The visitors tried everything to derail Liverpool but it was only enough for an hour’s respite against Jürgen Klopp’s teamWith eight minutes to go in a petty and ill-tempered Merseyside derby, Michael Keane received a pass in his own penalty area. Normally Keane is a pretty decent ball-playing centre-half, with the ability to advance out of defence and spring quick attacks. But then, very little about his afternoon had been normal.Keane’s sole job here was to destroy: to clear crosses and then boot the ball as far away as possible. He completed three passes all afternoon. And so as Dele Alli rolled the ball casually towards him you could see a certain horror rising in him, the flustered panic of...
While the red half of Merseyside has flourished under Jürgen Klopp, the blue side have lost their direction in recent yearsFor Evertonians, perhaps the most upsetting aspect of the past week has been the number of Liverpool fans and former players reflecting on what a shame it would be if they got relegated. “I would be sad and I’m sure there’s a lot of other Liverpool fans who’d feel the same,” Ian Rush said on Friday. Jürgen Klopp used his press conference to lament Everton’s plight, admitting he would miss the derby if they ended up in the Championship next season.In a way, the outpouring of lament is its own sly little twist of the knife. Turns out Everton could...
As this week’s semi-finals lineup shows, the Champions League is no longer a fair competition but in the grip of a few franchisesThe two best teams in Europe, the most successful club in the history of the competition, a gritty outsider – in some ways the lineup for this week’s Champions League semi-finals is perfect. Each offers in addition an intriguing subplot: Pep Guardiola fighting the curse of overthought, Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool chasing an implausible quadruple, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema raging against the dying of the light, the frankly hilarious prospect of Unai Emery returning to Paris for the final and making a point to Paris Saint-Germain, a club that never took him seriously (perhaps he could have...
While his fellow No 6 Paul Pogba limped off, the Spain international left Anfield drooling with his midfield masterclassAn aggregate score of 9‑0 this season is a fair representation of Liverpool’s superiority over Manchester United and the highest number of goals they have scored against their old rivals in a single campaign since 1895‑96, when United were known as Newton Heath. The tale of the two No 6s on display at Anfield encapsulated why such a chasm exists.In the United No 6 was Paul Pogba, an expensive, richly rewarded asset who lasted 10 minutes before limping off injured, perhaps never to be seen playing for the club again before leaving on a free transfer this summer. Continue reading...
Liverpool are getting recruitment right, Newcastle have a new hero in Bruno Guimarães and Christian Eriksen can get betterIn the summer of 2020, Liverpool were big favourites to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig before the move fell through when Jürgen Klopp could not assure his fellow German of regular first-team football. Liverpool fans have spent the last couple of seasons relieved that the striker chose Chelsea instead, his numbers way down on what they were in the Bundesliga. Werner remains a maddening but intriguing presence. Watch the denouement of the FA Cup semi-final. In the final 10 minutes, he overruns the ball to ruin a fast break, has the energy to get back and halt a Palace counterattack, is...