London: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer membidas kenyataan Jurgen Klopp mengenai rekod penalti dimiliki Manchester United dengan pengendali di Old Trafford itu turut mendakwa pengurus pasukan Liga Perdana cuba mempengaruhi pengadil.
Jurulatih Liverpool, Klopp mempertikaikan jumlah penalti yang banyak diberikan kepada United selepas juara bertahan gagal mendapatkannya ketika tewas kepada Southampton semalam.
Klopp mendakwa United mendapat lebih penalti dalam masa hanya dua tahun sejak dikendalikan Solskjaer berbanding Liverpool yang dikendalikannya sepanjang lima setengah tahun di Anfield.
United dianugerahkan enam penalti dalam aksi liga musim ini berbanding lima diperolehi skuad Klopp.
Mereka diberikan 42 penalti dalam semua kejohanan sejak Solskjaer mengambil alih tugas pada Disember 2018 berbanding Liverpool dalam tempoh sama.
Liverpool mendapat 46 penalti sejak Klopp tiba di Merseyside pada 2015.
Komen Klopp itu membuatkan Solskjaer ‘panas telinga’ dengan skuadnya akan menentang pendahulu itu dalam aksi getir pada 17 Januari.
“Itu faktanya, mungkin. Ia mungkin menjadi jawapan saya. Ia fakta kami mendapat lebih daripada mereka.
“Saya tak tahu berapa banyak penalti mereka dapat dan saya pula tak kira jumlah itu. Jadi, jika mereka mahu habiskan masa dengan bimbang apabila kami dikasari dalam petak penalti maka saya tidak akan berbuat begitu.”
MADRID – Transfer mengejutkan sepertinya akan terjadi pada bursa transfer musim dingin 2021 kali ini. Raksasa Prancis, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) disebut-sebut akan mempertemukan Sergio Ramos dan Lionel Messi dalam satu tim.
Rumor ini bisa jadi benar adanya. Sebab, kontrak kedua pemain dengan klub mereka masing-masing akan berakhir pada Juni 2021 atau akhir musim ini.
Sergio Ramos bahkah baru-baru ini mengeluarkan pernyataan mengenai rencana untuk menolak perpanjangan kontrak dari Los Blancos. Ia sepertinya tergiur dengan tawaran PSG untuk bermain satu tim dengan La Pulga -julukan Messi.
“Tawaran (perpanjangan kontrak) dari Real Madrid, saya tidak akan menerimanya,” ujar Sergio Ramos dilansir dari EL Chiringuito, Rabu(6/1/2021).
“PSG menyiapkan rencana dan mengatakan kepada saya bahwa mereka akan menjadikan Leo (Messi) rekan satu tim baru di sana,” lanjutnya.
Pernyataan bek asal Spanyol itu diperkuat dengan rumor yang mengatakan kalau Sergio Ramos telah melakukan pertamuan dengan Presiden Real Madrid, Florentino Perez. Pertemuan keduanya itu disinyalir membahas tentang kelanjutan masa depan Ramos di Santiago Bernabeu.
Sergio Ramos dan Florentino Perez diketahui telah berbicara tentang kesepakatan dua pihak di sebuah hotel sebelum Los Blancos menghadapi Elche pada 30 Desember 2020 kemarin.
Namun, rumor ini kemudian disanggah oleh salah seorang presenter bernama Josep Pedrerol yang mengatakan kalau kedua pihak telah berbicara untuk melanjutkan kerja sama hingga beberapa musim ke depan.
Ia meyakini hingga saat ini belum ada tawaran yang datang dari pihak PSG untuk Sergio Ramos. Lebih lanjut, Pedrerol pun yakin bek 34 tahun itu masih akan berseragam Real Madrid setidaknya hingga beberapa musim ke depan.
“Florentino Perez yakin bahwa tidak ada tawaran yang akan datang dari Paris Saint- Germain untuk Sergio Ramos, setidaknya sebagai hasil dari apa yang dikatakan pimpinan PSG kepada Real Madrid,” ujar Pedrerol.
2021 is looking increasingly likely to be the year that Tottenham end their 13-year wait for a trophy.
They took a big stride on that journey on Tuesday night, besting Championship Brentford in the EFL Cup semi-finals to book their place at Wembley for the later-than-usual final in April.
