Barcelona celebrate Ivan Rakitic’s winner | Eric Alonso/Getty Images
Ivan Rakitic scored his first goal of the season seven minutes after coming on as a substitute to help Barcelona beat Athletic Club 1-0 on Tuesday evening.
Much of the pre-match build-up surrounded Lionel Messi – as it usually does – with the Argentina international sitting on 699 career goals before kick off.
However, it was Croatia international Rakitic who broke the deadlock in the 71st minute when he collected Messi’s clever reverse and smashed in beyond Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Barcelona dominated possession throughout and Messi came close to his 700th goal on a number of occasions. The 32-year-old lifted one over from range just before half time and later curled wide from 20 yards.
The victory takes Barça three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, though Los Blancos can reclaim top spot with a win of their own against Mallorca on Wednesday.
Quique Setien included Arthur in his starting lineup, alongside Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal in midfield.
The Brazilian has been linked with a move to Juventus, with reports indicating the current Serie A champions will pay €80m for his services. The deal could see Miralem Pjanic leave Turin for Catalonia, though there are still complications to be ironed out.
There was also cause for concern for Barça over Gerard Pique, who looked to have injured his groin in the late stages of the game.
Next up for the Catalonian side is a trip to Celta Vigo on Saturday, before they host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid three days later.
Manchester City prolonged Liverpool’s title coronation until Thursday at the very earliest with a thumping 5-0 victory over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Monday evening.
City took advantage of the Clarets’ first lapse in concentration 27 minutes in as an unmarked Phil Foden lashed a low effort into the bottom corner following a well worked short corner.
Riyad Mahrez put the game beyond Burnley’s reach with two goals in the space of six minutes on the stroke of half time. The Algerian latched onto Fernandinho’s superb cross field pass, turned Charlie Taylor inside out and fired home, before netting from the penalty spot following Ben Mee’s foul on Sergio Aguero.
City were just as ruthless in the second half, with David Silva and Foden both tucking home from close range to secure an emphatic victory.
Unfortunately, the match was somewhat marred by an offensive banner flown above the Etihad Stadium shortly after kick-off.
Key Talking Point
While many other top flight sides have put in sluggish, laboured performances since the Premier League resumed, City had looked slick their 3-0 victory over Arsenal, and followed this up with a similarly polished display on Monday evening.
Despite making eight changes to side that beat Arsenal, including switching their entire back four, City were well-oiled and sharp.
Their build up play was patient and intricate, they moved the ball around with a real pace and intensity, and made this usually stubborn Burnley side look very weak and fragile. Pep Guardiola’s side have taken the three-month break completely in their stride.
Amazingly, this is the 17th time City have scored five or more goals in a Premier League games since Guardiola became manager.
Substitutes: Jesus (7), de Bruyne (7), Laporte (6), Sane (6)
Phil Foden
The 20-year-old turned in a performance of real star quality. While his goals will grab the headlines – the first a sweetly struck left-footed low drive, the second one demonstrating his natural goalscoring instinct – it was his intelligence, movement and cute touches that particularly caught the eye.
Foden drifted into the little pockets of space between the Burnley back four and midfield, and his deftly disguised pass to send Bernardo Silva away for was simply sublime.
Key Talking Point
While City had the luxury of making eight changes, Burnley could only name seven substitutes – including two goalkeepers. Sean Dyche’s side are really stretched, and it showed.
They desperately missed the physical presence of Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood. The Clarets failed to register a shot on target, with Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra cutting isolated figures up front.
Although the pair were left to feed off scraps, they rarely won an aerial duel, and Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi enjoyed a relatively comfortable night.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Pope (5); Lowten (5), Tarkowski (4), Mee (4), Taylor (4); Brownhill (6), Westwood (5) Cork (5), McNeil (5); Rodriguez (4)), Vydra (4)
Substitutes: Pieters (4), Thompson (4)
Next up for Manchester City is a trip to Chelsea on Thursday. Should Liverpool beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday, City will need to take all three points at Stamford Bridge to deny the Reds the title.
