Klopp invites Akinfenwa for Reds’ title parade

Liverpool’s future Premier League title parade after Jürgen Klopp fulfilled his request for a congratulatory WhatsApp message.

The Wycombe Wanderers striker – and huge Reds fan – called for contact from Klopp during an emotional post-match interview in the aftermath of his team’s League One play-off final win over Oxford United at Wembley on Monday night.

The boss duly responded and Akinfenwa posted the video message he received from Merseyside on social media.

On Tuesday, Klopp was asked when he’ll meet up with the forward and whether he had received a reply.

When it’s possible, in the future one day,” the manager said. “I don’t know when exactly but he is invited for the parade, 100 per cent!

“I saw, before the video, when he was sitting in the team meeting in a Liverpool kit which I thought was really funny! I watched the game last night [and] yes, he responded – he sent a video back. It’s private (what he said), at least a few things in life should stay private.

“It was nice, he was obviously really happy.”

Klopp went on to state how happy stories such as that of the 38-year-old Akinfenwa – who was without a club four years ago but can now look forward to his first opportunity to play at Championship level – make him.

He added, “It was just nice to see. Yesterday (Monday) before the game I was, to be 100 per cent honest, neither a Wycombe supporter or an Oxford supporter but Ben Woodburn plays for Oxford, so I was slightly more on the side of Oxford.”

“But I watched the game just because I wanted to see it and then when they won it, it’s just nice, you see how much it means to them. When you are involved, I don’t like the play-offs too much. I was (involved) in my life once or twice and the pressure is really incredible, it’s not a lot to do with enjoyment.

Dortmund willing to spend $44 million on Fernan Torres

Several European clubs have placed Ferran Torres on their radar and Borussia Dortmund are willing to spend 40 million euros to acquire his services in the next transfer window

His release clause at Valencia is set at 100m euros, yet his contract ends in 2021 and the talented winger has turned down their latest renewal offer.

According to Bild, Dortmund are the first team to have made their interest known to the LaLiga Santander side.

Meanwhile, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all keeping a keen eye on the 20-year-old as well.

If Valencia want to make profit from Torres‘ move, they may need to let him depart in summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer next year.

Wayne Rooney believes Liverpool should win the title

Wayne Rooney believes Liverpool should be given the chance to finish the Premier League season and lift the trophy as champions.

The former Manchester United striker, who supports Everton, says not finishing the 2019-20 campaign after the coronavirus pandemic subsides would create too many problems, including “legal fights”.

Writing in the Sunday Times, the player-coach at Derby County also indicated it may take until the end of this year to do so, but that football must follow the governments advice on how to deal with the health crisis.

“Liverpool will win the Premier League,” he said. “Now, as you can imagine, I have Everton fans phoning me up saying: ‘The season has to be cancelled!’ And, of course, as an Evertonian and someone who played for Manchester United for 13 years, there’s a bit in me that thinks that would be good .

“But no. Liverpool have been fantastic. They have put so much work in. They deserve this title. Can you imagine waiting 30 years and then having it taken away like this? The right decision has been made.

“It’s also right in terms of promotion and relegation and Champions League places. These issues are so big for the clubs involved that I imagine there would be a lot of legal fights if the season was just abandoned.

“The fair thing is to finish 2019-20 – even if we have to lose next season in the process.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if finishing the season takes until the end of 2020. Football, like every other industry, is in unknown territory and, just like every other industry, has to listen to the advice and take all necessary precautions.

“For me, that rules out finishing the season behind closed doors.”

Liverpool produce Europe’s greatest comeback

Liverpool produced the greatest comeback in the club’s European history by beating FC Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield to reach the 2018-19 Champions League final.

Trailing 3-0 from the opening encounter in Spain six days ago, the Reds’ hopes of overcoming the Spanish giants on aggregate were alive, yet slim, at kick-off.

But Jürgen Klopp’s remarkable team achieved what many considered impossible courtesy of two goals apiece from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum on a scarcely believable night in L4.

And so Liverpool will contest a second successive Champions League final, facing the winners of the other semi-final between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid on June 1.

Barcelona, meanwhile, crashed out of the Champions League by blowing an enormous lead for the second consecutive season in unbelievable fashion. 

After Origi’s first goal in the opening minutes, Liverpool’s dominance continued. The team was stronger on the ball, looked more confident and never gave up, and in the second half everything went right.

