Month: September 2019

The former Reds striker believes the focus at Anfield is set to shift from the attacking third to the defensive one in a crunch Champions League clash

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Bayern Munich and Robert Lewandowski will be looking to “prey on Fabinho”, says Stan Collymore, with Liverpool facing a tough Champions League test without Virgil van Dijk.

The Reds are set to take in the first leg of an eagerly-anticipated last-16 encounter at Anfield on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are considered by many to be favourites in a heavyweight clash with the Bundesliga title holders, but they are set to be without a defensive talisman on home soil.

With Van Dijk suspended and the likes of Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren nursing knocks, versatile Brazilian Fabinho may be asked to provide centre-half cover once more.

That is a concern for Collymore, with the former Liverpool striker telling The Mirror of the challenge facing the Reds: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that Virgil van Dijk’s absence from Liverpool’s back four for the visit of Bayern Munich is a major blow.

“The Dutchman is big, physical, good in the air and can bully you, and there aren’t many central defenders who read the game better than he does.

“He’s good on the deck and chips in with big goals from time to time, too, so Bayern won’t be sorry he’s suspended.

“And certainly the Germans’ star striker, Robert Lewandowski, won’t have lost any sleep at the prospect of facing Joel Matip and, potentially, Fabinho instead.

“Now, I’m not saying the Pole would have been worried about facing Van Dijk because, as a striker, you’d never go into a game thinking, ‘I’m not going to play well because I’m up against someone so good’.

“But on the flip side, you can really have your appetite for a game whetted when the defenders you’re up against aren’t first choice or, in Fabinho’s case, even naturals in that position.

“The message in Bayern’s team meeting will be simple, with Niko Kovac telling his men: ‘If Fabinho plays at the back, we prey on him’. So Liverpool’s hope must be that in a one-off game without Van Dijk they can muster through.”

Collymore added on a Liverpool side which normally sees more attention placed on its attacking trident: “So the focus has switched for perhaps the first time this season from Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to those at the other end of the pitch.

“Whoever plays in Liverpool’s back four tonight need to keep things tight, knowing that a loss by the odd goal, while not ideal, is not irreparable in Munich.

“Against Manchester United on Sunday, however, I fear the damage a defeat could do and I’d go as far as to say all bets are off in terms of the title if should Liverpool lose that game.

“They will have Van Dijk back for that one but in games between the two sides, as we all know, anything can happen.

“But if they can get through tonight with a clean sheet despite their issues at the back then the confidence they will take into the weekend could be absolutely vital.”

After facing Bayern, Liverpool are due to head to Old Trafford on Sunday for a crucial clash with old adversaries Manchester United which could either dent or inspire an ongoing Premier League title bid.

The Norwegian has proven his credentials by unlocking the potential at Old Trafford, according to a Liverpool boss preparing to head for Manchester

Jurgen Klopp believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing a “brilliant job” at Manchester United and has shown that he is cut out for a top management job.

Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in December, with the former United favourite taking the reins on an interim basis until the end of the season.

And the Norwegian’s return to Manchester has prompted a huge upturn in the club’s fortunes, as United have lost just once – against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League – during his short reign.

He will face a stern test against Liverpool on Sunday but has the backing of his opposite number, who recognises the progress made under Solskjaer.

“We are not magicians. It’s not like we can come in and say: ‘You are good but I can make you really good’,” Klopp told Sky Sports.

“We are blessed with really good players around us.

“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing a brilliant job. It’s all about bringing out the potential, bringing out the team’s quality. That’s what he’s obviously done and it makes him the manager of a top club.

“That’s how it is, but I’m not surprised.

“I didn’t know him – I met him one time last year and we had a little chat – I obviously only knew him as a player. But what he’s done so far has been brilliant.”

While impressed by Solskjaer’s impact at United, Klopp is currently focused on his own job.

He is in the process of trying to bring Liverpool’s 29-year wait for title glory to a close.

