Liverpool – The Empire of The Kop https://www.empireofthekop.com Blog about Liverpool F.C. (LFC) and the Kop from true supporters for supporters worldwide. Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:41:15 +0100 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 95610221 Falk: Liverpool are ‘keeping an eye on’ 21y/o touted as potential future Ballon D’Or winner https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/falk-musiala-liverpool-transfer-talk/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/falk-musiala-liverpool-transfer-talk/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:40:51 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253233 Christian Falk has said that Liverpool are ‘keeping an eye on’ one Bundesliga star who’s been touted as a potential future winner of the Ballon D’Or. Earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano cited Jamal Musiala as a player in whom the Reds have a strong interest, along with Manchester City and Chelsea. The Italian’s claims have […]

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Christian Falk has said that Liverpool are ‘keeping an eye on’ one Bundesliga star who’s been touted as a potential future winner of the Ballon D’Or.

Earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano cited Jamal Musiala as a player in whom the Reds have a strong interest, along with Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Italian’s claims have now been corroborated by his colleague from Germany, who shared his latest information on the Bayern Munich talent in his Fact Files for Romano’s Daily Briefing.

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Falk wrote: “Manchester City are seriously interested in Jamal Musiala. Liverpool and Chelsea are also keeping an eye on the Bayern star. That said, it’s not like Musiala is putting pressure on his employers to leave Munich.

“First talks will be with the management of Bayern Munich. Musiala’s entourage wants to see a plan for the future, not just for himself, but also for the club. Progressing to the semi-final of this year’s Champions League was a good argument for Bayern Munich.

“The talks with Bayern will take place in the summer and they will try everything to keep hold of Musiala. They have to also show him their plans to develop his career; they have to show him it’s possible to have a similar career to Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid whilst staying in Munich.

“They have to show him he can be an international star without leaving the Bundesliga. There will be more money, of course, on offer to sweeten the deal.”

READ MORE: ‘It is also true…’ – Reliable journalist claims 52y/o’s agents have ‘spoken to Liverpool’

READ MORE: ‘What does that tell us…’ – Jamie Carragher takes aim at two Premier League clubs in riposte to Liverpool’s critics

Musiala has been linked with Liverpool for some time now, so Reds fans could be forgiven for not getting overly excited about the ongoing speculation surrounding the 21-year-old.

From Falk’s update, it seems as if the playmaker would be open to remaining at Bayern if they can convince him of fulfilling his ambitions there. However, if he feels that he needs to move elsewhere to realise his full potential, that may give LFC the opportunity to pounce.

The Germany international is a dazzling player who excels at taking on opponents, is very reliable in possession and carries a genuine goal threat, netting 12 times in 36 appearances this season.

As per FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of positional peers among Europe’s five main leagues for successful take-ons per game, the top 6% for pass completion per 90 minutes, and the top 12% for non-penalty xG per game.

Musiala is an outstanding talent, so much so that Rio Ferdinand said on TNT Sports in February (via Daily Mail): “I see a Ballon d’Or at some point in his career if he fulfils that potential.”

He’d no doubt be an incredibly exciting coup for Liverpool if they were to get him, and signing him this summer would be a massive statement by Richard Hughes in his first transfer window as the Reds’ sporting director.

The 21-year-old’s future is bound to be a hot topic as the market draws nearer to opening, especially if he stars for his country on home soil in Euro 2024.

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‘It is also true…’ – Reliable journalist claims 52y/o’s agents have ‘spoken to Liverpool’ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/falk-liverpool-monitoring-kovac-manager-latest/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/falk-liverpool-monitoring-kovac-manager-latest/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:01:42 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253232 Christian Falk has named one out-of-work manager who Liverpool are reportedly ‘monitoring’ as a possible candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp. In recent days, the Daily Mail dubbed Niko Kovac a possible contender for the Anfield job after his representatives apparently spoke with a few Premier League clubs during a meeting in London, although Neil Jones […]

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Christian Falk has named one out-of-work manager who Liverpool are reportedly ‘monitoring’ as a possible candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp.

