Julian Nagelsmann has opted to continue his relationship with the DFB, extending his contract until 2026.

It’s not necessarily a hammer blow for Liverpool, though it does throw a spanner in the works for Bayern Munich and their ‘great’ (as described by Lionel Scaloni via FootballFanCast) candidate.

Christian Falk shared the update in question on X (formerly Twitter), amid ongoing links with the Bavarian outfit.

Breaking: Julian Nagelsmann will sign a new contract Til 2026 at DFB and will not be Coach of Bayern Munich @BILD_Sport @altobelli13 @YvonneGab

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) April 19, 2024

The Merseysiders are understood to be particularly keen on Ruben Amorim’s services, as things currently stand.

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READ MORE: Paul Merson now predicts who will win title race out of Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City

READ MORE: ‘Agents have spoken to LFC’: Liverpool managerial candidate no one will have expected

The next Liverpool manager won’t be Julian Nagelsmann

No Nagelsmann in the picture could represent a problem down the line, of course, should we fail to land our apparent top target.

We still have faith that the 39-year-old (despite his ‘cycle’ comments to the contrary) will opt to make the switch to Merseyside.

That said, this could be a nerve-wracking few weeks of football as we await further updates on the Amorim front.

Especially so should we fail to gift Jurgen Klopp the kind of ending deserving of his time at L4.

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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Paul Merson is backing Manchester City to win the Premier League title race.

Only two point separate the incumbent champions from Arsenal (second) and Liverpool (third) at the top of the table.

The 56-year-old is confident that the Sky Blues’ experience will win out over that of their rivals.

“In terms of the Premier League title race, you have to fancy Pep Guardiola and Co now,” the former Gunners star wrote in his Sportskeeda column.

“They are still in the FA Cup but have a big enough squad filled with experience to tackle the business end of the campaign.”

The Sky Sports pundit went on to add: “Fulham have caused teams problems this season and Liverpool are coming on the back of an abysmal week, much like Arsenal.

“They are struggling a bit in front of goal and look like they have sort of fizzled out in recent weeks. I think they’ll drop points once again, effectively ending their title hopes.”

The Merseysiders take on the Cottagers this Sunday following their Europa League exit in Bergamo on Thursday.

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READ MORE: ‘Agents have spoken to LFC’: Liverpool managerial candidate no one will have expected

READ MORE: Worrying Liverpool trend has emerged from Atalanta win; Klopp will be tearing his hair out

Liverpool can still win the title if they fix serious concern

There’s only one way we’re winning the title ahead of our competitors this term.

Liverpool HAVE to fix their profligacy in the final third in the last six games of the season. No excuses.

The Reds haven’t scored a goal from open play in the last four consecutive games played.

They can change all that with a huge performance and potential goal glutz in London this weekend.

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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Niko Kovac appears far from being the frontrunner for the Liverpool manager job.

That said, fresh claims that the Croatian’s agents ‘have spoken to Liverpool FC’ will do little to allay fans’ fears ahead of the summer.

“Manager Niko Kovac was most recently released in Wolfsburg. Suddenly he is considered a candidate for Liverpool FC,” Christian Falk informed CaughtOffside in his Fact Files column.

“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.”

Reds insider Neil Jones has since clarified that links to the soon-to-be-vacant Anfield job largely appears to be agent-manufactured.

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READ MORE: Worrying Liverpool trend has emerged from Atalanta win; Klopp will be tearing his hair out

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

Next Liverpool manager: Niko Kovac?

With the greatest of respect to the former Bayern Munich boss… it just can’t be him, can it?

Barring a brief and unsuccessful stint with the former Bundesliga champions, Kovac’s CV and accolades just don’t scream perfect Jurgen Klopp replacement.

Fortunately, it seems a great deal more likely that Amorim will be the man to take over the reins at L4.

Boy, do we all need some good news amid what appears to be a disappointing end to the campaign.

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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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.

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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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.

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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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.

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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Nicklas Bendtner has taken aim at one Liverpool player who he accused of being ‘so slow on the ball’ and believes that the Reds would find an upgrade from within the Premier League.

