Jurgen Klopp admitted his Liverpool team are out of the Premier League title race after just eight games.
A 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday saw Liverpool slide 14 points behind the Gunners, who lead the way by one point from Manchester City.
The top two have both played a game more than the Reds, who have won just twice and must tackle City next Sunday in a daunting Anfield test.
Manager Klopp had suggested before the Arsenal game that a title push was looking increasingly unlikely, given the unsure start.
But to not even be a factor in the race at this stage is a crushing blow considering how Liverpool performed last season, winning both domestic cups before losing out on the last day of the Premier League season and falling to Real Madrid in the Champio…
Barcelona head coach Xavi heaped praise upon natural leader Robert Lewandowski, highlighting other aspects of his game beyond the goals after the 4-0 win against Real Valladolid.
The recent acquisition from Bayern Munich scored a brace for the second game in a row to take his tally to four in three games and was unfortunate to have not secured a hat-trick, hitting the frame of the goal twice.
Lewandowski s goals were always going to be the most valuable outcome of his lucrative transfer, but Xavi believes he offers more than his devastating impact in the final third.
Apart from the goals, I would highlight his timing. Everything that the fan does not see so much, is extraordinary, he told DAZN.
He is a natural leader; what he sees he says. It s wonder…
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Looking to finish off the job and book their Conference League play-off final ticket, Austria Vienna will travel to Hartberg on Tuesday night for their second-leg showdown.
Hartberg
Starting with the hosts, while Hartberg might have snatched a late consolation strike when they travelled to Vienna over the weekend, Markus Schoop’s men have a real job on their hands here. Although the Blues might have shocked many across Austria’s elite this season as they secured a top-half finish, the former Barnsley boss is calling on his squad to find some crucial stability. Including a 5-1 drumming at the hands of Salzburg on May 12th, Hartberg only registered a trio of wins from any of their final 12 Bundesliga appearances. Showing some extende…
Virgil van Dijk insists Liverpool will not listen to suggestions they are favourites against Villarreal when the two sides meet in the Champions League semi-finals.
Jurgen Klopp s Liverpool defeated Benfica while Villarreal rallied past Bayern Munich to reach the final four and set up just the third meeting between the two teams in European competition.
The Reds will boast home advantage in the first leg on Wednesday, Villarreal having not managed victory in any of their past eight away games in England in all competitions since August 2005.
That last triumph on English soil was over fellow Merseysiders Everton, who Liverpool defeated 2-0 on Sunday to keep their Premier League title and quadruple hopes alive.
While Klopp s team have impressed on all front…
Antoine Griezmann said France feel sad after producing one of their best performances in Monday s Euro 2020 qualifying draw with Turkey.
France were denied qualification for next year s European Championships following a 1-1 draw at home to Turkey in Paris.
Substitute Olivier Giroud looked to have booked France s ticket to Euro 2020 with a 78th-minute header, however, the world champions celebrations were put on hold by Kaan Ayhan s late equaliser.
Reflecting on the Group H stalemate, star Griezmann told reporters: We are a little sad, a little weird, because we made a great match, one of our best.
We open the scoring on a corner, but we still took that goal on a set kick, there is a little bit of anger, but we will be calm again. We have to learn from o…
Paris St Germain are to remain without midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery for the rest of 2023.
Teenage sensation Zaire-Emery suffered an injury on his France debut on Saturday night and medical tests over the weekend have confirmed a “medium-serious sprain” to his right ankle.
There were initial fears that Zaire-Emery, 17, had suffered a fracture, but they have at least been allayed by the Ligue 1 club.
“Warren Zaire-Emery suffered a medium-serious sprain in his right ankle and will remain in treatment until the winter break,” a PSG statement read.
Zaire-Emery burst onto the scene last season when he made his first-team debut aged only 16 and has quickly established himself as a regular under new PSG boss Luis Enrique.
The good form of the PSG…
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been rewriting the football history books for over a decade, and as the pair head into 2020, they are on the verge of racking up a stack of new milestones.
The iconic duo are hoping to propel their respective teams to Champions League glory this season while contesting for domestic honours in Italy and Spain, and there are new records to be set at club and international level for both players too.
Messi s Barcelona are top of LaLiga by two points and he has scored 11 goals in his last 10 games to step into the new year in optimistic mood, while Ronaldo is in a similar hot streak for Juventus after netting five in his last four Serie A outings.
At 32, Messi is two years Ronaldo s junior, but try telling the Juventus talisma…
AS Roma are interested in signing Houssem Aouar from Lyon in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that La Liga club Real Betis are keen on securing the services of the France international midfielder, but Serie A outfit Roma are pressing ahead with their interest.
Roma are ready to make an offer of €5 million to Lyon to sign Aouar in the middle of the season. The 24-year-old midfielder is out of contract at the Ligue 1 club in the summer of 2023. The Frenchman has been on the books of Lyon since 2009 and has established himself as an important player in the team.
AS Roma are sixth in the Serie A table at the moment with 30 points from 16 matches, three points behind fourth-placed Inter Milan. Meanwhile, Lyon currently find themselves eigh…
Carlo Ancelotti will not entertain links with a move to either Chelsea or Brazil while he is Real Madrid head coach out of respect to the LaLiga club.
The Italian has another year to run on his Madrid contract, but that has not stopped him being touted as a potential candidate to fill the vacancies at both the Blues and the Selecao in recent weeks.
Ancelotti, who previously spent two years with Chelsea and guided them to a Premier League and FA Cup double in the 2009-10 campaign, faces his old club in the Champions League this week.
But ahead of his quarter-final reunion, he has adamantly played down speculation of an exit from Santiago Bernabeu to take up the reins elsewhere.
There s a nice saying which is just right, he told Radio Rai 1. [It is] the wi…
Oscar Pareja believes it is important for Orlando City to rediscover their self-confidence ahead of Saturday s clash with in-form Los Angeles FC at Inter Co Stadium.
The international break means Orlando have been out of action since a 1-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls on June 2, their third straight game without a victory.
While they sit a lowly 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with 17 points, LAFC are second in the West with 30 points after winning five in a row in MLS play.
Asked about the value of having time off to reflect on their poor run, Pareja said: It s important, because with the work we do, the intensity of how we do things is important.
We are optimistic after having a refresh when we needed it.
On the challenge of facin…