Burnley are also back in action on Thursday, as they welcome relegation-threatened Watford to Turf Moore.
Tom Davies and Joe Gomez | Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 23 points on Sunday evening, but were held to a dire 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.
As has been the case with most games so far, the season’s third Merseyside derby got off to a pretty sluggish start. The artificial fans could do little to mask the sleepy, exhibition tempo, although a slick Liverpool counter-attack just after the half-hour mark might have, had Roberto Firmino not dragged his shot wide.
The introduction of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the break saw Liverpool up the ante, but while their attacks increased in frequency and intensity, the Toffees stood strong. By the hour mark, the Reds had seen 65% of the ball, but were limited to a single shot on target.
For all the game was controlled by Liverpool, however, Everton exploded into life as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Richarlison all found themselves with excellent chances, but a combination of some magnificent work from Alisson and the Brazilian’s right-hand post kept the sheet clean.
Fabinho surprised everyone when he took precedence to Trent Alexander-Arnold to fire a stoppage-time free kick at Jordan Pickford, but a victory for either side would have been unjust in what was – let’s face it – a terrible game of football.
Key Talking Point
All eyes turned to 19-year-old Anthony Gordon, who made his first league start in a youthful Everton XI which featured four academy graduates, and it was a team which, for the most part, did the job it set out to; frustrate and contain the more esteemed visitors.
Liverpool were far from at their best, granted, but they weren’t given the space to be, as the Toffees used the declining tempo and tame atmosphere to their advantage.
They will feel desperately unlucky not to have won the game when a flurry of late chances came their way, but they nonetheless have reason to be positive after ensuring their rivals will have to wait that little bit longer to make sure of their Premier League title.
Substitutes: Sigurdsson (5), Bernard (N/A), Kean (N/A).
Andre Gomes
To call it a spectacular Everton performance would be quite a reach, but it was functional and effective, owing largely to the brick wall they set up in front of the Liverpool midfield which cut off the supply to an isolated forward line.
At the heart of all that was Gomes, whose defensive abilities were as effective as his distribution and composure on the ball which allowed his side some respite when they were able to get on the ball.
Key Talking Point
The team Jurgen Klopp sent out raised more than a couple of eyebrows, as Mohamed Salah was only fit enough for a place on the bench. He was replaced by January signing Takumi Minamino while Andy Robertson – suffering from a minor knock – sat out for the dependable James Milner.
Joel Matip and Naby Keita were each handed starts, which would have seemed unlikely, but the deployment of a squad player or two can perhaps come as no real surprise given the severity of the schedule ahead.
The unfamiliar lineup coupled with the ring-rust of three football-less months led to a performance that lacked in rhythm and vibrancy, and even the introduction of Divock Origi – a Liverpool cult hero after five goals in his last seven derbies – was unable to inspire anything magical.
A muscle injury to Matip forced Klopp to make his fifth substitution when he might have considered throwing Salah into the fray, but a fairly lethargic performance – made worse by the introduction of a shaky Lovren – nudged them a point closer to the Premier League title.
There was next to no quality in the game from a Liverpool perspective until 80 minutes, when they needed Alisson at his very best to prevent what would have been an embarrassing defeat at the home of their rivals.
The Brazilian made himself big and reacted like lightning to keep out Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, and continues to prove he was worth every penny of his massive transfer fee.
Both sides have a tight turnaround ahead, with Everton travelling to bottom side Norwich on Wednesday just hours before Liverpool host Crystal Palace.
Everton return to Goodison to face Leicester a week later, while Liverpool have the small matter of a trip to Manchester City next Thursday, though will be hoping to have the title sewn up before then.
Adama Traore was the difference | Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
Prior to the enforced break, Wolverhampton Wanderers had played over 50 matches in all competitions in 2019/20.
Despite Nuno Espirito Santo having a fairly small squad (compared to others), the Premier League outfit were going strong on numerous fronts. However, the three-month layoff provided Nuno and his men the chance to regroup and prepare for the season run-in.