The former Arsenal striker was speaking on the Stolpe Ind podcast when he gave a withering assessment of Ibrahima Konate, with the ex-Denmark international citing his compatriot Joachim Anderson of Crystal Palace as a superior centre-back.

The 36-year-old said of the Eagles defender: “Now, I like to make [a proposal] where we put him in Liverpool’s team instead of Konate. [Konate] is so slow on the ball and has no idea where to play it. There, you can argue for what he is doing there versus the fact that Joachim could play there.”

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

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

Andersen – who’s lost just once in his four visits to Anfield with Fulham and Palace – was superb for the Eagles in their win away to Liverpool last Sunday, making a whopping 13 clearances for Oliver Glasner’s side (Sofascore).

It comes as no surprise that he ranks among the top 8% of centre-backs in Europe’s five main leagues for that particular metric over the past year, averaging 5.3 per game (FBref).

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Although the Denmark defender is someone we’d certainly welcome if he were to be linked with the Reds, we don’t go along with Bendtner’s criticism of Konate’s use of the ball.

The 24-year-old has the joint-fourth best passing success rate of anyone to start a Premier League match for Liverpool this season (WhoScored), while he’s among the 91st percentile of positional peers in Europe for progressive passes per 90 minutes with 5.54 (FBref).

In a post-Virgil van Dijk world at Anfield, we wouldn’t argue against a possible Andersen-Konate partnership at the back for LFC, but we wouldn’t be tossing the Frenchman out the door just to make way for the Palace defender, despite what Bendtner might say.

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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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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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.

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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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.

Four consecutive games without scoring a goal from open play. Scary stuff.

— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) April 18, 2024

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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?

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.

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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Liverpool fans are coming to terms with the fact that our season is rapidly falling apart and Jurgen Klopp’s interaction with one of his players showed how it’s affecting them all.

Cameras captured the moment the boss shared a hug with Alexis Mac Allister after the full-time whistle, with clear emotion being present.

READ MORE: (Video) “The reality is…”: Van Dijk’s honest message to fans and teammates after Europa elimination

Let’s hope that we can quickly turn these results around and soon be back to our winning best, something that will need to happen if we want to try and win the Premier League.

You can view the moment between Klopp and Mac Allister via @CBSSportsGolazo on X:

Jurgen Klopp's final European match with Liverpool pic.twitter.com/ewIDOpWJ6h

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 18, 2024

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

The post (Video) What Klopp did with Mac Allister at full-time will melt Liverpool fans’ hearts appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

It was a competition we seemed destined to win and were favourites to do so but Liverpool are out of the Europa League and Virgil van Dijk faced the cameras.

Speaking with TNT Sports, our captain said: “The reality is that we’re out and we have to quickly, very quickly, turn this around.”

READ MORE: (Video) Salah misses chipped chance to double Liverpool lead before half time

It’s the reaction that we’ve been crying out for over several games and weeks now but time is running out if we want to try and win the league.

Dreams of a quadruple and treble are gone, a double is all that remains and it seems we’ll have to win every game left in front of us for a chance of achieving it – something our recent performances haven’t suggested we will do.

You can watch Van Dijk’s comments via @footballontnt on X:

"Much better than last week but it wasn't enough"

Virgil van Dijk reflects on being knocked out of the #UEL by Atalanta with @DannyJamieson… pic.twitter.com/1L1MC5jFz8

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 18, 2024

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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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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Is there a sight more depressing that Jurgen Klopp appearing sapped of belief?

We’d venture this one will take some beating as Liverpool shuffled out of the Europa League with a whimper despite defeating Atalanta 1-0 in Bergamo.

The Merseysiders were in need of at least three goals to take the tie the distance but failed to capitalise on Mo Salah’s first-half penalty in Italy.

A second-half so immensely lacklustre it’s probably better not being spoken about followed, leaving the travelling support short-changed ahead of their return trip to L4.

What a disappointing end to Klopp’s European journey with Liverpool. This wasn’t supposed to be the way it ended with our affable tactician, was it?

You can catch the photo below, courtesy of Empire’s X account:

pic.twitter.com/kj2iYpRdQW

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) April 18, 2024

The post (Photo) Liverpool fans’ hearts will break at most depressing Klopp snap ever taken appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

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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