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أكد المدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لنادي ليفربول، أنه لم يفكر في الدفع بالوافد الجديد، تياجو ألكانتارا، كأساسي أمام تشيلسي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول يواجه تشيلسي في تمام الساعة الخامسة والنصف مساءً، وألكانتارا يتواجد على مقاعد البدلاء (طالع تشكيل ليفربول).

وقال كلوب لـ” سكاي سبورتس” قبل بداية المباراة: “مباراة تشيلسي ستكون صعبة حقًا بالنسبة لنا، علينا تقديم كل ما لدينا، ودعونا نرى ما سيحدث”.

وأضاف: “جلوس ألكانتارا على مقاعد البدلاء؟ لم أفكر لثانية لواحدة أنه سيلعب كأساسي اليوم، من المُضحك أنّ يُفكر الناس في ذلك!”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “دور ألكانتارا هنا في ليفربول، سيكون مُختلفًا عما كان عليه في بايرن ميونخ”.

According to Football Insider, Jose Mourinho is more keen on signing more established stars this summer.

What’s the word?

Having been appointed into the first few months of this season, this upcoming transfer window will be Mourinho’s first in terms of it being a summer one.

His predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, appeared to focus more heavily on signing younger, more promising talent, before developing them into first-team stars – Dele Alli of course being the prime example.

But now, according to Football Insider, Mourinho is keen on “recruiting more senior players this summer in a major move away from the Pochettino blueprint”.

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It’s further suggested that agents have already been told that the north London side are looking for players who won’t need long adaptation periods like the signings of Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon last summer.

Destroying an identity

Identities are built over numerous seasons and years, and they’re often the focal point for a club to build around. In his time at the club, Pochettino shaped it in such a way where there was a clearly defined philosophy at Spurs, of having players who were young, hungry and full of intensity – the likes of Alli and Kane in particular symbolising that.

But with Mourinho wishing to tear up the blueprint and start imposing a more calculated, short-term approach, Spurs risk losing the kind of identity that they had worked so hard to build. Whilst of course there were no trophies to show for Pochettino’s work, he certainly established them as a firm part of the Premier League’s ‘big six’, and even taking them to the Champions League final last season.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Mourinho has never been one to hang around, so if Spurs go down this new route and it doesn’t work out, then not only will they have destroyed their previous work, but they will have also been burned by what the Portuguese man has also done.

Meanwhile, Spurs should consider cashing in on this Pochettino signing.

TalkSPORT pundit Andy Goldstein has argued that Liverpool’s current side cannot be considered truly great before they have won the league – and says they need to repeat the feat to earn a place among the Premier League’s best sides of all time.

Liverpool appear to be ending their 30-year wait for a league title, much longer than you need to wait for virgin games promotions for 2020, thanks to their 13-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Though Goldstein believes that while title glory awaits Jurgen Klopp’s team, they must win the title again to be considered a cut above the rest.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Goldstein feels that talk of the Reds being one of the league’s best-ever sides is jumping the gun a little, following their latest success at home to Sheffield United on Thursday.

He said: “At the end of Sam [Matterface’s] brilliant commentary, he said this is one of the greatest sides ever in the Premier League. Are people not getting a little bit ahead of themselves? They haven’t won the league yet.

“They’re going to, but Manchester United dominated for two decades, Man City had been winning league titles for fun in recent years, they’ve looked fantastic.

“Let’s have it right, when you’ve won the league a couple of times, then you’ve got one of the greatest teams of all time – not before you’ve won it.”

Goldstein may have a point, though it was co-presenter Perry Groves who came up with an interesting counter-argument to his claims.

Groves suggested that Liverpool would deserve being named one of the best sides the Premier League has seen due to their long unbeaten run – which will now surpass a full year after dispatching of the Blades to take their current streak to 37 matches in the top flight.

With only two other sides achieving a year unbeaten in the history of the Premier League, it would be difficult to leave Liverpool out of this particular conversation – especially with the Reds so close to finally achieving the title themselves.

And having had a 97-point campaign prior to their current one, it certainly seems as if Liverpool are worthy of the greatness they pursue at this moment in time, with their title challenge already on the verge of completion.

Liverpool fans, can the Reds last the season and go unbeaten? Let us know what you think below!

After Mark Hughes’ sacking yesterday, The Guardian has linked former Watford boss Quique Sánchez Flores to replace him.

The Spaniard has been linked with the job alongside former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl. However, the club should favour the Austrian over the Spaniard in this situation.