It was nervy at times – particularly when Ivan Toney’s equaliser was ruled out for offside by the narrowest of margins – but for the most part, this was further evidence of the mentality change that Jose Mourinho is said to have brought about in north London.
In truth, Spurs never looked like ‘doing a Spurs’ against Brentford. They kept an impressive Bees side at arms length throughout and got the job done with a goal in each half. The first was scored by Moussa Sissoko, who capitalised on some socially distanced defending to nod home Sergio Reguilon’s excellent cross.
Spurs then spurned a few good chances to put the game beyond doubt, before Son Heung-min did exactly that, finishing off a trademark counterattack with a venomous strike.
The Mourinho factor should not be underplayed in this result. As pointed out by Opta after the game, the Spurs boss has now become just the third manager in history to reach the League Cup final with three different clubs. Winning games like this is what he does best, as evidenced by his near-perfect record in semi-finals.
Few managers in world football are as well equipped for squeezing results out of one-off games than Mourinho, which is why Spurs will be full of confidence regardless of which Manchester club they end up meeting at Wembley in the spring.
Diverting our attention away from the EFL Cup for a moment, Tottenham’s comparatively easy draws in both the FA Cup and the Europa League also seem to suggest that the omens for 2021 are good.
In the former, they take on non-league Marine next week. The Liverpool-based Lilywhites are a properly part-time outfit, not one of those quasi-professional sides that reside in the Conference. Make no mistake, if Spurs fail to progress to the fourth round against the eighth-tier minnows, it will be one of the most shocking results in English football history.
Meanwhile, in the Europe League, they have been afforded another preferable tie, this time against Wolfsberger – an Austrian Bundesliga team currently languishing in mid-table and the very lowest ranked team left in the competition.
While Tottenham are probably still just about in an unpredictable domestic title race, their pursuit of silverware could well be aided by their rivals focusing on other priorities when it comes to crunch time; in April Man City or Man Utd could be making a final push in the Premier League, while the same goes for the whole of the so-called ‘Big Six’ and tougher European opponents such as Milan and Ajax when the FA Cup and Europa League finals roll around in May.
Put simply, both of these draws were the most straightforward games that Spurs could have hoped for. Luck? Or, a sign that 2021 is going to the year of the cockerel?
Whichever one is it, this good fortune, combined with their managers perverted obsession with grinding out unwatchable wins are a potent cocktail for success in cup competitions. In other words, it could be time for rival fans to start preparing some insults other than ones that focus on the dust gathering on Spurs’ trophy cabinet.
London: Sebagai salah seorang penyerang terbaik dunia, Karim Benzema sudah pasti bergaji sangat lumayan dan mempunyai hobi mewah sesuai dengan statusnya.
Bintang Real Madrid itu mempunyai koleksi kereta dengan nilai anggaran £6 juta (RM32.69j) dan baru-baru ini dia menambah sebuah lagi, Bugatti Chiron berharga £2.5 juta (RM13.60j) selain memiliki kereta edisi terhad, Bugatti Veyron bernilai £1.5 juta (RM8.16j) di samping memiliki Ferrari 458 Spider dan beberapa lagi kereta mewah.
Dalam Instagramnya minggu lalu, penyerang Perancis berusia 33 tahun itu menayangkan koleksi terkininya, Bugatti Chiron bernilai £2.5 juta.
Jentera ‘hypercar’ terkini itu mengatasi Veyron dari segi prestasi dengan kelajuan tertinggi 420km sejam dan mampu mencapai 0-99km sejam di bawah 2.5s dan 299km dalam masa 13.6s.
Ia bukan sahaja ‘hypercar’ malah ‘hyper hyper car’.
BENZEMA bersama Mercedes Benz-SLR. FOTO Agensi
Mercedes Benz-SLR milik Benzema turut terletak dalam garajnya. Dengan harga sekitar £750,000 (RM4.08j) ia adalah edisi istimewa Stirling Moss yang mampu mencapai 0-99km dalam masa hanya 3.5 saat.
Bintang bola sepak meminati Ferrari dan Benzema tidak ketinggalan. Dia kerap memandu di Madrid menggunakan Ferrari 458 Spider yang berharga £200,000 (RM1.08j). Peminat jentera sama yang lain termasuk Mesut Ozil, Frank Lampard dan Theo Walcott.
