Premier League
PREMIER LEAGUE: LIVERPOOL BOSS KLOPP BLASTS END OF FIVE-SUB RULE
As the new English Premier League season kicks off this Saturday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp branded the decision not to extend the use of five substitutions as a lack of common sense as he voiced his concerns for player welfare in a congested season.
The Reds begin the defence of their Premier League title at home to Leeds today, in a campaign that is starting a month later than normal due to the three-month halt to last season caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Both Cup competitions in England have been retained, while Liverpool are among the clubs who will face six Champions’ League group games in seven weeks between late next month and early December.
Despite the fixture pile-up, the Premier League has not followed the example of other major European leagues in extending a temporary rule after the resumption of last season. The rule allowed matchday squads to increase from 18 to 20 and managers to make five substitutions instead of three.
“We press a normal season into a shorter period which will be a proper challenge, especially with the wonderful rule we set up with 18 (players) and three (substitutes),” Klopp said yesterday.
“It’s only about player welfare, nothing else, but I don’t know why we have to discuss it at all and not everybody says yes of course, like the whole world is doing, at least the whole of Europe!”
Two votes on the rule found a majority of Premier League clubs were against the rule being extended, with those nearer the bottom of the table fearing it gave the bigger clubs with better squads an even greater advantage.
“I thought from a common sense point of view that for this year, only this year not forever, that we would have 20 and five,” added the German. “It is not about having advantages, it is about player welfare and about having the highest quality in the games for all teams.”
Liverpool do not have the deepest of squads while Klopp favours using a core group of players, with just 24 utilised en route to last season’s title win.
The club also adopted a cautious approach in the transfer market, given the financial fall-out from the coronavirus and their only addition to date is Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have all sought to strengthen their squads, with the Blues investing almost £200 million (S$350 million).
But Klopp warned their rivals that splashing out on new faces is no guarantee of success.
“For some clubs it seems less important how uncertain the future is: those owned by countries, owned by oligarchs,” the German told the BBC.
“We cannot just change it overnight and say, ‘So now we want to behave like Chelsea’. Now they are signing a lot of players. That can be an advantage of course but that means they have to fit together pretty quickly as well.”
He also had a note of caution for his team, knowing they cannot look further ahead than the visit of a Leeds side returning to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years.
“They are well drilled and the way they defend is exceptional, pretty much man-marking plus one,” he said.
Liverpool will await late fitness tests for captain Jordan Henderson and Xherdan Shaqiri. Both have returned to training with the team.
Leeds are without injured duo Gaetano Berardi and Adam Forshaw.
Marcelo Bielsa, who signed a one-year extension yesterday, is eager to see how his side will fare in the Premier League.
“We have prepared but we need to show it on the pitch,” he said. “We have been forming a group for some time and we have kept players we believe can play at a higher level.”
-AFP
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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