Tag: Liverpool

Categories
football Slides Sports News

HUGE BOOST FOR LIVERPOOL AHEAD MERSEYSIDE DERBY AS MANE, THIAGO RETURN TO TRAINING.

Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara have given Liverpool a huge boost ahead of their return to Premier League action against Everton in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

Mane and Thiago were all smiles in training at Melwood on Tuesday, having completed their respective periods of self-isolation after both recently tested positive for coronavirus.

And both players were looking happy and raring to go after returning negative results for Covid-19 at the club’s training complex on Monday.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will now run the rule over both players to determine whether they have retained enough fitness to start against Everton at Goodison on Saturday.

The pair’s return to training will have given the manager a huge lift as he formulates a plan to topple Carlo Ancelotti’s early Premier League leaders, who have a 100% record so far this season.

Both Mane and Thiago missed Liverpool’s last game before the international break, when they were thrashed 7-2 by Aston Villa in one of the most remarkable results in Premier League history.

Thiago has in fact played only 45 minutes since joining the Reds, having impressed after being brought on at half-time during their 2-0 win at Chelsea last month.

Senegal forward Mane and Spain midfielder Thiago also missed games for their respective countries during the international break as they continued to self-isolate.

Klopp tends to turn to players who have rested during international breaks.

And with some of his stars playing across the globe and not due back until Thursday, the manager will be inclined to include both Thiago and Mane against Everton if they are fit enough.

Klopp seems likely to be without Naby Keita, after the midfielder tested positive for the virus while on international duty with his country Guinea.

The midfielder tested positive with four other members of the Guinea team while preparing for friendly games against Cape Verde and Gambia in Portugal, and went into immediate isolation.

Categories
football Sports News

ANCELOTTI CONFIDENT AHEAD MERSEYSIDE DERBY.

September Barclays Manager of the Month Carlo Ancelotti says his Everton team head into next weekend’s Merseyside derby with the confidence to beat reigning champions Liverpool.

The Toffees will host their biggest rivals at Goodison Park on Saturday sitting top of the table, the position that Liverpool finished last season as the best team in the country.

But the tables have turned at the start of 2020/21 and Ancelotti wants his Premier League leaders to extend their 100 per cent start and move closer to their goal of European qualification.

“Our target is to reach Europe next season and to stay at the top for as long as possible,” said the Italian after winning the fifth Barclays Manager of the Month award of his career.

We are going to play against one of the best teams in the world.

“It doesn’t matter what happened last week [against Aston Villa]. They are still a fantastic team with a fantastic manager.

“It will be difficult, but we have confidence.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

UK GOVERNMENT SLAM LIVERPOOL AND UNITED’S “PROJECT BIG PICTURE”

The United Kingdom government has strongly criticised plans reportedly driven by Manchester United and Liverpool to overhaul the Premier League and English club football.

A report on Sunday by The Telegraph detailed a set of proposals called “Project Big Picture”, which would cut the number of teams in the Premier League from 20 to 18 and abolish the competition’s one-club, one-vote principle – handing greater power to the nine longest-serving teams in the division.

That number includes all of the so-called “big six”, who would have effective veto power on a range of issues, including potential new owners taking control of a rival club.

The plans also focus upon supporting the wider league system amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with a £250million rescue package to be allocated to the English Football League (EFL) and a £100m gift to the Football Association.

EFL chairman Rick Parry – the former Liverpool chief executive and a key figure in the Premier League’s breakaway from the Football League in 1992 – has publicly backed the plans, which would see 25 per cent of the Premier League’s annual revenue diverted to the EFL and lead to the EFL Cup and Community Shield being scrapped.

However, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport joined the Premier League itself in condemning the mooted changes, decrying Liverpool and United’s alleged involvement in “backroom deals”.

“We are surprised and disappointed that, at a time of crisis when we have urged the top tiers of professional football to come together and finalise a deal to help lower league clubs, there appear to be backroom deals being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game,” a statement read.

“Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that may undermine them is deeply troubling.

“Fans must be [at the] front of all our minds and this shows why our fan-led review of football governance will be so critical.”

The Premier League, which has come in for criticism over recent days after the announcement of a pay-per-view television model to run while fans are not allowed into stadiums, urged its members to contribute to ongoing restructuring talks “through the proper channels”.

“English football is the world’s most watched, and has a vibrant, dynamic and competitive league structure that drives interest around the globe,” its statement read.

“To maintain this position, it is important that we all work together.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.

“The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding.”

In a statement published on the EFL’s official website, Parry confirmed talks around Project Big Picture had been ongoing for some time but insisted the financial pressures of the COVID-19 crisis had sharpened the need for transformative action.

“Now is the time to address both the long-term health of the game and the most challenging short-term crisis it has ever faced,” Parry said.

“Project Big Picture provides a new beginning which will revitalise the football pyramid at all levels. This new beginning will reinvigorate clubs in the lower leagues and the communities in which they are based.

“The whole of English football has been negatively impacted by this pandemic and the English football pyramid as a whole is only as healthy as those at its base.