Selain itu, syarikat korporat turut kerap menaja bintang bola sepak terutamanya jika anda beraksi bersama Real Madrid dan Audi sebahagian daripadanya dengan Benzema memiliki model RS6 Avant C7 bernilai £90,000 (RM489,000) selain SUV, Q5 £40,000 (RM217,000).
Selain itu turut berada dalam koleksi Benzema ialah Rolls Royce yang berharga £250,000 (RM1.36j).
SOUTHAMPTON – Pelatih Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, mengeluarkan sindiran keras kepada Manchester United setelah timnya kalah 0-1 dari Southampton di pekan ke-17 Liga Inggris 2020-2021, Selasa (5/1/2021) dini hari WIB. Klopp menilai, Man United dalam dua tahun terakhir lebih banyak mendapatkan hadiah penalti, ketimbang Liverpool selama 5,5 tahun ditanganinya.
“Man United mendapatkan lebih banyak penalti dalam dua tahun terakhir ketimbang saya berada di Liverpool selama 5,5 tahun. Namun, tak ada alasan atas performa di lapangan,” kata Klopp mengutip dari Bleacher Football, Selasa (5/1/2021).
Pernyataan Jurgen Klopp di atas disinyalir karena dirinya merasa dirugikan atas keputusan yang dibuat wasit laga Southampton vs Liverpool, Andre Marriner. Dalam laga tersebut, setidaknya ada dua momen di mana Liverpool bisa saja mendapatkan penalti.
(Sadio Mane saat dijatuhkan Kyle Walker-Peters di kotak terlarang)
Di menit 60, winger Liverpool Sadio Mane dijatuhkan fullback kanan Southampton Kyle Walker-Peters di kotak terlarang. Namun, wasit Andre Marriner tidak mengganggapnya sebagai pelanggaran.
Karena itu, sang pengadil pun sama sekali tidak melihat tayangan Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Sebelumnya di awal babak kedua, tembakan Georginio Wijnaldum dalam kotak penalti terlihat jelas menyentuh tangan bek Southampton, Jack Stephens.
Tayangan VAR memang sempat muncul di televisi. Namun, wasit tidak menghadiahkan Liverpool tendangan penalti.
Dalam laga tersebut Liverpool tampil jauh lebih dominan, terutama dalam hal penguasaan bola. Sepanjang laga, Thiago Alcantara dan kawan-kawan menguasai bola hingga 67 persen.
(Klopp pusing Liverpool kalah dari Southampton)
Hanya saja, Mohamed Salah dan kawan-kawan tidak jago dalam membuat peluang. Terbukti sepanjang laga, Roberto Firmino serta kolega hanya melepaskan satu shot on target! Saat itu, tembakan kaki kiri Mane ditahan kiper Southampton, Fraser Forster.
Akibat kekalahan ini Liverpool berpotensi tergusur dari puncak klasemen Liga Inggris 2020-2021. Setelah melalui 17 pertandingan, Liverpool berada di puncak klasemen Liga Inggris 2020-2021 dengan koleksi 33 angka, sama persis dengan Man United di tempat kedua.
Jika Man United imbang atau bahkan menang atas Burnley dalam laga ke-17 mereka pada Rabu 13 Januari 2020 dini hari WIB, The Red Devils –julukan Man United– akan naik ke puncak klasemen Liga Inggris 2020-2021.
Liverpool’s defeat to Southampton on Monday evening saw them start with their tenth different combination of centre-backs in 17 Premier League games.
Injuries have ravaged Jurgen Klopp’s options at the back with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez ruled out long-term, and the Reds boss has had to get creative…to mixed results.
Here, we’ve had a look at every pairing the Reds have started a game with this term, Premier League and otherwise.
First used: 12/09/20 – Liverpool 4-3 Leeds
The normal first-choice partnership, both had their seasons cut short by injury, but paired up for the first five league games of the season.
Their last league game together? Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool.
Maybe they could do with the break…
First used: 20/09/20 – Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
Just over a week later, Fabinho showed his versatility as he stepped into the backline alongside Van Dijk.
The Reds weren’t affected, and cruised past Frank Lampard’s expensively assembled squad by a couple of goals at Stamford Bridge.
First used: 17/10/20 – Everton 2-2 Liverpool
Something had to give after that hammering at Villa, and what gave was Gomez’s place in the team.