In recent days, the Daily Mail dubbed Niko Kovac a possible contender for the Anfield job after his representatives apparently spoke with a few Premier League clubs during a meeting in London, although Neil Jones subsequently dismissed those links as an ‘agent-led story’.

However, the reliable German reporter hasn’t completely ruled out the 52-year-old from taking charge of the Reds, even if he’s not at the top of the club’s list as things stand despite his agents having spoken to a delegation from LFC.

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In his Fact Files for Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, Falk wrote: “Niko Kovac was most recently released in Wolfsburg. Suddenly he is considered a candidate for Liverpool FC. He himself publicly downplays the interest. However, I learned that his agents were actually in England.

“It is also true that his agents have spoken to Liverpool FC. The result: Kovac is not one of the top candidates at Liverpool. But it is also true that he is on an extended list of candidates who are not yet an issue but which the club is monitoring.”

READ MORE: ‘What does that tell us…’ – Jamie Carragher takes aim at two Premier League clubs in riposte to Liverpool’s critics

READ MORE: ‘Put him in Liverpool’s team’ – Ex-Arsenal striker says Premier League ace would be an upgrade on Reds 24y/o

One aspect where Kovac might have an edge over the likes of Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi is that he’s currently available and therefore wouldn’t require any negotiation with clubs, or any release clause to be paid.

However, if that’s probably the biggest plus in his favour, it doesn’t distinguish him as a manager for whom Liverpool should be moving heaven and earth to try and get in at Anfield.

The 52-year-old was given his marching orders by Wolfsburg last month after an abysmal run of one win in 15 matches, the type of sequence which’d be catastrophic for a club of the Reds’ ambitions and standing.

From Falk’s update, it seems that Kovac is on the periphery of LFC’s radar, someone whom they’ve earmarked as a possible candidate but by no means their first choice.

The scale of replacing a manager as legendary as Klopp isn’t to be taken lightly, and Liverpool need to push the boat out to try and land whoever they most want, rather than merely settling for a coach who’s several names down their wish list.

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‘What does that tell us…’ – Carragher takes aim at two PL clubs in riposte to Liverpool’s critics https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/carragher-reaction-liverpool-bottlers-jibe/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/carragher-reaction-liverpool-bottlers-jibe/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2024 08:20:26 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253231 Jamie Carragher has bitten back at accusations that Liverpool are ‘bottling it’ in the run-in to the season by comparing the Reds’ overall performance for the campaign to two clubs in particular. It was just over a month ago that Jurgen Klopp’s side were still in contention for four trophies this term, but subsequent exits […]

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Jamie Carragher has bitten back at accusations that Liverpool are ‘bottling it’ in the run-in to the season by comparing the Reds’ overall performance for the campaign to two clubs in particular.

It was just over a month ago that Jurgen Klopp’s side were still in contention for four trophies this term, but subsequent exits from the FA Cup and Europa League, in addition to slipping behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race, threaten to see the German’s reign peter out to an anti-climax.

However, in his latest column for The Telegraph, the 46-year-old insisted that his former club and Arsenal deserve praise for how they’ve competed with Pep Guardiola’s side, pointing to how that duo have performed in comparison to Manchester United and Chelsea, who sit seventh and ninth respectively.

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Carragher wrote: “If Arsenal and Liverpool are ‘bottling it’ in April and May, what does that tell us about Manchester United and Chelsea for the rest of the season? 

“They are clubs which have made so many poor decisions they are nowhere near the required level, albeit Pochettino is in the process of trying to fix previous mistakes.

“Arteta and Klopp are being judged to the ultimate standard in taking on Guardiola. City are so freakishly good with resources beyond Arsenal and Liverpool, the fairest reference point is with United and Chelsea, especially, who have spent mega millions for a watching brief in the race for the top four at this point in the season.”