“Through this proposed restructuring we aim to strengthen those who need it most at a time when they need it most. This is about building on what is good and making the most of what works well in order to benefit the game as a whole, while simultaneously tackling those issues which trouble all of us.

“This is a blueprint for the future of English football and for everyone who cherishes it.

Categories
football Sports News

MAN UNITED, LIVERPOOL BACK PREMIER LEAGUE OVERHAUL PROJECT.

Manchester United and Liverpool are backing a radical plan to overhaul English football, led by the English Football League, which would see control over the Premier League switch to the top teams, sources have confirmed.

The plan has been called “Project Big Picture” and would see an overhaul of the finances of the Premier League and the EFL.

Proposed by the EFL and its chairman, Rick Parry, the plans include reducing the Premier League to 18 teams, giving controlling power to the nine clubs who have been in the league the longest, and abolishing the League Cup and the Community Shield.

The Premier League has been governed by the one-club, one-vote rule but if this change is accepted power would shift to the big six of United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea as well as Everton, Southampton and West Ham. Changes would need the votes of just six of these clubs to be brought in.

“It is definitely going to be challenging and it is an enormous change, so that won’t be without some pain,” Parry told news men.

“Do I genuinely think it’s for the greater good of the game as a whole? Absolutely. And if the [big] six are deriving some benefit then why shouldn’t they. Why wouldn’t they put their names to this otherwise?”

In return for accepting the proposals, the Premier League would give 25% of its annual revenue to EFL clubs as well as gifting £250 million to the league to sure up clubs during the pandemic and a further £100m to the Football Association.

With the reduction of places in the Premier League, there would be two automatic promotion places for Championship clubs and then the third, fourth and fifth-placed clubs would compete in a play-off tournament with the 16th-placed Premier League club.

A Premier League statement, however, rebuked the plan and said it was important for all sides to work together.

“Both the Premier League and the FA support a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the game, including its competition structures, calendar and overall financing particularly in light of the effects of COVID-19,” the statement said. Football has many stakeholders, therefore this work should be carried out through the proper channels enabling all clubs and stakeholders the opportunity to contribute.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support. The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding. This work will continue.”

A conversation around these proposals began as early as 2017 but has been accelerated in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has continued to affect clubs up and down the English football system.

“What do we do? Leave it exactly as it is and allow the smaller clubs to wither? Or do we do something about it? And you can’t do something about it without something changing. And the view of our clubs is if the [big] six get some benefits but the 72 also do, we are up for it,” Parry said.

Categories
football Sports News

HUGE BOOST FOR LIVERPOOL AS THIAGO COMES OUT OF COVID-19 ISOLATION.

Thiago Alcantara is no longer being forced to self-isolate after testing positive for coronavirus late last month.

The Liverpool midfielder contracted the virus and a statement was released by the Reds on September 29, whereby the club also explained that he was “exhibiting minor symptoms of the virus but was in good health and getting better”.

Self-isolation guidelines in the UK indicate that after testing positive for Covid-19, you must self-isolate for at least 10 days.

It has now been 11 days after the initial statement about Thiago catching the virus and he has posted an update on social media with pictures of himself taking a walk around Liverpool city centre.

He was captured walking along both Seel Street and Brick Street.

Thiago was due to join up with Spain during the international break this month for their matches against Switzerland and Ukraine due to testing positive for coronavirus.

However, news that he has left isolation and is clearly no longer suffering with Covid-19 will be a huge boost for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

The reds are due to face Everton at Goodison Park next Saturday.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

LIVERPOOL SIGN BRAZILIAN GOALKEEPER.

Liverpool have signed 17-year-old goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga on a permanent deal from Fluminese.

Pitaluga was scouted with the help of Alisson Becker’s brother Muriel while the pair were at Fluminense.

The teenager, who was part of the Brazil squad which won the FIFA U17 World Cup on home soil last November, has started training at Melwood, where he will be based with the first-team group, and will play for the club’s academy teams.

I asked Ali to speak to his brother to see how it goes and how he is doing,” goalkeeping coach John Achterberg told liverpoolfc.com.

“Ali spoke to his brother and Ali went training there (during the club’s Premier League break in February).

We saw a little bit from the training and the games he was playing for the reserves in Brazil.

“He was already 16 playing in the reserve team there so you also think, ‘they trust him to play already in the reserves at 16’.

“Now he is here, we have to improve [him]. He is still young, there is no pressure because there is still a long road and we don’t want to create any pressure for him because there is still work to do.”

Pitaluga joins Becker, Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher in Liverpool’s pool of goalkeepers. Loris Karius is also still on Liverpool’s books but has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

XHERDAN SHAKIR JOINS MANE AND THIAGO IN ISOLATION AS SWISS TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.

Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for coronavirus, the Swiss football association has confirmed.

The 28-year-old is the THIRD Reds player to contract COVID-19 in the last seven days, after both Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara tested positive last week.

Shaqiri is currently on international duty with Switzerland, having only linked up with his national team on Monday, and has now entered self-isolation in his homeland.

“Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for Covid-19,” read a statement from the Swiss Football Association on Tuesday morning.