Minutes after coming on, Wijnaldum finished this ball inside the box to make it 2-0, leaving Liverpool a goal away from potentially forcing extra time:

Then just three minutes later, Wijnaldum did it again with a header goal:

As the match seemed destined for extra time, Liverpool caught Barcelona napping with a corner kick incoming. Trent Alexander-Arnold walked away from the ball as if he was giving up the set piece, but then he quickly saw Origi all alone and took it, setting up an absolutely jaw-dropping fourth goal:

With that, the comeback was complete and Barca fell short of its goal, as it has done each of the last four UCL seasons. 

Messi scores 600 Club goal

Lionel Messi has reached another milestone in his legendary career, hitting his 600th goal for Barcelona with a wonderful free-kick against Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Messi scored number 599 earlier in the match, pouncing on a rebound from a Luis Suarez shot and walking the ball in, before curling home a lovely strike for his 600th moments later. 

The Argentine becomes just the seventh player in history to reach the 600-goal mark at the club level, though he was beaten to the milestone by eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Ronaldo and Messi, who have dominated world football for the last decade, are joined on the exclusive list by Brazilian legends Pele and Romario, Germany’s Gerd Muller, Slavia Prague hero Josef Bican and Hungarian Ferenc Puskas. 

Messi’s first goal for Barcelona came exactly 14 years ago, on May 1, 2005, against Albacete . He has since grown into arguably the biggest star in the game, having won the Ballon d’Or on five occasions, 10 La Liga titles and the Champions League on four occasions. 

At 31, Messi is also a five-time winner of the European Golden Shoe and claimed the World Cup Golden Ball at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. 

His performance on Wednesday leaves Barcelona in prime position to add to that remarkable haul. 

The club have already won La Liga this season and reached the Copa del Rey final, while a 3-0 result against Liverpool leaves them on the verge of reaching the Champions League final, though a trip to Anfield for the second leg remains. 

It also continues a trend for Messi of dominance over English teams in European play. 

The Barcelona star has netted 26 times in just 33 matches against Premier League clubs in the Champions League, the best haul for any one player against any country in the competition, though he does share that record with Ronaldo, who has netted 26 times against German clubs. 

Barcelona will travel to Liverpool next Tuesday for the return leg, and should they progress they will face either Ajax or Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.

Champions League quarter Finals review

The first leg of the quarter finals have come to an end and it certainly was eventful. I’m going to give y’all a summary of all that happened.

Tottenham vs Manchester City

In a game that was looking like a mismatch on paper was certainly a surprise to everyone as Tottenham came out on top.

The game was Tottenham’s first European game in their new stadium and fans hoped it’ll be a good a game I guess they weren’t disappointed. Manchester City had the opportunity to get ahead when Sergio Aguero had a penalty but Hugo Lloris was up to the task and saved it keeping his team in the game. Both team fired blanks and the game looked like it was headed towards a draw but Hueng min Son scored a goal just before the final whistle to hand Tottenham a 1-0 lead.

Liverpool vs Porto

Porto who qualified by away goals came up against a Dominant Liverpool side and the score went how everyone expected.

With one first half goals from Naby keita and Roberto Firmino respectively. Keita who hasn’t been a regular in the Liverpool squad is beginning to find his stride and making his mark

Ajax Vs Juventus

Ajax who have the youngest side in the competition came up against an experienced Juventus side.

Cristiano Ronaldo came back from the injury he sustained during the euros qualifiers and scored a fantastic header to hand Juve a first half lead over Ajax.

By second Ajax showed their determination and dominated for a better part of the second half and as expected Neres was the one who stepped up and put them level. The Ajax side kept asking questions but the Juventus keeper was up to the task and the game ended draw but Juventus have the advantage due to away goals rule

Manchester United vs Barcelona

This is probably the biggest game of this round due to the history between both teams Since Manchester United Second best to Barcelona in their last encounter.

Barcelona controlled the first half and Manchester United was all over the place it was only a matter of time before a goal would be scored. A header by Luis Suarez made Luke Shaw score a Own Goal and that was the only goal.

We all remember the Tweet from Smalling saying he knows a secret to stop Messi and I guess he showed us what it was.

Will there be shocks in this Round of the Champions League?! We just have to find out

Firmino in doubt for Champions league knockout

Liverpool, already dealing with a massive injury crisis in the back line, could also be without one of their top scorers tomorrow night when they Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League round of 16 action. Forward Roberto Firmino missed training today due to an unspecified virus, making him a serious doubt for the epic Euro clash at Anfield.

Firmino is the fourth Liverpool player who has fallen ill since the beginning of February. Additionally, central defender Dejan Lovren will face a last minute fitness test before the midweek evening kickoff.

“I don’t know 100 per cent. It’s Monday and we play on Tuesday so most of that should be clear,” Klopp told reporters on Monday.

“Gini trained and looked really well. Shaqiri did a lot, so it will be close, we have to see. Dejan, I actually have to wait minute by minute if there is a chance or not. But that’s pretty much all, I would say.”