As has been the case with the opening games since the resumption of football in England’s top division, it has taken teams a while to find their feet and adjust.
This was the case for one team on Saturday evening, but it wasn’t Wolves. West Ham, who are fighting to avoid the drop, were expected to make a quick start and look to get at the away side, but instead it was Nuno’s men who effortlessly controlled the early tempo of the game. Fizzing the ball around with real purpose, not only did each player look prepared for playing in these unique conditions, they also looked sharp and focused.
Despite their incisive passing, they struggled to really get in behind the Hammers backline and failed to create many clearcut goalscoring opportunities in the first half. While the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker are all very talented footballers, they do not specialise in making forward runs, dragging defenders out wide and creating space.
As a result, West Ham were comfortable when sitting in their shape, with Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota struggling to really find any space to operate in.
Nuno needed to make a change to bring the best out of his star men.
The key? Width.
Jonny and Matt Doherty weren’t able to get forward and support attacks as much as Nuno would have liked and, as a result, he needed to bring on a player who could stretch the Hammers’ defence and bring the centre backs out of their fixed positions.
With his side still struggling to break down the hosts, Nuno opted to bring on both Pedro Neto and Adama Traore.
And these substitutions changed the direction of the game.
Most notably, Traore immediately drifted out as far on to the touchline as possible, using the full width of the pitch. As he received the ball on 72 minutes, he used his speed to quickly shift the ball and breeze past his opponent before standing up a perfect cross. Jimenez was waiting in the middle to powerfully head the ball home and give his side the lead.
It was another Traore-Jimenez combination that worked to perfection.
The Spaniard was at the heart of it again for the second goal, finding space and feeding Doherty, who then whipped the ball in for Neto to sensationally volley home.
Traore’s ability to know when to stay wide and when to come in-field to receive the ball underlines his understanding of the game, while his speed and power is like no other. His ability to shift the ball and glide past his opponent in the blink of an eye makes him simply impossible to stop in his tracks, and his decision-making once again highlights the fact that he really has taken his game to new heights.
In a game of fine margins and few chances, it was Traore who once again showed why he is so crucial to Nuno and this Wolves team. The winger’s performances in the remaining games will be key in his side’s push for European football.
David de Gea made yet another error against Tottenham Hotspur | Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
A five-minute spell of Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Friday summed David de Gea up perfectly.
In the 32nd minute of the game, he pulled out a wonderful diving save to deny Son Heung-min – but that came five minutes after he let Steven Bergwijn’s strike burst through his hands and into the back of the net.
At his best, De Gea is up there with the world’s best goalkeepers. However, when not on form, the Spaniard can be somewhat of a liability. Over the last few years, he has fallen into that second category a little too often.
This season, we’ve seen big errors from De Gea against Crystal Palace, Everton and Watford, and there were plenty in the previous campaign. Since the start of last season, no player has made more errors leading to goals than him.
It’s happening far too often for United’s (and Roy Keane’s) liking, and De Gea can no longer afford to lean on his reputation as an elite shot stopper. Without results, United will soon have a question to answer about his form.
United are no longer good enough to power through to victories without the help of their goalkeeper, and when they’re not getting that help, there are real problems. Against Spurs, United would have won the game if De Gea hadn’t gifted Bergwijn with a goal.
Ever since the start of the 2018/19 season, when this penchant for an error crept into De Gea’s game, fans have been asking how to resolve things. Is he too relaxed after signing his contract? Is it a lack of competition?
Well, if it’s competition that De Gea needs, he might soon get more than he bargained for. Enter Dean Henderson.
When the 23-year-old left Old Trafford on loan last summer, he was an exciting youngster with a lot of potential. When he comes back at the end of the campaign, he will be a Premier League-calibre goalkeeper who is too good to sit on the bench. That’s competition.
Henderson is expected to head out on loan again next season, but if De Gea continues to underwhelm, could we see the Englishman stay and fight for a spot in the first team?
