the ball hit Fernando’s hand: the manager’s protests crossed from vociferous to disrespectful.

An Éver Banega free-kick for Sevilla and a clever Young ball that released Lukaku were the only threat for a passage as the game lulled. But, then, De Jong struck via a second header, connecting with another Banega dead-ball, this spiralling over Handanovic from wide.

The lead lasted barely two minutes. Again, from a free-kick, again from a header, Inter responded. This time Marcelo Brozovic floated the ball over and Diego Godín’s hunger had him leaping through a crowd to head beyond Yassine Bounou. By the break a breather was needed by all.

The second half had a cagey beginning. When Nicolò Barella was hauled back by Joan Jordan near the centre circle, instead of firing the free-kick into Sevilla’s area the ball went sideways.

Surely, though, this was calm before the tempest started up again. So it was that, suddenly, Carlos was flinging himself at Robert Gagliardini’s shot, and, at the other end, De Jong had to be crowded out.

Then, Reguilón skated past Godín and hit the side-netting. More space opened up. Young, Inter’s left wing-back, hit a 30-yard shot that was high, a sign of how his team hogged possession at this juncture. Lukaku missed after racing clear: Conte, on the sideline, was bereft.

Young’s radar was better when pinging in a free-kick towards Godín that Bounou punched clear. Now, disaster struck for Lukaku as he scored inadvertently at both ends.

Banega’s free-kick went to Carlos and his bicycle volley was going wide before the Belgian stuck out a leg and beat Handanovic. From here Sevilla dug in.

Manchester United say captain Harry Maguire is “fully co-operating with the Greek authorities” following an “alleged incident” on the island of Mykonos on Thursday night.

Local reports have named Maguire as being involved in an incident, but no details have yet been confirmed.

The England defender, 27, is on holiday in Greece.

He joined United from Leicester for £80m – a world record fee for a defender – in August 2019.

“The club is aware of an alleged incident involving Harry Maguire in Mykonos last night,” United said in a statement on Friday.

“Contact has been made with Harry, and he is fully co-operating with the Greek authorities. At this time we will be making no further comm