In addition to all their injury woes, Liverpool must also soldier on against the Bavarian giants without their best defender as Virgil van Dijk is suspended for this one.

Squad Changes For Champions league Round of 16 confirmed

The squad changes for the knockout phase have been confirmed, with the England international back in contention
Article continues below

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been added to Liverpool’s Champions League squad for the knockout phase.

The England midfielder has not played this season since sustaining serious knee ligament damage in the semi-finals of the 2017-18 competition.

He has been added to the final 25-man group for the last-16 onwards, though, along with 17-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever and Ben Woodburn, who is on the B list.

Juventus have chosen to drop Juan Cuadrado, meanwhile, with the winger recovering from an operation on his left knee in December.

Barcelona have added B-team forward Moussa Wague to their squad, along with new signings Jeison Murillo and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Alvaro Morata is in the Atletico Madrid squad as expected, while Real Madrid have added Brahim Diaz, who joined from Manchester City last month.

City have named Claudio Bravo on their list, with Eliaquim Mangala dropping out having not appeared for the club in the 2018-19 campaign.

All last-16 contenders were permitted to register a maximum of three new A-list players for the last 16 before the deadline of midnight CET last Saturday.

And the news regarding Oxlade-Chamberlain’s inclusion will come as a boost for Liverpool and the player himself, with the Reds facing Bayern Munich in the last 16.

It is unclear exactly when the 25-year-old will be available to play again, although he posted on social media back in December to confirm that he was now able to begin running outdoors.

And Klopp revealed in January that he was hopeful he’d be able to play a part before the end of the season, hence his inclusion in the Champions League squad.

The German said: “He is in a very good way. That will still take a couple of… last time I put a bit of pressure on the medical department.

“But when I see him moving the ball and what he’s doing already it looks really good, promising, close to a return.

“But after so long out – April, against Roma – he will be fine, he looks completely without any problems at the moment, no swelling any more, so he can really work on his fitness issues.

“It’s a surprise. He’s ahead of schedule. That’s always good news. We try not to push him too much but we don’t want to hold him back.

“If he makes further steps like he did in the last few weeks he can play Premier League football this season which is nice to know. I think we will see him this season.”

Changes for Champions league Round of 16 confirmed

It is a week till the Champions league return and The squad changes for the knockout phase have been confirmed, with the England international back in contention

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been added to Liverpool’s Champions League squad for the knockout phase.

The England midfielder has not played this season since sustaining serious knee ligament damage in the semi-finals of the 2017-18 competition.

He has been added to the final 25-man group for the last-16 onwards, though, along with 17-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever and Ben Woodburn, who is on the B list.

Juventus have chosen to drop Juan Cuadrado, meanwhile, with the winger recovering from an operation on his left knee in December.

Barcelona have added B-team forward Moussa Wague to their squad, along with new signings Jeison Murillo and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Alvaro Morata is in the Atletico Madrid squad as expected, while Real Madrid have added Brahim Diaz, who joined from Manchester City last month.

City have named Claudio Bravo on their list, with Eliaquim Mangala dropping out having not appeared for the club in the 2018-19 campaign.

All last-16 contenders were permitted to register a maximum of three new A-list players for the last 16 before the deadline of midnight CET last Saturday.

And the news regarding Oxlade-Chamberlain’s inclusion will come as a boost for Liverpool and the player himself, with the Reds facing Bayern Munich in the last 16.

It is unclear exactly when the 25-year-old will be available to play again, although he posted on social media back in December to confirm that he was now able to begin running outdoors.

And Klopp revealed in January that he was hopeful he’d be able to play a part before the end of the season, hence his inclusion in the Champions League squad.

The German said: “He is in a very good way. That will still take a couple of… last time I put a bit of pressure on the medical department.

“But when I see him moving the ball and what he’s doing already it looks really good, promising, close to a return.

“But after so long out – April, against Roma – he will be fine, he looks completely without any problems at the moment, no swelling any more, so he can really work on his fitness issues.

“It’s a surprise. He’s ahead of schedule. That’s always good news. We try not to push him too much but we don’t want to hold him back.

“If he makes further steps like he did in the last few weeks he can play Premier League football this season which is nice to know. I think we will see him this season.”