United will give De Gea every chance to get back to his best – he’s paid far too much to be benched so quickly – but they cannot afford to be weak in defence. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are chasing down Champions League football, having been down in 14th at one point in the season.
While De Gea has been making mistakes, Henderson has been impressing – and United have taken notice. If the Englishman keeps it up, he could be inching ever closer to his first start for the Red Devils.
Paul Pogba returned to help Manchester United to a 1-1 draw against Tottenham | Pool/Getty Images
Paul Pogba came on as a second-half substitute to help Manchester United come back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Friday.
The first big chance of the came fell to Marcus Rashford, whose close-range volley needed a good save from Hugo Lloris. Just minutes later, it was Spurs who went ahead through Steven Bergwijn’s outstanding individual run (and some questionable goalkeeping from David de Gea), but the goalkeeper redeemed himself soon after with an excellent save to keep out Son Heung-min.
United searched for an equaliser after the break, with Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes both failing to make good chances pay, and as they began to take control of proceedings, only a sublime save from Hugo Lloris stopped Martial from scoring.
After creating chance after chance, United finally grabbed their equaliser from the penalty spot. Paul Pogba was pushed to the ground by Eric Dier and Fernandes stepped up to fire home. United thought they had the chance to steal a victory with a second penalty in the 90th minute, only for VAR to overturn things and ensure both sides took home a point.
Key Talking Point
Nobody needed a break from football quite like Spurs, who were on a rotten run of form and facing the prospect of finishing the season without nearly all of their stars. However, with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko and Steven Bergwijn all back, Spurs looked like a new team when Mourinho gave them the freedom to play.
In typical Mourinho fashion, Spurs gave United plenty of possession and focused on countering, but they did that to perfection early on. There was energy in Spurs’ attacks – the kind of electricity which hasn’t been seen for what feels like an eternity.
Mourinho’s decision to drop back and defend a one-goal lead ended up costing the team, who failed to cope with United’s threat for the majority of the second half. By the time they needed a goal, there was too little time left on the clock.
A note on Kane – he still has a little work to do to get back up to speed, but that’s to be expected. The signs are all encouraging for Spurs.
A season-ending ankle injury proved to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience for the flying Dutchman, who looked as sharp as ever in this one. With Kane struggling to keep up with the tempo, Bergwijn was often the focal point of Spurs’ attack, and it worked to perfection.
He may have needed some help from De Gea for his goal, but he more than deserved that luck with his excellent 40-yard run in the build-up.
Key Talking Point
Like Spurs, this game was all about returning stars for the visitors. Marcus Rashford shook off his back injury to start the game and Paul Pogba managed his first 30 minutes since December. Perhaps fatigued from his undying efforts to protect the entire country, Rashford struggled to get into the game, snatching at his chances, but Pogba was awake and ready to steal the show.
During his brief showing, Pogba looked exactly like the player we know he’s supposed to be. He was defensively powerful and dangerous in the final third, and it was no coincidence that United looked better after he entered the field.
It was Pogba’s trickery which won United the penalty from which they equalised, and that speaks volumes of what he brings to the side. If Pogba can stay healthy and happy, United have a real chance of booking a spot in Europe next season.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: De Gea (5); Wan-Bissaka (5), Lindelöf (5), Maguire (5), Shaw (7); McTominay (7), Fred (6); James (5), Fernandes (8*), Rashford (5); Martial (5).
If Pogba had been on the field longer, this award would go to him. However, that’s not to say that midfield partner Fernandes doesn’t deserve his own credit.
During a lacklustre first half, Fernandes was the only real source of inspiration for United, but he stepped things up after the break. He pulled the strings and kept United moving forward, and the introduction of Pogba only helped.
Fernandes took his penalty calmly and with the composure which has already made him a fan-favourite, and the early signs of his partnership with Pogba looked ludicrously exciting.
Looking Ahead
Spurs will now have to prepare themselves for a fierce London derby as they will face West Ham United on Tuesday.
United welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford on Wednesday for what could be a crucial fixture in the race for fifth place.