READ MORE: ‘Put him in Liverpool’s team’ – Ex-Arsenal striker says Premier League ace would be an upgrade on Reds 24y/o

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp admits 90-touch Liverpool wizard ran ‘out of gas’ during second half v Atalanta

Liverpool fans know better than anyone that there’s no shame in coming up narrowly second best to Man City when their financial resources are vastly superior (and when they can rack up 115 Financial Fair Play charges without a care in the world!).

Rival supporters will inevitably indulge in tribal nonsense on social media whereby they try to label the teams who fall slightly short of winning the Premier League as ‘bottlers’, when in the cases of United and Chelsea they may be best advised to get their own houses in order first.

It’s not wholly implausible that those two clubs could miss out on European football altogether for next season, even with the Red Devils accruing a net transfer spend of more than £1bn since 2014 but having not so much as a title challenge to show for it, and the Blues posting just over £650m for the same metric in two chaotic years of Todd Boehly’s ownership thus far.

Annoyingly, Liverpool won only one of their four league games against that pair this term despite being a far superior team, but even if we miss out on domestic glory again, at least we can be thankful that our club is much more competently run than the Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge basket cases of recent years.

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Jurgen Klopp admits 90-touch Liverpool wizard ran ‘out of gas’ during second half v Atalanta https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/klopp-trent-out-of-gas-atalanta/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/klopp-trent-out-of-gas-atalanta/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2024 06:57:50 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253226 Jurgen Klopp admitted that one Liverpool player who ‘set the tempo’ during the first half against Atalanta on Thursday night ultimately ran ‘out of gas’. The Reds bowed out of the Europa League after failing to overcome the 3-0 deficit from last week’s clash at Anfield, but it wasn’t for the want of trying from […]

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Jurgen Klopp admitted that one Liverpool player who ‘set the tempo’ during the first half against Atalanta on Thursday night ultimately ran ‘out of gas’.

The Reds bowed out of the Europa League after failing to overcome the 3-0 deficit from last week’s clash at Anfield, but it wasn’t for the want of trying from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was making his first start since 10 February after two months out through injury.

Speaking after last night’s match, the manager conceded that his team were unable to keep up the pace they’d shown prior to half-time, with the vice-captain’s influence waning as the minutes ticked by.

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Klopp said (via liverpoolfc.com): “The biggest problem for us in the second half was that we couldn’t keep that tempo. For us, you saw tonight in Trent Alexander-Arnold which player we didn’t have for a while now.

“As long as he was fresh, together with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] he set the tempo, the rhythm, the direction of the game. Obviously he was running a bit out of gas [after half-time].”

READ MORE: One moment from £120k-p/w Liverpool player had Steve McManaman’s blood boiling last night

READ MORE: ‘If you look…’ – Ex-Liverpool duo were left raging over first-half moment v Atalanta

Trent’s 72-minute appearance last night was his longest involvement in a match since he played the entirety of the FA Cup win over Arsenal on 7 January (Transfermarkt), and with Liverpool going all-out in the first half as they tried to reel in Atalanta, it was understandable that the 25-year-old ultimately faded.

He was one of the main instigators of the revival that the Reds threatened in the early stages, winning the penalty that Mo Salah converted and bypassing the Nerazzurri press with some pinpoint long-range passing.

As per Sofascore, the vice-captain took 90 touches at the Gewiss Stadium, executing one key pass and finding a teammate with seven long balls. In the words of Paul Gorst, he provided ‘what Liverpool have missed’ recently with his wizardry on the ball.

It was a shame that Trent couldn’t keep up that early tempo beyond half-time as he naturally tired in only his second game back from his two-month injury layoff, and unfortunately the rest of his teammates also seemed to wilt after they re-emerged from the dressing room at the interval.

We now face into a frantic week containing three crucial Premier League fixtures in seven days, but the 25-year-old’s influence should grow even further with each passing appearance as he seeks to deliver a winning send-off for Klopp at Anfield over the next month.