“In consultation with the health authorities, he is in isolation.

“The strict protective measures and requirements of UEFA for national teams in accordance with the ‘UEFA Return to Play Protocol’ have been strictly adhered to since the move began.

“Based on this, clarifications are currently underway with the local health authorities about how to proceed.”

Self-isolation guidelines in Switzerland differ slightly from in the UK, as people must remain in isolation for at least ten days after the point symptoms first appeared.

Shaqiri was due to be part of the Swiss team to take on Croatia on Wednesday, followed by Nations League matches against Spain and Germany on October 10 and 13.

The Liverpool winger has made just one appearance in Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, in the 7-2 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round on September 24, where he opened the scoring.

He was linked with a departure from Anfield throughout the summer transfer window, especially having failed to even be named in a Premier League matchday squad this season.

Italian clubs Roma and Lazio were linked with an interest, but no deal materialised before Monday’s transfer deadline, and so he will remain with the Premier League champions until at least January.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

WE LOST THE PLOT AT VILLA PARK – KLOPP

Stunned Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his side did “all the things you should not do in a football match” as they “lost the plot” to play into Aston Villa’s hands in their 7-2 humbling at Villa Park in the Premier League on Sunday.

Following on from Manchester United’s 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool added to a remarkable day as they became the first reigning English top-flight champions to ship seven goals in a league match since Arsenal in 1953.

Ollie Watkins’ first-half hat trick set Villa en route to an astonishing victory, as Liverpool slipped to a first defeat of the season thanks to a woeful showing at the back in the Midlands.

“We played into their hands, with all the goals,” Klopp said. “Then the game has a specific direction.

“We had still good moments, but our good moments lead to nothing, other than Mo’s [Mohamed Salah] two goals.

“All their good moments lead to a big chance or goals, and that makes all the difference. All the things you should not do in a football match we did tonight, but all credit to Aston Vila, as they forced us to do those things.

“The first goal had an impact but it shouldn’t. We conceded goals like that in the past, but the reaction wasn’t good, and we lost the plot.”

A combination of missed chances and poor defending were largely to blame for the loss, according to Klopp, who said he wished the team had a training session on Monday to address the issues.

“It was unexpected but it happened tonight,” Klopp said. “For me it wasn’t a specific moment, we put all our rubbish things and mistakes in one game and hopefully we can start again.

“Tonight wasn’t sloppy, it was just bad. I have to admit that but I can’t change it. I would love to have a training session tomorrow and Tuesday and to talk about it, but the boys go back off to international duty. Hopefully they come back healthy and we use the two days to prepare for Everton.”

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith hailed the effort from his side, as they made it three wins from three in extraordinary fashion, to move up to second in the table, ahead of Liverpool in fifth.

“It was just sheer hard work and effort,” Smith said. “The work ethic, when Jurgen Klopp says ‘wow’ to you you know you’ve done something right. The lads were superb, they executed the game plan perfectly. We were at our best today.

“It’s a good start, an exceptional result and a really good start. We won’t get complacent but we’ll enjoy tonight because results like that don’t come around too often. We’ve got a lot of pride and confidence going into the international break.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

WATKINS SCORES HATRICK, GREALISH BRACE AS ASTON VILLA STUN LIVERPOOL IN 7-2 GAME

A perfect hat-trick from Ollie Watkins fired Aston Villa to second place after a sensational 7-2 win over champions Liverpool.

The Villans led after only four minutes when Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian conceded possession to Jack Grealish, who teed up Watkins for a simple finish.

Villa’s lead was doubled when Watkins cut in and slammed a shot into the top corner on 22 minutes.

Mohamed Salah’s smart shot reduced the deficit on 33 minutes but two minutes later, John McGinn’s deflected effort restored Villa’s two-goal cushion.

Watkins’ hat-trick header made the score 4-1 and 10 minutes after half-time, Ross Barkley added a fifth.

Salah pulled another goal back on the hour but Grealish’s double on 66 and 75 minutes completed the comprehensive victory.

Villa now have three wins from three while Liverpool are fifth, also on nine points.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

Liverpool go for Olympiacos Left back

Liverpool could turn their attention to Olympiakos left-back Kostas Tsimikas after their initial attempt to sign Norwich’s Jamal Lewis failed.

The Reds had a £10m bid for 22-year-old Lewis, which included a substantial sell-on clause, rejected.

It is understood they were prepared to go to £12m but the Canaries wanted significantly more.

Liverpool, seeking cover for Scotland captain Andy Robertson, have also been monitoring Tsimikas, 24.

The Greece international played for Olympiakos in a 1-0 defeat by Wolves in the second leg of their last-16 Europa League tie this week as his side went out 2-1 on aggregate.

He also played for them in their six Champions League group games earlier on in the campaign as they finished third behind Bayern Munich and Tottenham.

After Olympiakos dropped down into the Europa League, he put in an impressive performance as his side won 2-1 at Arsenal and knocked the Gunners out of the competition at the last-32 stage.

Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilon, 23, was also an option looked at by Liverpool.