Chelsea sign Pulisic

Christian Pulisic is joining Chelsea in a £58 million (€64m/$73m) deal that will see him loaned back to Dortmund for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
The USA international has impressed since making the breakthrough for the Bundesliga side during the 2015-16 campaign and has since made 115 appearances for the first team, scoring 15 goals and creating another 24.
He has, however, struggled to hold down a regular starting place in Lucien Favre’s side that have charged to the top of the league standings this season, opening a six-point gap
Indeed, the 20-year-old has featured only four times from the beginning of matches in the league

With the player unable to agree new terms with the club on a deal that would have expired in 2020, BVB were content to allow him to leave.
“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League . That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract,” BVB sporting director
“Against this background, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity.”
Zorc holds no fears that the youngster will allow his level to drop in the coming months, despite his big move being secured.
“He’s a player of perfect character,” he added. “I am sure that in the coming months he will do everything in his power to bring his high quality to the team and to achieve his sporting goals with his Borussia Dortmund team-mates.”
Commenting on the move, Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia told the Blues’ official club website: “We are delighted to have signed one of Europe’s most sought-after young players.
“Christian has shown his quality during a fantastic spell in Germany and at just 20, we believe he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come.
“We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge in the summer and wish him and Dortmund every success for the remainder of the season.”
As revealed by Goal, Pulisic is a player the blues have been chasing for a while now, amid concerns over the future of star man Eden Hazard, who continues to be linked with Real Madrid.
The club is willing to tie the Belgian down with a contract making him the highest paid player in the clubs history although he is yet to sign on the dotted line and has consistently stated his dream of featuring for the Liga giants.
Maurizio Sarri’s side were also monitoring the progress of Lyon’s Nabil Fekir and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele as a potential replacement for the Belgium star.
Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool were two of the other clubs looking at Pulisic, but the Reds dropped their interest at the end of November.

Liverpool thrash Arsenal to extend lead on the table

Liverpool roared back from a rare Anfield deficit to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League as Roberto Firmino’s hat-trick inspired a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were also on target as Liverpool’s front three all scored in the same league game for the first time this season.
Liverpool had trailed at home in the league for the first time in a day short of a year when Ainsley Maitland-Niles turned home Alex Iwobi’s excellent cross 11 minutes in.
However, the lead lasted just three minutes as Firmino profited from some calamitous Arsenal defending to level and then left Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos on the floor to score his second goal in three minutes.
Mane and Salah’s penalty had the game wrapped up by half-time and Firmino completed his hat-trick from the spot as Jurgen Klopp’s men extended their unbeaten league start to 20 games and took another significant step towards a first league title since 1989/1990.
Win again in their next outing at Manchester City on Thursday and only a Liverpool collapse in the final months of the season can prevent an end to nearly three decades of hurt.
Champions City now trail the pacesetters by 10 points and even if they reduce that lead to seven with victory at Southampton on Sunday, they need to end Liverpool’s invincible season so far to get back in the title race at the Etihad.
Tottenham’s title ambitions suffered a huge blow as Wolves scored three times in the final 18 minutes to win 3-1 at Wembley earlier on Saturday to further embolden Anfield with belief before kick-off.
That confidence could have been shaken when after a bright Liverpool start, it was Arsenal who led when Iwobi’s teasing cross perfectly dissected Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, to leave Maitland-Niles with an open goal.
The signings of Alisson and Van Dijk have been credited for Liverpool’s rock-solid defensive record with that goal just the eighth they have conceded all season in the league.
But that solidity is now being married with a return to the sort of form Salah, Firmino and Mane showed last season in smashing a combined 91 goals last season.
Firmino didn’t even have to look at the ball when he slotted the equaliser into an empty net after Sokratis’s attempted clearance rebounded off Mustafi into his path to quickly level.
However, the Brazilian did all the hard work himself two minutes later by jinking through Arsenal’s hapless central defensive pairing before drilling low past Bernd Leno.
Mane made it 3-1 on 32 minutes when Salah cushioned a cross perfectly into the Senegalese’s path to side-foot high into the net.
Arsenal were handed a let-off moments later by referee Michael Oliver when Granit Xhaka was only given a final warning rather than a second booking in a matter of seconds for kicking the ball away in frustration.
But Oliver gave Liverpool the chance to extend their lead just before half-time when Salah tumbled under pressure from Sokratis in the box.
Leno got a touch to the Egyptian’s spot-kick but couldn’t stop Salah moving level with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Harry Kane as the Premier League’s top scorer on 13.
Liverpool could easily have had more after the break as only a poor touch from Salah allowed Leno to smother and the German ‘keeper also denied Fabinho, while at the other end Aubameyang’s blushes were saved by the offside flag when he fired over with an open goal gaping.
Salah gave up the chance to move clear in the race for the golden boot when Sead Kolasinac pushed Dejan Lovren 25 minutes from time and Firmino gratefully fired home the penalty to round off a five-star performance.

Liverpool go into the new year at the top of the table could this be the turn around year for the Merseyside team