In came Joel Matip, but Gomez was soon called into action alongside the Cameroonian after Jordan Pickford’s knee-high challenge wrote him off.
First used: 24/10/20 – Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United
Losing a presence like Van Dijk’s isn’t as much of a crisis as it could be when you have a midfielder like Fabinho capable of dropping back and filling his boots.
He was asked to play out of position again against Sheffield United, when Diogo Jota’s header sealed a comeback win, and has remained a fixture there ever since.
First used: 31/10/20 – Liverpool 2-1 West Ham
A minor hamstring issue briefly put Fabinho out of contention for the visit of West Ham, so in from the cold came Nat Phillips.
The 23-year-old looked set to leave in the summer after spending last season on loan with Stuttgart but Klopp may have been delighted a return to Germany collapsed. He dominated in the air and established himself as a genuine first-team option in an otherwise forgettable narrow win.
First used: 08/11/20 – Man City 1-1 Liverpool
Gomez and Matip are two of the more senior options and looked as if they were going to be the duo in Van Dijk’s absence.
Unfortunately, because this season is what it is, Gomez soon joined him on the injury list.
First used: 22/11/20 – Liverpool 3-0 Leicester
With Gomez, Fabinho and Van Dijk out, things looked as if they were about to get really hairy for the visit of Leicester. Fortunately enough, the Brazilian was just about fit to return, and did so to great effect.
Joined by Matip at the back, the two were aggressive and commanding as Liverpool welcomed Brendan Rodgers back to Anfield with a comfortable win.
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First used: 28/11/20 – Brighton 1-1 Liverpool
Phillips has been in and out of the team since his introduction and is yet to fully convince Klopp of his credentials as a starter. He has been trusted on a few occasions, however, and marshalled the back line alongside Fabinho for the trip to Brighton.
It was another decent performance from the young defender who may have a future as a squad player at Anfield.
First used: 16/12/20 – Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham
A Premier League debut for Williams went swimmingly as Roberto Firmino’s late header reaffirmed Liverpool’s credentials as title favourites.
The youngster looked at home in the Premier League and is being lined up for a big future at Anfield.
First used: 04/01/21 – Southampton 1-0 Liverpool
For the trip to Southampton, Klopp opted against either of his young guns at centre-back, as captain Jordan Henderson dropped into the back line to provide some experience up against Danny Ings.
It…didn’t work.
Ings scored within two minutes and Southampton won 1-0, inflicting a first league defeat in 12 matches on the defending champions.
Trung vệ của Chelsea, Thiago Silva đã lên tiếng về đội bóng cũ của mình.
Dù dẫn dắt Paris Saint-Germain đến nhiều thành công đáng ghi nhận như hai chức vô địch Ligue 1 liên tiếp và ngôi vị Á quân Champions League, vừa qua HLV Thomas Tuchel đã bất ngờ bị Gã nhà giàu nước Pháp sa thải.
Chia sẻ xoay quanh chuyện Tuchel “bay ghế”, Thiago Silva – cựu đội trưởng của PSG khẳng định từ lâu CLB đã muốn thực hiện sự thay đổi này. Thông qua RMC Sport, ngôi sao người Brazil chia sẻ: “Có thể thấy trước được rằng, mọi thứ sẽ diễn ra theo chiều hướng đó.”
“Từ trong nội bộ, chúng tôi biết rằng đội bóng cần phải thay đổi. Theo quan điểm của tôi, Giám đốc thể thao Leonardo đã kiểm soát tình hình, và ông ấy đã đưa ra lựa chọn của mình.”
“Chúng tôi không biết liệu điều đó có tốt hay không, nhưng chắc chắn đối với Tuchel và các cộng sự của ông ấy thì không. Sự thay đổi này không được mong đợi vào thời điểm hiện tại.”
“Mauricio Pochettino đã làm tốt công việc của mình tại Tottenham. Tôi nghĩ rằng ông ấy mang rất nhiều động lực khi trở lại PSG, 20 năm sau khi chơi bóng cho CLB.”
“Pochettino hiểu biết một chút về PSG. Tất nhiên, CLB đã thay đổi rất nhiều nhưng ông ấy am hiểu rất rõ về bóng đá, và Pochettino sẽ làm việc với những cầu thủ ở đẳng cấp cao nhất. Tôi vẫn là một CĐV của PSG.”