🚨 EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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One moment from £120k-p/w Liverpool player had Steve McManaman’s blood boiling last night https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/mcmanaman-slams-lazy-gakpo-atalanta-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/19/mcmanaman-slams-lazy-gakpo-atalanta-liverpool/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2024 06:24:25 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253225 Steve McManaman was unimpressed with a ‘lazy’ moment from one Liverpool player during the futile win over Atalanta in Bergamo on Thursday night. The Reds won 1-0 in Italy but never truly looked like salvaging a Europa League tie which was ultimately put beyond their reach in a costly 0-3 first leg defeat at Anfield […]

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Steve McManaman was unimpressed with a ‘lazy’ moment from one Liverpool player during the futile win over Atalanta in Bergamo on Thursday night.

The Reds won 1-0 in Italy but never truly looked like salvaging a Europa League tie which was ultimately put beyond their reach in a costly 0-3 first leg defeat at Anfield a week ago.

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Speaking on co-commentary for TNT Sports, the ex-LFC winger was annoyed at Cody Gakpo when, after being moved to the left wing in the second half, the 24-year-old tried to backheel a ball through two opposition players to the onrushing Andy Robertson, only to lose possession and see the home side break up the pitch.

Upon viewing that passage of play, McManaman raged (via TBR Football): “That was Gakpo giving the ball away, with a lazy flick in midfield. Liverpool have to be so much more careful because the way Atalanta play, you will be punished.”

READ MORE: ‘If you look…’ – Ex-Liverpool duo were left raging over first-half moment v Atalanta

READ MORE: Klopp may be quietly satisfied with one part of Liverpool’s night despite Europa League exit

That passage of play perhaps summed up Gakpo’s night against Atalanta – while the £120,000-per-week Dutchman diligently dropped deep into midfield and troubled the opposition at times with his running, ultimately he didn’t do enough when he had the ball.

As per Sofascore, he completed just 17 passes out of 24 attempted (71% success) during his 90 minutes on the pitch and didn’t record a shot all night, while his tally of 17 losses of possession was the third-highest among the Liverpool team.

That moment when he audaciously tried to play the ball to Robertson was overly casual and not what the Reds needed when they were still in search of two goals in the final half-hour of the tie.

While Gakpo most certainly shouldn’t be the fall guy for his side’s gross underperformance throughout both legs of the quarter-final – he was actually one of our better players in the thrashing at Anfield – errors of judgement like the one which enraged McManaman summed up LFC’s sloppiness.

It’s something that Jurgen Klopp’s side will need to correct in their final six games of the season if they’re to give the manager a happy send-off to his time at Liverpool next month.

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Worrying Liverpool trend has emerged from Atalanta win; Klopp will be tearing his hair out https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/worrying-liverpool-trend-after-atalanta-klopp-furious/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/worrying-liverpool-trend-after-atalanta-klopp-furious/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 22:21:30 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253197 A worrying trend has emerged from Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Atalanta in the Europa League. The Merseysiders secured a win in Bergamo – though it wasn’t enough to overturn a three-goal deficit suffered at Anfield – courtesy of Mo Salah’s first-half spot-kick. It was yet the fourth instance, as spotted by Joel Rabinowitz on X, […]

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A worrying trend has emerged from Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Atalanta in the Europa League.

The Merseysiders secured a win in Bergamo – though it wasn’t enough to overturn a three-goal deficit suffered at Anfield – courtesy of Mo Salah’s first-half spot-kick.

It was yet the fourth instance, as spotted by Joel Rabinowitz on X, of the Reds failing to score a goal from open play.

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READ MORE: Why Klopp had to tell off Alisson Becker in the first-half vs Atalanta

READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano just dropped Jamal Musiala news amid serious Liverpool interest

Liverpool must buck worrying trend against Fulham

Frightening stuff, all things considered – especially given that we’re still in with a chance of ending the season with one further piece of silverware.

How on earth can we expect the Reds to achieve that extremely difficult task, however, if our forward line has completely misplaced their shooting boots?

Jurgen Klopp has only six games left as Liverpool boss – (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

It’s a lot to ask of everyone at this stage of the season, but if we can dig into that mythical well for just the next six games, we could deliver a season actually worthy of the manager.