This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, Sánchez Flores is off the back of a fairly unsuccessful spell at Espanyol. Despite a decent first season in charge of the club, he did not improve on that, and the club fell down the La Liga table the following season.

Now, of course, managers should be given a shot at redemption, but Southampton should not be the club for him to do so. This is because he is not particularly experienced with taking charge of teams that are relegation-threatened. This requires a different type of manager and temperament. He may find the rigours of managing The Saints different to that of Espanyol, and that could ultimately cost Southampton.

Another reason is that he has never stayed at a club too long. At Watford he left in mysterious circumstances after just one season that was relatively successful. Likewise, after having a fair amount of success at Atlético Madrid, he didn’t even last two seasons. If Southampton want a manager that they will stick with for a number of years, Sánchez Flores just doesn’t look to be the man.

Basically, if Southampton want a short-term option or a long-term option, Sánchez Flores doesn’t seem to fit the bill for either.

Celtic’s elimination from the Champions League soured the mood at Celtic Park recently and the potential departure of Moussa Dembele could further contribute to an atmosphere of growing frustration at the club.

The Hoops’ struggle in Europe has been a consistent feature of the past half-decade and their failure to make an impact on the continent continued against AEK Athens in the 3rd qualifying round as they were dumped out of the competition before the group stages.

After expressing such imperious domination in the SPFL, the next step in Celtic’s development has focused heavily on their European performance so naturally it was a huge disappointment when they were dumped out by the Greek outfit.

Celtic took a step towards redemption on Thursday night as they ran out 3-0 winners against FK Suduva, sealing their place in the group stages of the Europa League in the process.

But the Dembele saga which has emerged in the past 48 hours has served to restore a sense of frustration at the club, although a recent report from the Evening Times suggests there could be some good news on the horizon for the club.

Indeed, the report claims that Celtic are working on a new deal for Olivier Ntcham (valued at £4.5 million by Transfermarkt) following his impressive opening to life in Scotland.

To label him as a lynchpin at this moment in time would exaggerate his importance, but he has demonstrated the potential to blossom into an indispensable talent in the future with his commanding performances from central midfield.

Ntcham is something of a rare breed in the sense that he can legimitately label himself as a box-to-box midfielder during a football era when specialisation of positioning is becoming increasingly important.

The 22-year-old’s ability to sit deep in midfield, dictate proceedings, break up play in front of the back four, carry the ball forward and provide a touch of class in the final-third enable him to influence the game at both ends of the field.

With interest in Celtic’s star players beginning to intensify across Europe it’s vital that the club react to events by tying down some of their most sought-after players to new deals, even if only to increase their transfer value.

Ntcham’s growing influence at the club is only likely to increase this season so the club’s move to agree fresh terms over a new contract is certainly a shrewd move to make, particularly in the context of their poor summer.

Celtic fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Wilfried Zaha’s already shown how instrumental he’ll be to Crystal Palace’s survival hopes this season, returning from injury to net a huge winner against reigning champions Chelsea before bagging a last-second equaliser in a 1-1 draw with West Ham – providing the Eagles with all four of the points they’ve won so far under Roy Hodgson.

Perhaps inevitably then, the Ivory Coast international is already being linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, The Sun claiming Arsenal are eyeing a £35million swoop as they look to replace Alexis Sanchez either in January or at the end of the season.

The obvious gulf between the two wide men lays in their potency. While Sanchez has scored 54 goals in the Premier League, averaging just shy of one every two appearances, Zaha has mustered up just 38 (including international goals) throughout his entire career.

But there’s another side to Zaha’s game that often slips under the radar, and could make him such an invaluable addition for Arsenal compared to their current attacking cohort. It’s no secret Arsenal struggle to match the rest of the top six in terms of physicality, energy and aggression, especially from forward players like Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette.

Zaha, though, is exceptionally quick and strong and produced the third-most tackles, 56, of any wide man in the Premier League last season – he’s tried to keep that rate up this season too, with five successful challenges in as many appearances.

Winning the ball from the front is often infectious throughout the team and having someone like Zaha closing down the opposition could transform the mindset of an Arsenal side often accused of shirking their responsibilities off the ball. More than individual ability, that change in perspective could be what truly awakens the Gunners from their current dormancy.

So, Arsenal fans, should Wenger swoop for the seven-cap international in January? Let us know by voting below…

Leyton Orient are the latest victims of reckless mismanagement and the fans who saw their club on the brink of Championship football a couple of seasons go, will now be planning for life in the 5th tier.