Timo Werner is the latest in a rich history of ones that got away for Liverpool | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Chelsea’s £54m-deal to sign Timo Werner from under the noses of Liverpool has brought back unpleasant memories for Reds fans.
In recent years, there has been a clear and efficient strategy of: identify target, sign target, no fuss, no muss. However, it used to be a much trickier business to get deals done at Anfield.
Here ‘s what happened next for nine transfer targets who, like Werner, seemed destined for Liverpool only to leave the t’s uncrossed and i’s undotted…
In the summer of 2005, Liverpool were in the very odd position of being both European champions and desperately needing much better players in order to compete for titles. I know, different times.
Rafa Benitez brought in Pepe Reina, Boudewijn Zenden, Mohamed Sissoko and Peter Crouch in the summer to help with depth and quality but the Reds needed more oomph.
22-goal Benfica attacking midfielder Simao was identified and even flown in for a medical, with his agent calling the deal ‘very advanced’.
However, at the eleventh hour, Benfica upped their asking price to £13.6m – a £1m higher than Liverpool were prepared to go (seems like spare change in 2020).
Simao stayed put and Liverpool, despite winning the FA Cup, continued to lack that creative spark under Benitez, who valued function over flair.
What happened next? Who knocked the Reds out of the Champions League in 2005/06? Benfica. Who scored the opener? Simao.
While his best seasons were his ones at Benfica, the Portuguese winger continued to prove a quality operator at Atletico Madrid after a €20m move in 2007 and won the Europa League in 2010 – again, knocking Liverpool out along the way.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: 7/10
Liverpool had ‘done’ the deal with Sevilla in the summer of 2006 for promising right back-cum-winger Dani Alves at a price of just £8m, according to The Athletic.
However, before the transfer was made official Rafa Benitez was told there would be no further funds for a striker – a position that also need strengthening – and lo Alves was left in Andalusia as a deal for Feyenoord front man Dirk Kuyt was prioritised.
There was some logic to Benitez’s decision making, and Kuyt did become a fan favourite, but the ownership’s reluctance to make funds available for what would be one of the world’s top players really stings.
What happened next? Alves, of course, joined Barcelona in 2008 (at a fee of around £25m) and as of 2020 is by some estimates the active player with the most trophy wins in world football.
These include three Champions Leagues with Barça, nine league titles in three countries and two Copa America wins with Brazil.
He was, pretty unquestionably, the best full back of his generation – certainly going forward.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? Dirk Kuyt Missed opportunity rating: 10/10
The tail-end Benitez years up until about 2013 was a fairly bleak time to be a Liverpool fan.
Upper-mid table finishes were compounded by all-too-frequent transfer cock-ups.
The summer of 2011 is particularly infamous among Reds fans, who watched Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing arrive, while Andy Carroll was still fresh from a £35m January deal.
Exciting(?), young(ish) French winger Sylvain Marveaux was as good as signed too, before rumours of a failed medical (later disputed) scuppered the move.
He went on to sign for Newcastle for around €7.5m, while £20m Downing rocked up at Anfield…
What happened next? Marveaux made 57 appearances for Newcastle over three seasons, which is more than you might think for such an utterly forgettable player.
Injuries punctuated his time in England and he returned to France in 2014, enjoying solid – if not world-beating – spells in Ligue 1 and 2 with Guingamp, Lorient and Nancy.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? Stewart Downing Missed opportunity rating: 1/10
In 2013, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was one of the best players in the world playing outside of Europe’s big leagues.
The Armenian finished the season with 29 goals (25 in the league) in 42 appearances from attacking midfield and seemed destined for a big move.
That move looked for all the world like it would be Liverpool. However, (ironically) it seems like it was actually Jurgen Klopp who stopped Mkhi from making a £25m move to Anfield.
A meeting with then-Dortmund boss Klopp – who broke off a summer holiday to see the prospective signing – convinced the playmaker to choose Westpahalia over Merseyside, with the help of Mino Raiola.
