Newcastle player issues public apology after his recent comments about Liverpool

Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has admitted he was wrong when he claimed Liverpool were not back in the top four in the race.

Wilson has recently scorned the idea of ​​the Reds going back on themselves. As his side vie with Liverpool for a Champions League spot, he dismissed praise from Jurgen Klopp’s side as a bit premature.

“Are you asking me if Liverpool are back? What do you want to tell me? They’ve won two games in the last few weeks and, as I said, technically we let them win, from our point of view it was a very bad performance” the Englishman said at the end of February.

Well, you wouldn’t know. Following Manchester United’s Sunday defeat at the hands of the Reds, Wilson took to his Footballer’s Football podcast to apologize for his hasty comments.

“Sorry to say Liverpool are not back. I’m back with a bang!” he admitted the out-of-shape 30-year-old. “Everything I say right now, the universe shows otherwise.” You better believe it, mate.

Liverpool don’t get carried away

Wilson’s original comments sounded a bit bitter at the time. Having been beaten by the Reds for the second time this season, perhaps you can forgive his rudeness.

But other than that, there was a grain of truth in it at the time. Liverpool had just beaten Newcastle to record their second successive 2-0 Premier League victory. With big defeats to Wolves and Brighton still fresh in memory, talk of a comeback could not be confirmed.

Two weeks later and that can be a lot. Although Liverpool have to be careful not to get carried away, they have now conceded five goals in a row and saved six in their last seven.

After wiping out United with an insanely huge result, the Reds have shown they are no longer as soft as they have been so often this season.

This is obviously bad news for Wilson. Newcastle’s form has been erratic lately but they are still in the top four pursuit. Just one point behind Liverpool and with one game left, they shouldn’t be sacked.

However, if they are to get back on track, they will need Wilson to find the net. One goal in 12 World Cup games isn’t enough for the £20million man. If he maintains that form, Liverpool needn’t worry too much about the Toon.

Also…

Jürgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders have created ‘undercover’ formation as Liverpool frees Cody Gakpo

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders have unleashed a subtle tactical quirk in recent weeks. He quietly helped Cody Gakpo and gave Liverpool some big wins.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders have tried many different solutions at Anfield this season. As the Reds duo watched their side develop in form month on month, they tried to stem the decline by changing things up tactically and sometimes straying from their 4-3-3 formation.

The first change involved a switch to 4-4-2, but that was hampered shortly after due to serious injuries to Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz. Then Klopp opted for a 4-3-1-2 form – also known as the diamond – which was very tight and allowed Liverpool to protect themselves from losing their wingers.

After the World Cup, the 4-3-3 was reintroduced as results and performance had not improved with the new formations. The Reds have stuck to their usual system ever since, but a very subtle and low-key tactical adjustment has been made in recent weeks which has benefited Liverpool – and Cody Gakpo in particular.

He was perhaps first introduced against Newcastle United in an important and difficult away game at St James’ Park. When playing at home, the Magpies are energetic and aggressive off the ball and that presented a particular challenge for Klopp and Lijnders as they figured out how best to give Liverpool a platform to succeed. To defend against what the Toon had to offer in defence, the Reds added an extra man in the center of the park in Gakpo, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven in the January transfer window and has since come to terms with life in the Premier League League. .

Instead of taking the lead on his own, Gakpo staying high up the pitch, regularly dropped into midfield to play on the same lines as Jordan Henderson, with Fabinho and Stefan Bajčetić sinking even further as a duo, see below.

When Liverpool had no ball, Henderson, Fabinho and Bajčetić defended by forming a trio in midfield, but whenever possession was secured Gakpo joined the trident almost causing the Reds to form something of a box in the centre.

The Dutchman’s presence allowed Liverpool to build moves with an extra player, while also providing more central protection for the team in the moments following a loss of possession. Furthermore, the movement of him withdrawn from him allowed Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez to rise higher by playing on the backs of their opponents. Both forwards are quick and capable of threatening from behind, so it makes sense that they play in a way that allows Gakpo to fall like Roberto Firmino at the height of his Anfield career.

It was unclear at the time if this 4-2-2-2 variation was only used for the Newcastle United game, but it reappeared on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool beat rivals Manchester United by seven goals to zero. although on paper it looks more or less like the usual 4-3-3.

In the record-breaking triumph, Gakpo moved into left midfield and helped the Reds’ engineer with attacking moves. Henderson played in place of Bajčetić as Fabinho’s partner against the Old Trafford side, with Harvey Elliott playing further on the right.

In these two games, Gakpo scored three times. Whether Klopp and Lijnders’ undercover 4-2-2-2 is here to stay remains to be seen, but either way it appears to be an effective means of unlocking what Liverpool’s latest signing can do.