Many at Anfield are daring to dream of that barren run being ended, but Klopp is eager to point out that nobody within his squad is getting carried away.

He added: “Expectations at Liverpool will always be very high. They can dream. We dream but we don’t dream during the season.

“City and Tottenham have the advantage because they can chase from behind and we have to play United. That is how people see it.

“But nothing will be decided this weekend or next weekend. The base we have created is that we can fight to the end for the title.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will use the weekend to think about whether to hand Mason Greenwood his first Premier League start of the season against Arsenal.

The Red Devils boss has a number of injury worries ahead of the match, particularly up front, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial doubts for the Monday night football clash against the Gunners.

When asked if Greenwood was ready to start a big game, Solskjaer responded: “It might be, he’s proven when he’s been on the pitch, Astana and Rochdale, when you get him in the box he’s dangerous.

“What’s pleased me about him is he doesn’t turn down chances to finish when you’re not 18 yet and you keep trusting yourself.

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“So I’m not worried about him at all but we’ve managed him, can’t just throw him in the deep end all the time he’s proved in those games he’s ready for it, Premier League. I’ll have the weekend to think about it.”

 

Liverpool “bottled it” last season as they narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City, according to their former player El Hadji Diouf.

The Reds finished just a single point behind Pep Guardiola’s side as they lost a fascinating duel for the Premier League crown.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have started this season in perfect fashion, winning six out of six matches to start the campaign and currently find themselves five points clear at the top.

However, Diouf thinks City are still “team to beat” and finds it hard to believe that Liverpool could have a similar season again.

“I don’t see them doing as well as they did last season,” Diouf told FourFourTwo.

“They had the chance to win the league title, they had it in their hands and then let it slip. They were seven points ahead around Christmas – how City got it in the end beats my mind. As they say in England, I think they bottled it.”

Diouf added: “If you have only one defeat in a whole season, surely you can’t say that you didn’t win the league.

“It’s hard for me to imagine them having such a similar season and coming out as champions. City will be the team to beat once again.”

 

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Michael Owen thinks that Manchester United and Arsenal will play out a scoring draw when the two teams collide on Monday evening.

Both United and the Gunners have had frustrating starts to the new campaign with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Unai Emery receiving stick already this term.

Arsenal sit on 11 points – two points behind defending champions Manchester City – while the Red Devils are further three points back having recently lost to West Ham 2-0.

And now the two sides clash on Monday night in the Premier League and Owen has said that he thinks the match will finish in a scoring draw.

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Owen told BetVictor: “After their loss at West Ham on Sunday, Manchester United have now lost seven of their last 15 games in the Premier League – as many as they had in their previous 40 games in the competition.

“Arsenal continue to frustrate and excite in equal measure, but they came from behind twice to beat Aston Villa on Sunday and they were a man light for the whole of the second period.

“United kept a clean sheet against Leicester City in their last home league game, but I would be surprised if the Gunners did not find the back of David de Gea’s net in what promises to be a fascinating game between two clubs desperate to return to the automatic Champions League places this term.

“Unai Emery will have been delighted by the return from long term injury of Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin in the midweek 5-0 League Cup success over Nottingham Forest.

“Add the impressive belated debut of summer signing Kieran Tierney and two goals from Brazilian teenage striker Gabriel Martinelli, and the suggestion is that the Gunners’ boss is going to have one or two difficult, but welcome, selection decisions to make in the weeks and months to come.”

 

 

Liverpool Football Club’s controversial bid to trademark the word ‘Liverpool’ has been rejected by the government’s Intellectual Property Office.

The Premier League club insisted their sole aim had been to protect themselves against mass-produced Liverpool FC merchandise and had hoped to trademark the city’s name when used in the context of football products and services.

But, after accepting the IPO’s decision, the club’s chief executive Peter Moore admitted they had underestimated the level of opposition from independent traders within the city, plus local football clubs and Liverpool City Council.