For Jurgen lads, come on.

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‘If you look…’ – Ex-Liverpool duo were left raging over first-half moment v Atalanta tonight https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/crouch-mcallister-hien-handball-atalanta-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/crouch-mcallister-hien-handball-atalanta-liverpool/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:44:18 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253212 Liverpool bowed out of Europe with a whimper as their 1-0 win away to Atalanta tonight wasn’t enough to undo the damage of last week’s 0-3 defeat at Anfield. However, some Reds fans may be left wondering if things might’ve worked out differently had the referee taken a different view of one moment in the […]

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Liverpool bowed out of Europe with a whimper as their 1-0 win away to Atalanta tonight wasn’t enough to undo the damage of last week’s 0-3 defeat at Anfield.

However, some Reds fans may be left wondering if things might’ve worked out differently had the referee taken a different view of one moment in the first half at the Gewiss Stadium.

Shortly before half-time, Isak Hien was booked for handball as he cut out what could’ve been a gilt-edged chance for Luis Diaz, who argued that the Nerazzurri defender ought to have been sent off for denying what he felt was a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Speaking on punditry duty for TNT Sports, ex-LFC striker Peter Crouch raged (via Liverpool Echo): “I was screaming for a red card straight away. You can see he leans into the ball.

“There was a definite move of the arm, and I think Diaz is going in here. I think he takes the touch across him. I think that should be a red card. If you look here, he leans right into it and I don’t think the player is covering behind him.”

Fellow pundit and former Liverpool player Gary McAllister shared the Englishman’s indignation, saying: “I think it is denying a goal-scoring opportunity. If it gets to Diaz without the handball, I think his first touch is taking it towards the middle of the goal and away from the covering centre-back. You could argue that it should be a red.”

READ MORE: Klopp may be quietly satisfied with one part of Liverpool’s night despite Europa League exit

READ MORE: Paul Gorst hails ‘unbelievable’ player who provided ‘what Liverpool have missed’ v Atalanta

Referee François Letexier would’ve been within his rights to have sent Hien for an early bath, as the Atalanta defender quite deliberately handled the ball and prevented Diaz from being put through clean on goal.

Had the Sweden international been shown a red card, or had the Liverpool attacker got to the ball and gone on to double his team’s lead on the night, the second half could’ve had a very different feel to it. Imagine if the home side were trying to hang on with 10 men, or the Reds needed only one goal after the interval.

That incident has left a sense of ‘what if’ over our Europa League exit, but the harsh truth is that we simply didn’t do enough over the two games to deserve anything other than quarter-final elimination, having only played well during the first half tonight and been downright putrid at Anfield a week ago.

We could argue all night that Hien should’ve been sent off, but LFC still had 45-50 minutes to find two more goals and frankly didn’t look like scoring even one.

Europe is done – let’s make sure we don’t have any regrets over the final six matches of our Premier League campaign between now and 19 May.

🚨 EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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At long last: Klopp may be quietly satisfied with one part of Liverpool’s night despite Europa exit https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/liverpool-clean-sheet-streak-europe/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/liverpool-clean-sheet-streak-europe/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:11:27 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253208 Liverpool’s Europa League campaign has ended with a sobering anti-climax as they were eliminated by Atalanta in the quarter-finals tonight. The Reds won the second leg in Bergamo but it wasn’t enough to take them through after they left themselves too much to do in losing 0-3 at Anfield last week, and the second half […]

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Liverpool’s Europa League campaign has ended with a sobering anti-climax as they were eliminated by Atalanta in the quarter-finals tonight.

The Reds won the second leg in Bergamo but it wasn’t enough to take them through after they left themselves too much to do in losing 0-3 at Anfield last week, and the second half performance in Italy was that of a flat and tired team.

However, once the disappointment of the result subsides, Jurgen Klopp may be privately pleased with one aspect of his side’s 1-0 victory at the Gewiss Stadium.

It meant that Liverpool kept their first clean sheet in 10 matches since they won by the same scoreline – in far more joyous circumstances – away to Nottingham Forest on 2 March.

