Successive defeats at Anfield have piled the pressure on Klopp’s misfiring team when Championship side Wolves visit in the FA Cup fourth round on SaturdayThere was no disguising the EFL Cup mattered to Jürgen Klopp or that the momentum and cutting edge that propelled Liverpool until new year has vanished at a critical juncture. Wembley also disappeared from view on a painful night for Klopp’s team as Southampton executed their game-plan to perfection at Anfield. A job well done by Claude Puel, and a job done on Liverpool.Since victory at Burton Albion in the opening round, the Liverpool manager had made no secret of his ambition to reach the final and to go one better than last season’s penalty shoot-out...
Jesus is finally available for Manchester City, Klopp faces a choice between Origi and Sturridge and Costa may have to bide time for return to Chelsea starting XIAs Manchester United prepare to visit the Britannia Stadium, examining Stoke City’s record against the league’s best sides this season offers an indication of where Mark Hughes and José Mourinho should both be looking for improvement. Stoke’s record against the elite is awful: five of their six matches against the league’s top six sides have ended in heavy defeats. They have lost 3-1 at Arsenal, 4-2 at Chelsea and 4-1 at Liverpool, while they were thumped 4-1 and 4-0 at home by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. Good enough to take the...
Manchester City resemble the girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead, N’Golo Kanté’s return to Leicester shows Wilfred Ndidi what needs to be done and David Moyes regrets catching the bullet dodged by Mark HughesThis time last year Southampton paid £4m to sign Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers. It was a while before he made an impact, but he certainly made an impact during the early part of this season, scoring nine goals in 19 games. But Southampton’s form has tailed off since Austin suffered a shoulder injury last month. They have lacked a cutting edge and have won only three of their past nine games in all competitions, sinking into the bottom half of the...
Manchester United may go for jugular against Liverpool, Morgan Schneiderlin must settle quickly at Everton and Ahmed Musa has chance to shine for LeicesterManchester United were on the receiving end of heavy criticism when they shut up shop and successfully played for a 0-0 draw when they visited Liverpool in October. It was a classic exercise in parking the bus from an unapologetic José Mourinho, who reasoned that a cautious approach was necessary against a team who regularly overwhelm their opponents with blistering attacking play. But while it was possible to grudgingly respect Mourinho’s plan, there is no need for the United manager to play it safe at Old Trafford on Sunday. Although United are unlikely to veer too far...
The Frenchman’s side will defend a one-goal lead going into the EFL Cup second leg after making Liverpool look rather ordinary at St Mary’sThis was the opportune moment for Claude Puel and his Southampton team to make a statement. In the buildup to the match the Frenchman said how his players “had nothing to lose” and it was time for his team to back him up amid growing frustration at his defensive approach and his side’s poor form. Related: Nathan Redmond gives Southampton narrow edge against Liverpool Continue reading...