The club said in a statement: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm its application to trademark the word ‘Liverpool’ in the context of football products and services has been unsuccessful.

“The club accepts the decision that has been taken by the Intellectual Property Office, due primarily to what the official judgement cites as ‘the geographical significance’ of Liverpool as a city in comparison to place names that have been trademarked by other football clubs in the UK.

“We will, however, continue to aggressively pursue those large-scale operations which seek to illegally exploit our intellectual property and would urge the relevant authorities to take decisive action against such criminal activity wherever it exists.”

Moore said the club’s intentions had been sincere but they had misunderstood the implications the trademarking would have had on the local community.

“We underestimated the reaction to it,” Moore told the Liverpool Echo. “We had, in very good faith, looked at what we were seeing on a global basis and particularly stuff that was coming into the UK.

“We felt obliged to protect the football club and had looked at other similar situations for clubs that had trademarked their place names in a football context, there are numerous examples.

“We felt that on behalf of the club we needed to do that, but I think it’s fair to say that we underestimated the emotional reaction to it and that’s our bad.”

Moore said the club had met with local businesses to explain their intentions.

“There was no deliberate action to slip it through,” he added. “We filed and got on with our business and obviously as things unfolded the reaction was pretty quick and we immediately engaged with the independent retailers and the local football clubs and met with them.

“(We) reassured them that this was not aimed at them and offered them legal protections for if we had been successful.”

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson tweeted: “LFC is a global brand and plays a big part in showcasing our city across the world.

“We have a strong relationship with Peter and his team and the club’s importance to the future of this city is without question.

“We will always work together for the people of Liverpool.”

 

The Catalan says his side’s push for four competitions has improved them, especially as title rivals Liverpool are having their best league campaign

Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City side are “much, much better” than last season, despite being in a much tighter title race.

City romped to the title with 100 points last time out but are now involved in a nip-and-tuck fight with Liverpool, who are one point behind having drawn with Everton on Sunday. 

The Blues have already lost four games this season compared to just two in the entirety of the previous campaign, but Guardiola insists that his side have improved when you consider they are still fighting in three competitions, having already won the Carabao Cup. 

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“In the way we play, we play much, much better,” Guardiola told reporters after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth. 

He was then asked if that would be the case even if City do not win the title this season, to which he replied: “Yeah. We want the league and we will be disappointed if that does not happen but we cannot forget the contender we face with Liverpool.

“Of course we want to win the Premier League and I feel the players show me every single day they want to win it.  But we have played nine or ten more games than Liverpool – that is a lot of minutes in our legs. We play in four competitions and we are still there. That’s why I’m so happy.”

Guardiola was clearly delighted by his side’s victory at Bournemouth, going onto the pitch at the end of the game and hugging all of his players before saluting the away end.

And he insists he is not feeling the pressure of the title race, instead saying his side’s season is a “joy”.

“No,” he replied when asked about the stress of their situation. “It’s nice to be there. We have two titles in our pocket for this season and being there with Liverpool – the best Liverpool ever in terms of points in the Premier League – and especially when you get 100 points you can relax and feel complacent. Being there after what happened last season means a lot.

“We have a home Champions League game where our fans can hopefully support us to make the quarter-finals of another prestigious title, and we are one game from the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley. That is not stress, it is completely the opposite, it is a joy.”

Guardiola did acknowledge that he would rather be in that position than involved in such a close race –  this time last year City were 16 points clear of second-placed Manchester United.

“I would prefer to be in last season’s position to be 12 points in front but that is not normal, last season was an exceptional position,” he added. “It is nice being there after what happened last season.

“We could have been 10 points behind when Liverpool played us at home, or could have been seven points after our defeat against Newcastle and today [Saturday] we are top. Of course they play tomorrow [Sunday] but all we can do is be there. Let them feel we are there, just behind them, around the corner. That’s all we can do and if they miss one shot, take it.”

