FOOTBALL

Should Liverpool sack Jurgen Klopp?

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2022

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Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool legacy is unquestionably great.

The German took charge of a club that was mostly a Premier League mid-table dweller, long behind their glory days.

Klopp oversaw a marvellous rebuild over the years that made the Reds Champions League and Premier League champions.

In recent years, the Merseysiders were the only team in England that posed a significant threat to the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

In the 21/22 season, Liverpool were in consideration for an unprecedented quadruple.

They won the League Cup and the FA Cup. Made it to the Champions League final to lose to Real Madrid, and in the Premier League, their incredible haul of 92 points was only bettered by Manchester City by a single point.

But Liverpool have been a shadow of their tenacious selves this season under Klopp.

After ten matchdays, they lie ninth in the Premier League table, trailing league leaders Arsenal by a staggering 14 points.

In the Champions League, they are second in their group, which seems far from a disaster. But they were humiliated 4-1 by Napoli in their Champions League opener.

The seven year curse

Liverpool’s slump in form has sparked speculations of Klopp’s ‘’seven-year curse’’ coming into effect.

The 55-year-old is seen as a legend in the clubs he previously managed, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05. While he led both clubs to success, he could not leave either of them on a high note.

At Mainz, Klopp resigned after failing to win Bundesliga promotion. In Klopp’s final Borussia Dortmund season, BVB were in relegation spots during the festive periods.

They did pick up their form to secure a seventh-place finish in the end. But it was far from an acceptable campaign for a club that had won back-to-back German league titles only a few years back and had also played in the Champions League final two years earlier.

Are we watching a similar narrative unfold at Liverpool?

The Reds have had their days of sunshine under their current tactician and now it’s time to move on?

But the truth is, Jürgen Klopp has done so much for Liverpool that he has enough credit in the bank for a transitional season.

Liverpool have lost one of their best players in Sadio Mané this season, but that’s not the reason for their suffering.

Luis Díaz has proved to be a worthy successor to Mané as he bagged five goals and an assist in the eleven appearances he made for the club this season.

Where is the problem?

Many Liverpool fans will point out that their rearguard has been the Achilles heel of the team.

Virgil van Dijk seems he has aged five years over the past few months. The ACL injury did take a toll on his agility, but Liverpool still managed to stay competitive on all fronts with the Dutchman at the centre of their defence.

Trent Alexnder-Arnold’s defensive deficiencies were also a part of his game always. Why are these shortcomings getting exposed all of a sudden?

The Liverpool midfield have not been proficient in distributing the ball and winning back possession this season.

Thiago Alcântara’s injury early in the season did not help, of course, but the team has struggled even with the Spanish midfield maestro in the team.

Jordan Henderson and James Milner have not been keeping up with Liverpool’s high tempo playing system well this season.

There has been a compromise in work ethic in midfield overall that has led to most of Liverpool’s problems this season.

Klopp is not going anywhere this season, but he needs to infuse some young blood in Liverpool’s ageing midfield.

This season could be a write–off, but with proper recruitments, Liverpool can bounce back to their best next season.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

9 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.