READ MORE: Paul Gorst hails ‘unbelievable’ player who provided ‘what Liverpool have missed’ v Atalanta

READ MORE: (Video) Alisson well and truly back as he pulls off incredible save; didn’t know it’d be offside

On a personal level, Alisson Becker will be quietly satisfied with managing a shutout in just his second game back from injury, and he was credited with two saves in ensuring that Liverpool didn’t concede in Bergamo.

He also produced one exquisite stop during the first half when reacting sharply to keep the ball out of his net after Virgil van Dijk inadvertently skewed it, although any goal from that passage of play would’ve been disallowed as there was an offside in the build-up.

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In the overall context, the 1-0 scoreline will be of no comfort to the Reds as their hopes of reaching the final in Dublin were ended, although those were effectively extinguished by their turgid performance in the first leg a week ago.

If Liverpool were to bow out of Europe, at least they did it by winning and keeping a clean sheet. That offers something to build upon for our final six matches of the season, all of which will be in the Premier League, in which we’re still in the title race despite a couple of recent setbacks.

Let’s go all-out to give Klopp one last trophy next month!

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Paul Gorst hails ‘unbelievable’ player who’s providing ‘what Liverpool have missed’ v Atalanta https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/gorst-praise-unbelievable-trent-liverpool-atalanta/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/gorst-praise-unbelievable-trent-liverpool-atalanta/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:00:40 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253198 Paul Gorst was wowed by an ‘unbelievable’ moment from one Liverpool player during the first half of their Europa League clash against Atalanta tonight. The Reds have shown a drastic improvement from recent games and pulled back one of the three-goal deficit from last week’s first leg with an early Mo Salah penalty. FOLLOW Empire […]

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Paul Gorst was wowed by an ‘unbelievable’ moment from one Liverpool player during the first half of their Europa League clash against Atalanta tonight.

The Reds have shown a drastic improvement from recent games and pulled back one of the three-goal deficit from last week’s first leg with an early Mo Salah penalty.

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The match in Bergamo sees Trent Alexander-Arnold making his first start in over two months, and the vice-captain has looked like he’s never been away, as illustrated by one chance to set up a chance for the visitors.

Half an hour into the game, Gorst tweeted“Unbelievable ball from Alexander-Arnold to get Gakpo away but Salah can’t find Diaz with a threaded ball. That’s what Liverpool have missed while their vice captain has been sidelined though, defence to attack in one pass.”

READ MORE: (Video) Salah tucks away chance to give Liverpool perfect start from the penalty spot

READ MORE: (Video) Alisson well and truly back as he pulls off incredible save; didn’t know it’d be offside

The difference that Trent makes to this Liverpool team has been evident in the first half at the Gewiss Stadium.

As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old completed six accurate long passes before the interval and took a team-high 60 touches, getting involved at every opportunity and regularly unlocking the Atalanta defence.

That ability to create attacks from seemingly nowhere is just what the Reds have been lacking in recent games, and as Gorst says, the vice-captain has quickly provided a string which has been missing from our bow in his absence.

After Liverpool’s slump in the first two weeks of April, Trent’s return from injury could hardly have been more timely.  He looks set to have a massive impact on the team in the final month of the season.

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(Video) Salah tucks away chance to give Liverpool perfect start from the penalty spot https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/salah-handed-liverpool-start/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/salah-handed-liverpool-start/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 19:28:19 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253180 Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to the Liverpool team was felt immediately after he first sprayed a long ball to Luis Diaz and then his cross led to a Matteo Ruggeri handball inside the box. It was no surprise to see Mo Salah step up and take the responsibility and it was equally as inevitable the ball […]

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Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to the Liverpool team was felt immediately after he first sprayed a long ball to Luis Diaz and then his cross led to a Matteo Ruggeri handball inside the box.

It was no surprise to see Mo Salah step up and take the responsibility and it was equally as inevitable the ball ended up inside the back of the net.