City are currently well on track but their season is likely to hinge upon a crucial period in April, when they face trips to Crystal Palace, Burnley and Manchester United and a home game against Tottenham, as well as potential Champions League quarter-finals and an FA Cup semi.

Guardiola is clearly concerned about the amount of games, and especially possibility of his players picking up injuries during the upcoming international fixtures in the middle of March.

“In April if we go through against Schalke and Swansea it will be as demanding as November and December and January and February. We can rest a little bit in the international break but the most important ones will go away with their national teams.

“My big concern is having players for after the international break because it will be a pity, it will be so sad after playing with this intensity for seven or eight months if they come back injured from the international break. That will be tough for us but hopefully they come back well.”

VAR came to the rescue against Levante and the fullback thought the officials were correct with their calls

Dani Carvajal defended the decision to award Real Madrid two penalties in their 2-1 LaLiga win at Levante on Sunday.

Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale converted from the spot in each half, either side of a Roger Marti strike, to move Madrid back to within nine points of league leaders Barcelona.

Benzema opened the scoring after referee Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva penalised Enis Bardhi for blocking a Luka Modric cross with a raised arm, but only after checking the incident on the pitch-side VAR screen.

Villanueva awarded a second penalty after Casemiro went to ground following a wild attempted clearance by Cheick Doukoure, although there appeared to be minimal contact between the players.

Carvajal, though, said he heard Doukoure kick Casemiro and thinks the officials should be trusted to make the right call when VAR is available.

“The first one, at half-time, they told us that he was covering his face. The second, I heard the kick from 25 meters away,” said the full-back, as quoted by Marca.

“I’m not a referee; I don’t assess the decisions. If both the referee, who was close, and VAR have ratified the penalty decision…

“Other times, we have been hurt and nothing has happened. Being a referee is difficult and we have to keep working independently of that.”

Madrid’s win keeps their faint title hopes alive ahead of a double-header against Barcelona, first in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final and then in a league meeting next Saturday.

Carvajal admits both games at the Santiago Bernabeu are of huge importance if his side are to keep chasing for trophies.

“Until maths tells us we can’t [win the league], we won’t say goodbye to it,” he added, “For us, the game against Barcelona is a final, but we have the match on Wednesday first.”

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The German is enduring a difficult season for Arsenal, but his manager thinks he has recently shown good spirit

Arsenal coach Unai Emery applauded Mesut Ozil’s “spirit” during his cameo against Southampton despite being benched for the start of the match.

Ozil has had a bit-part role at Arsenal this season under Emery, starting only 13 Premier League games, less than half of the Gunners’ 27 outings.

Only one of those starts has come in 2019, with Ozil suffering from a lack of form and fitness problems, giving way to speculation suggesting he could be sold at the end of the season.

Ozil came on as a substitute for the final 27 minutes of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Southampton on Sunday, impressing Emery with his attitude.

And although the German has rarely been a key figure this term for Emery, the coach is adamant Ozil is still essential.

Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Bournemouth, Emery told reporters: “It’s important mostly to be available to play and sometimes during the line-up.

“But we need players in the bench with a good mentality and good performance when we need players to help us in the second half, or for injuries or when players are tired from carrying on our intensity and skill against them.

“And, for Mesut Ozil, Sunday was a good challenge, like we spoke about before, to be in the bench and help us like he is doing in the last 30 minutes.

“It was a good performance with good spirit and I think we are stronger when every player is like that. His combination in the attacking third is important for us.”

Arsenal are set to take on Bournemouth on Wednesday having four consecutive matches in all competitions.

The Gunners currently sit fourth in the Premier League, one point ahead of Manchester United. 

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The history of the Blaugrana is about more than just football and it is tightly interwoven with the cause of Catalan separatism

When it comes to world football, few clubs possess an aura like that of Barcelona.

The club can look back on a storied history, one that is woven into the fabric of Catalunya itself and in Camp Nou it boasts a veritable temple of football.

