Jurgen Klopp called for Liverpool to be a pain in the backside for the teams at the Premier League summit after the Reds beat Aston Villa 3-1 on the competition s return on Monday.
Liverpool cut the gap to fourth-placed Tottenham to five points by winning an entertaining affair at Villa Park, as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic netted.
While Klopp concedes the 15-point gap which separates Liverpool from leaders Arsenal may be insurmountable, he says their primary focus is to put pressure on the league s top four.
Look, we have to be a pain in the backside for everybody. That s how it is. Of course, we have to chase, he said at Monday s post-match press conference.
We are not in the best position, there s a difference between us and oth…
Thiago Silva is not in talks with Juventus and has a contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2018 unless they fail to qualify for the Champions League, the defender s agent has said.
Reports emerged in October that suggested the 32-year-old was in discussions about a return to Serie A with Juve on a possible free transfer at the end of the current campaign.
Thiago Silva s current deal with PSG expires at the end of the season, but his contract will automatically renew if they qualify for the Champions League, something the Ligue 1 champions have not failed to do since the 2010-11 campaign.
Although his agent, Paulo Tonietto, was eager to outline the facts relating to the centre-back s contract, he did not rule out a transfer, putting the ball firmly in PSG…
Juventus must show greater maturity in order to get back to winning ways against Empoli, according to Leonardo Bonucci.
The Serie A champions fell to just their second league defeat in a year on Wednesday as Genoa claimed a shock 1-0 win.
Luca Antonini s 90th-minute winner dented Massimiliano Allegri s impressive start to life at Juve, with his only other defeats coming in the UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid and Olympiacos.
That loss saw Juve s advantage over second-placed Roma disappear, and they travel to Empoli on Saturday level with Rudi Garcia s men after nine games.
Juve last faced Empoli in the 2007-2008 campaign, when the two sides met twice in Serie A and enjoyed a Coppa Italia double-header.
Empoli triumphed in the home leg…
San Lorenzo coach Edgardo Bauza stirred Club World Cup rivals Real Madrid, claiming Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bauza s men are on a collision course with the UEFA Champions League winners, with the two sides drawn in opposite semi-finals at the FIFA-sanctioned event in Morocco.
The Copa Libertadores holders will play either of ES Setif, Moghreb Tetouan or Auckland City for a spot in the December 20 final to be crowned the best club in the world but will likely battle star-studded Real for that honour.
And weighing into the constant Messi-Ronaldo debate, Bauza claimed his fellow Argentinian Messi had Ronaldo covered despite the latter hotly tipped to bag the Ballon d Or for the second year running on January 12.
For me, Messi is the o…
Lionel Messi could make his return from a fractured arm against Inter, but vice-president Javier Zanetti hopes his fellow Argentine is on the bench for the Champions League clash.
Barcelona captain Messi missed his team s 2-0 defeat of Inter two weeks ago, with Rafinha deputising and scoring against his old club in the Group B meeting.
Messi has travelled to Milan with the Barca squad but head coach Ernesto Valverde indicated he will not take any risks with his talisman.
And Zanetti, who played with Messi for Argentina, has his fingers crossed Barca opt to give the superstar more time to recover.
It is a pleasure to see Messi play but I hope he can hold a little more on the bench, Zanetti said to Marca. Knowing for sure he has a crazy desire to play.<…
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will decide on his future once this summer’s World Cup finals are over, according to ESPN.
The Belgium international has been frozen out at Liverpool having not appeared in the league since playing in the 2-1 win over Burnley on New Years’ Day.
His only outing since then came in the FA Cup fourth round a game which the Reds to West Bromwich Albion.
Since signing from Sunderland in the summer of 2013 the thirty year old has racked up almost two hundred appearances in all competitions and played every game as the Merseyside outfit finished second in the league behind Manchester City in 2014.
Despite him falling out of favour at club level he is likely to be part of his country’s squad for the World Cup and Ro…
that Romelu Lukaku could be set to stay at Everton beyond the summer, despite interest from teams around Europe.
The Belgium international is in the form of his life, having already notched twenty-eight goals in all competitions for club and country so far this season with his twenty-one in the Premier League making him the division’s top scorer.
Both French champions Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea – the club who brought the forward to England back in 2011 have been linked with a move to secure his services but the 24 year old has his eye on making history at Goodison Park.
Since moving to the Merseyside outfit initially on loan in the summer of 2013, the twenty-three year old has racked up one hundred and fifty-nine club appearances scoring eighty-thre…
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Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways in midweek, Manchester City will welcome Southampton to an empty Etihad on Wednesday evening.
Manchester City
Starting with the hosts, after watching their remarkable 21-match winning run come to an end over the weekend, Manchester City will be desperate to start rebuilding that record from scratch. With bitter rivals Manchester United landing a shock 2-0 victory at The Etihad, Pep Guardiola s men will be looking to prove that was just a minor blip. Still managing to hold onto a commanding 11-point buffer at the top of the Premier League table, The Sky Blues still appear to be cruising towards their third domestic crown in four years. With many around the blue half of Manchester still…
Eric Abidal has posted an image of his cousin in hospital as he again moved to reject claims that former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell illegally bought him a liver.
The former France defender required a transplant in 2012 after the discovery of a tumour on his liver, with his cousin Gerard reportedly having donated the organ.
Spanish press this week reported that Rosell, who was arrested in 2017 as part of a money-laundering investigation, purchased the liver.
On Wednesday, Barcelona rejected claims of any wrongdoing, while Abidal and the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, where he underwent the procedure, also denied the allegations.
Abidal, who is now the club s technical secretary, posted a picture on Twitter in tribute to his family member with the ac…
Bayer Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes insists previous injuries played no part in his decision to retire at the end of the season.
The midfielder, who turns 33 next month, announced earlier this month his decision to call time on his playing career at the conclusion of the campaign, after 10 years at Leverkusen
Rolfes, capped 26 times by Germany, sustained a serious knee injury that ruled him out of contention for the 2010 World Cup, while he was troubled by an ankle complaint earlier this term.
However, the Leverkusen skipper stated that past injuries are not the reason for him hanging up his boots and that his decision is influenced by a desire to bow out at the top.
No, I would not say that [injuries are the reason for retiring]. I am fighting fi…