READ MORE: (Image) The ‘ramshackle s****y stand’ Liverpool fans are coping with in Italy

It was a beginning to the game that Jurgen Klopp could only dream of and the celebration of picking up the ball and running back to the halfway line showed the mindset of the whole team.

You can watch Salah’s goal via @footballontnt on X:

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(Video) Alisson well and truly back as he pulls off incredible save; didn’t know it’d be offside https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/alisson-save-atalanta-liverpool-offside/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/alisson-save-atalanta-liverpool-offside/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 19:24:48 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253188 Alisson Becker is playing just his second match tonight since returning from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for two months, but Liverpool fans certainly don’t have to worry about the goalkeeper being rusty. Shortly after the Reds took an early lead against Atalanta through a Mo Salah penalty, pulling back one of the three […]

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Alisson Becker is playing just his second match tonight since returning from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for two months, but Liverpool fans certainly don’t have to worry about the goalkeeper being rusty.

Shortly after the Reds took an early lead against Atalanta through a Mo Salah penalty, pulling back one of the three goals they require to cancel out the first-leg deficit, they were almost caught out at the other end.

After Gianluca Scamacca flicked the ball on to Teun Koopmeiners, the Dutchman put in a low cross towards the edge of the six-yard box. His compatriot Virgil van Dijk got a leg to it but looked like he was about to turn it into his own net until the Brazilian stopper somehow adjusted his footing and got back to claw it away from danger.

The offside flag then went up for an infringement earlier in the move, but Alisson wasn’t to know that when he miraculously reacted to stave off a real scare for Liverpool. That’s why he’s the best goalkeeper in the world, bar none!

You can view Alisson’s stupendous save below, taken from beIN SPORTS’ match coverage and shared via @AlmedaDufo75613 on X:

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‘Tantalising…’ – Liverpool journalist intrigued by Reds team news for Atalanta clash https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/gorst-liverpool-team-atalanta-tantalising-nunez-jota/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/gorst-liverpool-team-atalanta-tantalising-nunez-jota/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:44:20 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253184 Jurgen Klopp has made it clear from his Liverpool team selection for tonight’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta that he doesn’t think this tie is irretrievable. The Reds have a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 to Gian Piero Gasperini’s side at Anfield last week, but the German has opted for a strong […]

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Jurgen Klopp has made it clear from his Liverpool team selection for tonight’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta that he doesn’t think this tie is irretrievable.

The Reds have a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 to Gian Piero Gasperini’s side at Anfield last week, but the German has opted for a strong starting line-up for the clash at the Gewiss Stadium.

One intriguing change in attack sees Cody Gakpo come in for Darwin Nunez, with the Uruguayan and Diogo Jota among the substitutes.

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Reacting to the team news on the Liverpool Echo‘s live matchday blog, Paul Gorst stated: “I am surprised a little bit to see Cody Gakpo start, even though the Netherlands frontman has been in decent form of late. In full fairness, he has scored a decent number of goals in this competition this term. Only Darwin Nunez has more than Gakpo’s four.

“It’s a first start since early February for Trent Alexander-Arnold too. How they will need his creativity from deep tonight. Jota and Nunez in reserve is tantalising.”

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Jota is still waiting for his first Liverpool start in two months, although he’s appeared off the bench in the Reds’ last couple of matches since returning from a knee injury (Transfermarkt).

Nunez drops out after a run of just one goal in six matches but he’s already had a telling impact as a substitute this season, coming on to score twice in the dramatic win at Newcastle in August and also getting the 99th-minute winner away to Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago.

The pair have scored 32 times between them in the current campaign, certainly a nice luxury to have in reserve if we need a goal or two during the second half tonight.

Hopefully the starting front three of Luis Diaz, Gakpo and Mo Salah can do the business and rescue Liverpool’s first-leg deficit, but having Jota and Nunez to call upon off the bench is indeed a tantalising prospect if it’s needed.