Fans and players who make the pilgrimage to the arena are immediately struck by the gigantic words ‘Mes Que Un Club’, which are imprinted into the seating, taking pride of place, and look down onto the hallowed turf.

The words serve as a sort of mantra and motto for the club, a reminder of who they are and what they stand for.

They are an exhortation to those who wear the colours on the pitch, in the stadium or in front of the television.

So what does it mean exactly and where did it come from? Goal takes a look at the history.

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The motto Mes Que Un Club is a Catalan phrase and it means ‘more than a club’.

Barcelona’s official website proudly declares: “We are more than a team of great stars, we are more than a stadium full of dreams, we are more than the goals we’ve scored and more than the trophies that we’ve won throughout our history.”

Said to have been first uttered by former club president Narcis de Carreras in his 1968 nomination speech, Mes Que Un Club has since become synonymous with the Liga giants, occupying a place at the very heart of the institution.

It is a slogan which immediately evokes intrigue, prompting one to question how exactly Barcelona are more than a football club.

The club itself explains that it is more than a club due to the fact that it is a members-led outfit with a unique philosophy, promoting values such as humility, ambition, teamwork and respect in all its sports.

La Masia – the club’s youth academy system – is also a huge part of the notion of Barcelona being more than a club, in that its intention is to nurture well-rounded people through education as well as great athletes.

Perhaps most importantly of all, though, is that all of the above is firmly rooted in a powerful sense Catalan identity and the celebration of the region’s distinct culture.

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The struggle for Catalan independence from Spain has long been a prominent feature of Barcelona the football club and it is undoubtedly crucial to the idea of Barca being mes que un club.

That association can trace its origins back to the early 20th century, when keenly felt divisions in Spain eventually culminated in a bloody civil war in the late 1930s.

Regions such as Catalunya, in which the population broadly held separatist aspirations, experienced severe treatment. For example, the Catalan language – the official language of the club – was banned, as was the senyera estelada – the iconic Catalan flag – and the use of non-Spanish names was not permitted either.

Furthermore, one of Barcelona’s presidents, Josep Sunyol, a noted Catalan separatist politician and writer, was killed without trial by General Franco’s forces in 1936. Sunyol subsequently became known as the martyr president.

In that repressive climate, Barcelona, which had warmly embraced the Catalan culture since its establisment by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish individuals in 1899, evolved into a bastion and venues such as Camp de Les Corts and Camp Nou soon became safe ground for those who were sympathetic to the Catalan political cause.

The tradition endured throughout the 20th century and lives on the 21st century. Indeed, the club and a number of individuals associated with it were notably to the fore of the push for Catalan independence in 2017.

Former Barca head coach, Pep Guardiola, for example, was a vocal presence in the drive for secession, speaking passionately at rallies and showing his solidarity by defiantly wearing a yellow ribbon, even with the threat of sanction by football’s governing bodies.

The club was particularly critical of the Spanish government’s heavy-handed response to the vote for independence, with scenes of violence marring polling day, and participated in a number of region-wide strikes in protest.

In a reminder of their position on the matter, a statement of condemnation issued at the time referenced the club’s “historic commitment to the defence of the [Catalan] nation”.

Interestingly, however, current Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has not been as forthright as others when it comes to the matter of Catalan independence, preferring not to become too mired in the issue.

While stressing the club’s support for the democratic process and the will of the Catalan people, Bartomeu said that he would not let the club be used as a “political instrument”.

“No one can doubt Barca’s commitment to the Catalan community. We defend the principles of democracy, the right to decide and freedom of expression, always with respect,” he said at Barcelona’s 2017 annual general meeting.

“That said, more than ever we call for dialogue and respect. In our case, we also call for respect to improve the coexistence between people. We know Barca are more than a club and Camp Nou is a place for expression.

“We cannot be a political instrument, no one can use or manipulate our badge or our flag, we will not let them be used. You can be sure that this board will always act in the club’s defence.”

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