The Reds came close to the title that season and Brendan Rodgers’ side didn’t lack firepower. However, who knows what might’ve been…
What happened next? Mkhitaryan impressed at Dortmund, though the club’s golden period was fading out, and he was Kicker’s Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2016, as well as the competition’s top assist maker.
He joined Man Utd that year but struggled to recreate his Dortmund/Shakhtar form on a regular basis (scorpion kicking aside).
He was then the makeweight swap in the doomed Alexis Sanchez deal and is now on loan at Roma.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: 7/10
Then-managing director Ian Ayre flew out to civil-war torn Ukraine to desperately try to get a £16m deadline day deal done for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk winger Yehven Konoplyanka, in January 2014.
With the Reds pushing for the title, a little more depth was needed and the Ukrainian landed on as the preferred target… but no-one bargained for Dnipro’s impossible-to-deal-with chairman.
While Konoplyanka’s signing might’ve somehow got Liverpool over the line for the 2014 title, in all likelihood, Kolo Toure would’ve still done that madness against West Brom, Gerrard would’ve slipped and blah blah blah.
Still, imagine how much cash he might’ve earned the club in pay-per-letter shirt printing?
What happened next? Konoplyanka eventually moved to Sevilla in 2015, winning the Europa League in his one season in Spain. Now 30, he’s spent time at Schalke and Shakhtar but rarely bothered the headlines as ‘one that got away’.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: 3/10
2014 was quite the year for signings that never were. After Konoplyanka in January, there was Loic Remy in the summer.
After an impressive spell on loan at Newcastle in 2013/14, during which the French striker scored 14 Premier League goals, Liverpool activated Remy’s £8.5m release clause.
However, things came undone at a medical in America (where a possible heart ‘anomaly’ was detected) and the move was called off, with Remy eventually joining Chelsea.
Liverpool still desperate for a striker in the wake of Luis Suarez’s departure turned to Mario Balotelli…
What happened next? Remy played backup to Diego Costa (still managing seven goals) as Chelsea romped to the title in 2015, while Liverpool struggled into sixth.
The former Marseille man (now 33) was given fewer chances the following year as it all collapsed at the Bridge and became something of a latter career journeyman, featuring for Crystal Palace, Las Palmas, Getafe and is now at Lille – where bagged Ligue 1’s Goal of the Year award in 2019.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? Mario Balotelli Missed opportunity rating: 4/10
In Klopp’s first season with the club desperate for extra fire firepower, Liverpool bid €32m for Shakhtar Dontesk goal machine Alex Texeira, who had 26 in as many games in the first half of 2015/16.
While the Brazilian striker was keen on a move, his club held out for move and the Reds just wouldn’t pay up.
Without an extra striker, Klopp’s side still made two cup finals, while they were bolstered by the summer arrival of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino moving into a central role.
What happened next? Shakhtar didn’t have to wait long for their payday, with Jiangsu Suning splashing €50m on Teixeira that same winter, during the Chinese Super League’s first big spending spree.
Teixeira, now 30, has continued to score goals for fun in China (50 in 105 league games) and seems more settled than many of the foreign imports. However, his career choice has not helped his international chances and he remains uncapped.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: 3/10
#AnnounceFekir.
So close to becoming a Liverpool player was Fekir that he had already done his first interview as a Reds player (in full club garm) before someone from the club’s medical team – like that scientist that no-one listens to at first in a disaster movie – came running down the corridor clutching an x-ray of what used to be a human knee.
The £50m+ deal was called off at the last second and Fekir was sent back to Lyon. The tabloid press refused to believe the summer’s biggest saga was over though and kept running Liverpool-Fekir stories for another year.
Despite the kerfuffle, Liverpool still won the Champions League with the help of the summer’s other arrivals like Fabinho and Alisson Becker.
What happened next? While still linked with Liverpool (and Chelsea) after the deal fell apart, Fekir stayed for another season at Lyon but struggled to put up the same numbers.
With the whole world now aware of his dodgy knee, Fekir had to settle for a somewhat sideways move to Real Betis in 2019 (for just €20m), where he has been quietly impressive.
