The German striker missed chances against Liverpool but his movement and enthusiasm promise better things to comeMaybe Thomas Tuchel really is a tactical genius. Faced with a concrete-booted central defence and an opposing manager who insists on playing a high line, Tuchel picked his quickest attacker and told him to run in behind at every opportunity, to seek out the untended green acres, to run fast against people who can’t run fast. It’s a complex plan, Thomas. But it might just work.And so it came to pass at Anfield, where Chelsea kept hitting the same long diagonal pass, and where Tuchel’s plan worked but also didn’t completely work, because Timo Werner is a player trying to find his game, his...
Liverpool’s manager is glad to have Fabinho and Diogo Jota back for a game that could be pivotal in Champions League raceIn an uplifting tribute to Ian St John, the latest legend Liverpool have lost, Jürgen Klopp spoke of the almost child-like sense of awe he feels when meeting the old greats who shaped Anfield’s history. “To understand the club you have to meet as many as possible,” he said. “It is one thing what people inside or outside the club tell you, but you get completely different information from the players of the past. They know how it feels when you go out on the pitch and tell you these wonderful old stories. That is the petrol of dreams.”Klopp...
October’s bruising derby may have shaped champions’ season and Ancelotti is wary as Everton face wounded foes at AnfieldEverton should fear Liverpool. Their abysmal record in the Merseyside derby would suggest that is a given but, surprisingly, it was Carlo Ancelotti who called for Everton to approach Anfield with trepidation as he discussed overcoming the mental block that has contributed to the club’s failure to win there for 22 years or win any derby in any competition since Roy Hodgson managed Liverpool in 2010.“A derby is a special game,” said the veteran of local spats in Milan, Madrid and now Merseyside. “If you think it is a normal game then you are wrong. Special games bring more pressure, and sometimes...
With Liverpool stuttering, RB Leipzig’s bright young acolyte of the German press must see Tuesday’s Champions League game as a chance to claim another major scalp Football, Brian Clough used to complain, is not a world that ever lets you enjoy your success. There’s always another match, another season, another threat. The past three seasons at Liverpool have been a story of remarkable achievement: a Champions League final, then Champions League success, then the end of the 30-year league title drought. But the fireworks had barely dimmed in the sky over Anfield before Jürgen Klopp found new opponents rising against him. Related: RB Leipzig v Liverpool relocated to Budapest due to German Covid rules Continue reading...
Watkins shows Arsenal what they are missing, Loftus-Cheek shows promise at Fulham and Dummett the man for all jobsOllie Watkins is in a rich vein of form and improving by the game. His winner against Arsenal was his fourth goal in five, bringing his Premier League tally to 10 in 21 games since arriving at Aston Villa from Brentford. He could have had a couple more on Saturday but perhaps the 25-year-old’s most impressive feature is the way he leads the line. Watkins is a hive of movement, rarely giving defenders a moment’s peace, and looks as comfortable coming deep or working the channels as he does operating off the shoulder. He is exactly the kind of striker Arsenal might...