Premier League
JURGEN KLOPP BLAMES MENTAL FATIGUE FOR LIVERPOOL’S LOSS TO BRIGHTON
Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool side were mentally not fresh after a damaging 1-0 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday (Feb 3) left them adrift in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool appeared to have rediscovered their spark with consecutive away wins last week over Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United but were easily stifled by an impressive Brighton side.
Klopp’s champions failed to score for the third successive home league game and they managed only one effort on target as they fell seven points behind leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand.
“We played against really good opposition, that’s clear,” Klopp said. “We looked mentally not fresh. They deserved to win.
“We wanted to play better and more convincing. We lost too many balls in promising situations. I know the boys can play pass A to B but today B did not seem reachable.
“We had a really tough week. We were not fresh tonight and that’s when you have to find a way.”
Finding a way is what Liverpool have made a habit of over the last two seasons but suddenly, at Anfield at least, they have run out of ideas. The league’s leading scorer Mohamed Salah barely had a sight of goal and when he did have a chance in the first half, he blazed it over the bar.
Striker Sadio Mane’s absence because of injury did not help Liverpool’s cause while at the back, they looked vulnerable against the clever approach play of Brighton, who claimed a first league win for the south coast club at Anfield since 1982.
Considering Klopp’s lack of options because of injuries to defenders Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip that is perhaps understandable, although new defensive signing Ben Davies was left as an unused substitute.
“The only explanation now is that we are a fatigued team, mentally more or less,” Klopp said.
“We had our moments but they deserved to win. We had to defend with a lot of running, there is no formation in the world where you are always in the right place.
“The best way to defend against a team like that is to keep the ball yourself but we couldn’t do it tonight. It has been a tough week and tonight it was not enough.”
Liverpool’s next league game is at home to leaders City on Sunday.
“City are flying and we have to find solutions,” Klopp said.
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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