Darwin Nunez injury: Jurgen Klopp provides update ahead of Real Madrid clash

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted striker Darwin Nunez is a doubt for Real Madrid’s visit to the Champions League on Tuesday night due to injury.

The club-record signing is slowly finding a foothold in Liverpool colours, scoring in Saturday’s crucial 2-0 win over Newcastle, having also featured in the 2-0 win over Everton days earlier.

But a shoulder problem meant Nunez only managed 59 minutes at St James’ Park and Liverpool sweated over his fitness.

“The bad news is that Darwin has something on his shoulder,” Klopp explained.

“We will see. In that situation I honestly don’t know what [the referee] booed him there. In the end he had to escape with a shoulder problem. We need more evaluations. I don’t know at the moment. It’s painful right now, but hopefully it’s just painful and nothing more.”

Nunez has scored 11 times in all competitions for Liverpool this season. The 23-year-old will be well short of the 34 he achieved with Benfica last season, although he fared much better in the Champions League, suggesting that more technical European football suits him even more.

Nunez scored in three consecutive Champions League group games against Rangers, Ajax and Napoli before the World Cup.

Roberto Firmino replaced the Uruguayan as the Newcastle bench and the Brazilian veteran could get the green light against Real if Nunez is not fit on Tuesday night. That could mean Cody Gakpo has moved to the left, having been deployed largely in the center since his arrival last month.

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Liverpool have three Newcastle advantages as Luis Díaz poses the intriguing Darwin Nuñez question

Media Digest: Liverpool have allegedly opened transfer talks for a promising defender, while a player Jürgen Klopp has previously been linked with is available.

The future of Manchester United

An offer has been made for Manchester United by Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks, while rivals Liverpool are up for sale along with the Reds.

The offer aims to restore the club to its former glory, both on and off the pitch, and will above all aim to bring supporters back to the heart of Manchester United Football Club,” Al Thani read in a statement in the Financial Times. Times .

“The offering will be completely debt-free through Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will seek to invest in the football clubs, training centre, stadium and wider infrastructure, fan experience and communities supported by the club”.

Things should move forward over the coming weeks and months with FSG’s potential sale of Liverpool and we’ll keep you posted on the latest developments as they arrive.

Transfer goal “for sale”

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (print edition via TEAMtalk), Inter have put Liverpool goal Marcelo Brozović up for sale ahead of the summer transfer window. However, Brozović, already 30, is not at the end of the spectrum that Jürgen Klopp’s recruitment team should focus on, with consideration of young players being the order of the day.

‘Open’ talks for the defender

Liverpool have opened talks on the transfer of Colombian defender Kevin Mantilla “after shining at the U20 South American Championship”, according to Football Insider.

The 19-year-old centre-back plays for Independiente Santa Fe and has made 25 first-team appearances to date but is highly regarded and could fit in well as Liverpool continue to target top teenage talent before their price rises to stars.

Liverpool would have held a meeting on the player, setting the stage for a possible transfer in the summer when they can be busy in the transfer market.

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Klopp says heads should roll at UEFA over the chaos caused for picking Paris

Jürgen Klopp believes there should be layoffs in the UEFA hierarchy over the chaos caused by Paris’ choice to replace St. Petersburg as hosts of last season’s Champions League final.

The results of an independent investigation were released this week and highlighted shortcomings on behalf of UEFA that led to a “near miss” – the likelihood of serious injuries and fatalities – outside the Stade de France on 28 May.

Liverpool fans have been cleared of the cause of the problem, which UEFA initially claimed was caused by the late arrival of fans and the distribution of counterfeit tickets.

Klopp, whose family was engulfed in the turmoil, said: “From the first moment I thought it wasn’t a good idea to be in Paris. Some of the people who work there (at UEFA) should have done better. “On a day like this, when so many people arrive, you cannot work with volunteers. You need experienced people.

Klopp, whose side can revive their top-four hopes with victory at Newcastle tonight, added: “I don’t know who made the decision. I’m some people’s boss, and I’m not at 100% on topic on many things.

“So I get information from people and then I make a decision. The better the information, the better the decisions.

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LIVERPOOL REDISCOVER THE POWER OF THE COUNTER-ATTACK

A data-driven study of one of the key areas Premier League champions have developed over the past five years

Liverpool are Premier League champions for the first time and English champions for the first time since 1990.

Coach Jürgen Klopp has deservedly earned admiring glances for his side’s thrilling attacking style of play in the five years leading up to their winning campaign.
During this season, Liverpool have become more controlled in possession. Still attacking (85 league goals), but with the handbrake slightly on.

Working for Sky Sports just weeks before being named manager of Tottenham Hotspur last October, Jose Mourinho argued that Liverpool still prefer to play against teams that allow them to break the rhythm. Indeed, the combination of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane smoothly transitioning from defense to attack is often cited as one of the team’s most important tactical innovations.

But when I watched Liverpool last season, it was clear that teams are now giving them much less space in the back to take advantage of in transition.

Additionally, their season average possession percentage was 59.6%. At first glance, they appear to have completely transitioned into a team that seems to dominate from the start, rather than sitting deep and rocking the opponent forward.
Official Premier League stats show Liverpool have scored 11 goals on the break during their league title campaign. A classic example would be the supreme goal in Leicester City’s stunning 4-0 victory on Boxing Day.

After collecting the ball near the halfway line, Georginio Wijnaldum sent a pass to Sadio Mane, who advanced to the Foxes back line, with Trent Alexander-Arnold charging outside of him to create an overload.

passed the ball to him and the right-back did the rest, slotting the ball (for the first time) into the far post.

The Reds’ opponents are the only opponents in the league that day to score more than eight goals directly from breaks.
But is this part of a larger trend? Have the Reds become even more efficient during the break than previously thought and have they reached new heights?
A starting point is to compare last season to Klopp’s first full season.