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: 4/10
Quiz question: who was the only current Liverpool player on the pitch as Chelsea beat the Reds in 2014, in the infamous title-race ending slip game?
Mohamed Salah.
A January signing by Chelsea in the 2013/14 season, the young winger from Basel had been coveted by Liverpool for some time and, by his own account (though he would say that now) was ‘keen to join them’.
However, Chelsea gazumped Liverpool’s offer (just as they had for Willian the summer before) and Jose Mourinho convinced the 21-year-old Egyptian that London and not Merseyside was the place to be…
What happened next? Salah like Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku struggled to break into the Chelsea first-team under Mourinho and made just 19 appearances all told before being loaned out to Italy.
He shone at Fiorentina and Roma, developing from promising winger to prolific inside forward. Liverpool bid again for the improved player in the summer of 2017 and the rest is history…
Who did Liverpool sign instead? No-one Missed opportunity rating: N/A
SV Werder Bremen v FC Bayern Muenchen – Bundesliga | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
On the face of it, Bayern Munich sealing their eighth straight Bundesliga title on Tuesday does not seem that noteworthy.
Die Roten’s stranglehold on German football is so strong, so all-encompassing that anything less than lifting that famous trophy – that looks more like a live action role player’s shield than a football prize – would have been an abject failure.
Bayern seemed to be flirting with that prospect earlier on in the season though, with Niko Kovac ultimately paying with his job following a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in November. The side’s transformation under his replacement, Hansi Flick, has been nothing short of sensational and they are now in with a real chance of securing a historic treble.
Not bad for a fella whose previous management roles were at minnows Victoria Bammental and Hoffenheim – pre-Dietmar Hopp cash injection.
Kovac’s departure was not at all surprising. Not only due to the manner of the Frankfurt defeat but also because he never seemed to fit in at the Allianz Arena.
The Bayern job is a precarious role at the best of times – unless you’re Jupp Heynckes of course – and Kovac did not managed to get the senior members of the squad on side, thanks mainly to his conservative tactical approach and bizarre post-match musings.
The double may have been clinched during the 2018/2019 season but that wasn’t enough to save him this campaign, with dressing room unrest cited as one of the main reasons for his departure.
Flick stepped in as caretaker in what was a surprising appointment. The former Germany assistant manager had been brought into the club by Kovac in the summer and did not seem like managerial material. He rarely, if ever, spoke to the media and had taken a five year break from day-to-day football operation roles after the 2014 World Cup.
Despite these concerns, Flick got off to a winning start – leading Bayern to a 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League. It was in his first league game that the seeds of the Flick revolution would be planted however, with Die Roten clinching a famous 4-0 Der Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund.
All of the hallmarks of Bayern’s resurgence were present that evening. Thomas Muller – who endured a frosty relationship with Kovac – was afforded a central creative role and repaid his new manager’s faith by registering two assists.
The explosive Alphonso Davies, another player who’s pushed on remarkably under Flick, caused all manner of problems to the league’s best right-back Achraf Hakimi, while David Alaba impressed at left centre-back.
Admittedly, Kovac had also been partial to using the Austrian in this way. However, the 27-year-old has enjoyed his most consistent spell in central defence since Flick took the reins and what a spell it’s been.
Collectively, subtle but effectual tweaks in Bayern’s tactics were evident against Dortmund. Under Kovac, they had often look laboured, happy to probe the opposition patiently and keep things tight at the back. It was a far cry from the pulsating verticality that made them the envy of the world in the 2010s.
Flick has ushered in a return to this high octane style, pushing the defensive line higher up and encouraging both full-backs to bomb forward. Buoyed by these new freedoms, Bayern were devastating in transition against BVB as evidence by their second and third goals.
Back-to-back loses to Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach aside – both games that Flick’s side dominated anyway – the tropes witnessed against Dortmund have continued without exception throughout the season.
That defeat against Gladbach back in November in the last time that Bayern lost a competitive game In fact in the 23 matches that have followed, they’ve drawn once and won 22. A truly remarkable record.