🚨 EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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(Photo) Liverpool’s travelling fans will be left disbelieving at away end for Atalanta clash https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/liverpool-fans-away-end-atalanta/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/liverpool-fans-away-end-atalanta/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:17:50 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253177 Liverpool fans attending the Europa League clash against Atalanta tonight will have been in for quite a shock when they first laid eyes on where they’ll be situated. Anfield Football shared an image of the away end at the Gewiss Stadium where the travelling Reds will hope to see their team pull off a remarkable […]

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Liverpool fans attending the Europa League clash against Atalanta tonight will have been in for quite a shock when they first laid eyes on where they’ll be situated.

Anfield Football shared an image of the away end at the Gewiss Stadium where the travelling Reds will hope to see their team pull off a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down from the first leg, and to say that it isn’t the lap of luxury would be an understatement.

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The stand is positioned behind a fence, which isn’t a welcoming feature to begin with, and it looks for all the world like temporary seating which was wheeled in for this match, with metal poles around the sides and back and seats which don’t exactly scream comfort.

Of course, Liverpool supporters couldn’t travel to Bergamo when we last played Atalanta away during the global pandemic in 2020. Their base for tonight’s match has a ramshackle appearance to it, for sure, but hopefully the Reds will give their fans a night to remember nonetheless.

You can view a photo of the away end below, via @AnfieldFootball on X:

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(Image) The ‘ramshackle s****y stand’ Liverpool fans are coping with in Italy https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/ramshackle-stand-liverpool-italy/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/ramshackle-stand-liverpool-italy/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:09:00 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253174 Liverpool fans around the world are hoping for miracles to come true against Atalanta and those lucky enough to be in the stadium are not exactly being given the best seats in the house. Taking to X, writer Dave Kirby replied to a video posted on the club’s accounts that showcased the sights in Bergamo […]

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Liverpool fans around the world are hoping for miracles to come true against Atalanta and those lucky enough to be in the stadium are not exactly being given the best seats in the house.

Taking to X, writer Dave Kirby replied to a video posted on the club’s accounts that showcased the sights in Bergamo and had quite the response.

READ MORE: (Video) Alisson: injury comeback ‘was really hard’ but now ready to be ‘part of the fight’

Alongside an image of the stand our supporters will be sitting in, the Scouser wrote: ‘Lovely images – the complete opposite of the ramshackle shitty stand where the LFC fans are gonna be shoved.’

Let’s hope those present can actually see the pitch and that they get to witness a genuine piece of history.

You can view the image and post via @DaveKirby01 on X:

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Confirmed Liverpool lineup vs Atalanta: Nunez out as Klopp rings the changes https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/confirmed-liverpool-lineup-vs-atalanta-2/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/04/18/confirmed-liverpool-lineup-vs-atalanta-2/#comments Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:46:02 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=253169 You could forgive Liverpool’s lineup for experiencing deja vu after Jurgen Klopp encouraged his Liverpool side to give their all in Bergamo and to ‘fail beautifully’ if they must fail at all. It was a similar rallying call issued to the squad ahead of a fateful return leg in the Champions League against Barcelona back […]

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You could forgive Liverpool’s lineup for experiencing deja vu after Jurgen Klopp encouraged his Liverpool side to give their all in Bergamo and to ‘fail beautifully’ if they must fail at all.

It was a similar rallying call issued to the squad ahead of a fateful return leg in the Champions League against Barcelona back in 2019.

Winning will, arguably, be an even harder outcome to achieve coming up against Atalanta’s likely raucous home ground.

Yet, try Klopp’s men must to keep alive any hopes of a treble-winning campaign.

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READ MORE: ‘Final negotiations’: Next Liverpool manager closing in on Anfield move; agent bought apartment

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Liverpool team news vs Atalanta

Alisson Becker is the man handed the task of patrolling between the goalposts in Italy.

The Brazilian international will be protected by a centre-back partnership consisting of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

The midfield selection will see Alexis Mac Allister joined on the pitch by Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah are the men entrusted with leading the line ahead of our impending encounter in Bergamo.

Give em’ hell, lads.

You can catch the full team news below, courtesy of @LFC:

🚨 EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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