Of course, in football, perspective goes out the window so a few miles down the road Arsenal fans will be feeling equally as hard done by if Tottenham manage to guarantee finishing above them with victory in Sunday’s North London Derby.

Equally, the entire of German football has felt pretty aggrieved of late thanks to the emergence of RB Leipzig. Bankrolled by energy drink giants Red Bull, the club once known as SSV Markranstädt has bought its way to the Bundesliga and leapfrogged the likes of Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen to a Champions League spot at the first time of asking.

Naturally, these two sketchy scenarios combined, seemed ideal for an intriguing Football Manager simulation. Watch the video to find out what would happen if Red Bull saved Leyton Orient from liquidation but to the detriment of fans of both the club and English football in general.

Ross Barkley has stagnated at Everton and should have left the Merseyside club two years ago, according to ex-England international Rodney Marsh.The 22-year-old attacking midfielder established himself as a key member of the starting XI at Goodison ParkÂunder Roberto Martinez and enjoyed a stunning 2013/14 season.WANT MORE? >>ÂEverton Transfer NewsÂ|ÂLatest Transfer NewsThe England international’sÂform dipped a little in 2014/15 and he once again struggled through last season, but he’s featured regularly thus far for fresh managerial appointment Ronald Koeman.However, he was dramatically substituted at half-time during Everton’s 3-0 battering of Sunderland on Monday night, with the scoreline still at 0-0.And commenting on Barkley’s situation, Marsh, who won nine caps as an England player, gave his verdict, claiming the exciting youngster has “lost his wayâ€:“Two years ago Ross Barkley was one of the brightest young stars around. No more…..should have left EFC then.”Lost his way. Spends most of his time in the middle third. Needs to be at the sharp end to do damage…”

Barkley has been a regular in the England squad over the course of the past few years – he was taken to both the 2014 World Cup and EURO 2016 – but Sam Allardyce overlooked the playmaking midfielderÂfor his first game in charge of the Three LionsÂagainst Slovakia earlier this month.

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Without the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Al-Nassr lost to Al-Ettifaq on Monday, but other new arrivals enjoyed strong Pro League debuts

Following the influx of a number of global superstars over the past couple of months, the new Saudi Pro League season got under way this past weekend. Never has excitement been higher around a division that, while regularly competitive, has previously made little impact on fans globally, with supporters keen to see some of the new-look teams in action.

It was an opening round to forget, however, for Al-Nassr, who were beaten 2-1 by Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq on Monday. Without captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who suffered a minor injury in the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup just 48 hours earlier, Luis Castro's side saw their hopes of making a winning start to their title bid evaporate, despite taking an early lead through Sadio Mane.

The result leaves Al-Nassr towards the bottom of the early table, but the same can't be said for their presumed title rivals. Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli all made winning starts, with some of the recent foreign imports making immediate impacts for their new clubs.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the first round of Saudi Pro League action…

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  WINNER: Roberto Firmino

  Roberto Firmino was a free agent following his departure from Liverpool, and as such promises to be one of the bargain signings of the Saudi Pro League off-season, especially if he can maintain the heroics of his league debut for Al-Ahli.

  The Brazil international netted a hat-trick to secure a 3-1 win over Al-Hazm on Thursday, becoming just the second player in club history to net a treble on their debut, following in the footsteps of Omar Al Somah, who did so in 2014.

  The hat-trick wasn't the most stunning of Firmino's career as all three strikes came from within the six-yard box, but he won't have cared, and neither will Al-Ahli's boisterous supporters, who best get used to seeing their new captain's karate-kick celebration.

  A shout out to those fans, too, who created a superb atmosphere as they celebrated their return to the top-flight after promotion last season. Firmino spoke of the "goosebumps" they gave him ahead of kick-off, and the Al-Ahli fans did not let up throughout the whole game.

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• LOSER: Edouard Mendy

  It wasn't all good news for Al-Ahli, though, as new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy suffered a debut to forget after gifting Al-Hazm a way back into the match with a fatal error.

  With his side leading 2-0 following an early double from Firmino, the ex-Chelsea goalkeeper looked to play out from the back, only to fire a pass into the feet of opposition forward Vinicius Barbosa, who proceeded to lob the ball back over Mendy's head and into the net.

  It's not the first time we have seen the Senegal international make that kind of error over the past year o so, and perhaps illustrates why he lost the No.1 role at Stamford Bridge before his summer departure.