So what’s next for Flick’s rejuvenated Reds?
Well, they will be looking to defend the DFB-Pokal against Leverkusen on 4 July 2020 before turning their attentions to once again putting Chelsea to the sword in the Champions League. Bayern’s 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the round of 16 was Flick’s finest hour in charge and, barring a minor miracle, they will surely repeat the trick against the Blues.
After that…who knows, but the sky’s the limit.
At the time of writing no side looks equipped to be crowned European champions in August. A quite remarkable feat, considering they sat seventh in the Bundesliga as recently as November, and much of the credit has to go to the understated Flick who has proved his doubters wrong and restored Bayern’s position as the kings of Germany.
Jerome Boateng and Robert Lewandowski celebrate Bayern Munich’s title-winning goal | MARTIN MEISSNER/Getty Images
Bayern Munich wrapped up their eighth straight Bundesliga title on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen.
The win puts them mathematically beyond the reach of nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund, ten points ahead with just nine points left for Lucien Favre’s side to play for.
It was, fittingly, Robert Lewandowski who got the party started at the end of the first half – controlling a sumptuous lofted ball by Jerome Boateng on his chest before firing first time past a stranded Jiri Pavlenka.
The goal was Lewandowski’s 31st of the league season (he’s played just four Bundesliga games this season in which he’s failed to score or assist) and his 45th in all competitions – a staggering total to equal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 21st century record with two games to spare, and giving him a puncher’s chance of ending the season behind only the single-season totals of Gerd Muller.
Early indications had suggested that Die Roten could struggle to add to last season’s Magnificent Seventh, with not even the early-November sacking of Niko Kovac stopping the rot. Indeed, the reigning champions were sat in seventh place in mid-December, seven points off the pace having won just half of their opening 14 games.
In the 18 games since, they have dropped points just once.
Hansi Flick, in his first head coaching job in over a decade, has transformed a side in transition after the loss of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery back into one of the most dominant sides in Europe, and put them right back among the favourites for this season’s Champions League.
Just two matches remain of their league season before the DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen at the start of July, leaving the German champions significantly longer than their European rivals between the end of their domestic competition and the start of the Champions League mini-tournament. If their form since the restart has been any indication, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Chelsea have agreed a €60m deal for Werner | KAI PFAFFENBACH/Getty Images
Timo Werner is prepared to miss the remainder of RB Leipzig’s Champions League campaign in order to move to Chelsea as early as possible and will be removed from the club’s European squad.
Despite months of heavy interest from Liverpool, Chelsea swooped in to all-but seal a €60m deal for Werner at the beginning of June, with only the medical and final paperwork left to arrange.
Werner has found the net 31 times in 42 appearances in all competitions this season – including four goals in eight Champions League outings to help Leipzig into the quarter finals for the first time in the club’s short history.
The competition has been pushed back as a result of the coronavirus and is poised to resume at the last 16 stage on the weekend of 8-9 August, with the final on Sunday 23 August at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.
According to Bild journalist Christian Falk, Werner will waiver Leipzig’s remaining Champions League fixtures in August as he ‘wants to go to London in July’.
Bild have reported (via football.london) that Werner has been removed from Leipzig’s Champions League squad as he will be a Chelsea player by the time the competition resumes.
After completing the remaining last 16 legs at the beginning of August, a condensed version of the competition is to be played over 12 days in Lisbon using Benfica and Sporting CP’s grounds for the fixtures.
Werner scored the decisive penalty in his side’s 1-0 Champions League last 16 first leg victory over Tottenham, before Leipzig comfortably booked their place in the quarter finals with a 3-0 victory in the home leg.
Atalanta, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also safely into the last eight, with Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Napoli, Juventus and Lyon still to play their last 16 second legs.
Should the forward not stay with the Bundesliga outfit to see out their Champions League campaign, he will have just three games remaining for Leipzig before completing his move to Chelsea.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side have fixtures against Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Dortmund before the curtain comes down on their season with a trip to Ausburg on 27 June.