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  WINNER: Malcom

  Firmino wasn't the only Brazilian new arrival to walk away from their Pro League debut with the match ball, as ex-Barcelona forward Malcom also netted a treble to guide Al-Hilal to victory over Abha.

  Eyebrows were raised when Al-Hilal agreed to a fee of up to €60 million (£52m/$65.5m) to sign Malcom from Zenit St. Petersburg, but if Monday's performance is anything to go by, then the 26-year-old could yet emerge as a star of the 2023-24 campaign.

  Amid a number of disappointing displays from his team-mates, Malcom was electric, with his third goal the pick of the bunch as he smashed a bouncing ball across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

  With Neymar looking set to join him in the Al-Hilal ranks in the coming days, Jorge Jesus is building a Brazilian-based attack that will strike plenty of fear into opposition defenders.

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• Getty Images
  

  WINNER: Steven Gerrard

  Steven Gerrard has arrived at Al-Ettifaq with a point to prove. After the disappointing end to his time in charge of Aston Villa, the ex-Liverpool midfielder needs to prove himself as a coach once more, and he made the perfect start on Monday.

  His team came from behind to beat Al-Nassr 2-1, picking up three points against one of the title favourites in a result that will have certainly caught the eye of the other members of the presumed top four.

  There will be those who point to the fact that the visitors were without a number of key players, including Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles, but Gerrard will certainly relish the way his side showed resilience to recover from Sadio Mane's early strike and gain an opening-night victory.

Where to watch Premier League clash Chelsea vs Brighton – including team news, kick-off time, TV and live stream details.

Brighton will be looking to continue their impressive run of form since the turn of the year when they host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Seagulls have only lost twice in their last 16 matches in all competitions and are currently sitting in seventh place on the Premier League table. They will be confident of causing an upset against their opponents from London.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have had a disappointing season so far. They are 11th in the standings, without a win in their last five fixtures.

However, they have the quality to turn things around and will be keen to get back to winning ways under caretaker boss and club legend Frank Lampard.

GOAL tells you all you need to know about Chelsea vs Brighton below – including TV, streaming details, team news, squads and kick-off times.

GettyKick-off timeDate:April 15, 2023Kick-off time: 10am EDTVenue:Stamford Bridge

The Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton will be played at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 15. The game is scheduled to kick off at 10am EDT.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHow to watch Chelsea vs Brighton online – TV channels & live streams

Country TV Channel Live stream

USN/APeacock

Viewers in the US can stream the game live on Peacock.

Getty ImagesTeam news & squadsChelsea team news & squad

Lampard has confirmed that centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is out of contention for the game against Brighton due to injury.

With the fixture sandwiched between two Champions League legs against Real Madrid, the Blues are expected to rotate the lineup.

Carney Chukwuemeka and Armando Broja are also sidelined with injuries.

Chelsea predicted XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Loftus-Cheek, Gallagher, Mount; Sterling, Havertz, Felix

Position Players

Goalkeepers:Mendy, Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, SloninaDefenders:Chalobah, Cucurella, Badiashile, Chilwell, James, Silva, Azpilicueta, FofanaMidfielders:Gallagher, Mudryk, Fernandez, Loftus-Cheek, Madueke, Ziyech, Zakaria, Kante, Kovacic, MountForwards:Sterling, Havertz, Felix, PulisicBrighton team news & squad

Ahead of Saturday's game, Roberto De Zerbi has stated that he will need to assess and take decisions regarding the availability of a few of his players.

Jeremy Sarmiento and Tariq Lamptey are not expected to feature against Chelsea whereas Adam Lallana is a long-term absentee. Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill is ineligible to take the field against his parent club.

Brighton predicted XI: Steele; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson

Position Players

Goalkeepers:Sanchez, SteeleDefenders:Webster, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan, VeltmanMidfielders:Mac Allister, Caicedo, Gilmour, Grob, Ayari, March, Buonanotte, MitomaForwards:Enciso, Undav, FergusonHead-to-head record

Three of the last five head-to-head games between Chelsea and Brighton have ended as stalemates at the end of 90 minutes. In the last meeting between the two teams earlier this season, there were two own-goals as Brighton picked up an impressive 4-1 win.

Date Result Competition

October 2022Brighton 4-1 ChelseaPremier LeagueJanuary 2022Brighton 1-1 ChelseaPremier LeagueDecember 2021Chelsea 1-1 BrightonPremier LeagueApril 2021Chelsea 0-0 BrightonPremier LeagueSeptember 2020Brighton 1-3 ChelseaPremier LeagueENJOYED THIS STORY?

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