England press Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers against Chelsea as Joe Gomez solid but duo squander chances

Liverpool players note winners and losers against Chelsea as Jurgen Klopp’s side work towards a decent tie with Joe Gomez but others miss their chances

STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON // Liverpool and Chelsea played out a goalless draw for the fourth time in as many encounters on Tuesday night.

Reece James thought he had given the hosts the lead midway through the first half when he stepped in from the edge of the box, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

And there was another for the Blues at the start of the second when the ball deflected off Kai Havertz’s arm.

Liverpool struggled to create big chances throughout the game and were perhaps lucky enough to score a point against a wasteful Chelsea playing their first game since Graham Potter was sacked.

WINNER

Joe Gomez – A solid outing for Gomez as he joined Trent Alexander-Arnold’s side. He will be pushing for more starts at the back there.

Virgil van Dijk – Missed the game through illness but despite his poor form a shaky performance from Matip could have secured his place.

LOSING

Kostas Tsimikas – He was drafted into the team to replace Andy Robertson but he didn’t really take his chance. He made a few mistakes and received a deserved yellow card before being substituted 25 minutes from time. Curtis Jones – A similar story. Mediocre, as too often in his career at Liverpool.

PLAYER RATINGS

Alisson Becker – 6/10

Alisson got close enough to Havertz to stifle his shot after Chilwell retired but then had an awkward moment when the German charged his clearance.

Joe Gomez – 6/10

Gomez played a short back pass that put Alisson in trouble, then tested Arrizabalaga with a surprise shot from long range. Dug the ball in as Chilwell tried to reduce Havertz.

Joel Matip — 5/10

You have faced some key challenges on Félix. He narrowly escaped a yellow card after hitting the Portuguese but was booked the next time he knocked him down. His conscience has failed him several times.

Ibrahim Konate — 5/10

After initially snagging his feet and failing to clear, he came back to clear a goal line as Kovačić rounded Alisson. Muscular of Kanté, which also provided a great chance for the Croatian in the second half. Missed the ball as he entered midfield before Havertz’s disallowed try.

Kostas Tsimikas – 4/10

Tsimikas got off to a poor start, twice giving low in front of big chances from Chelsea. After a terrible delivery, he asked Chelsea more questions with his next turns. Booked for attempting to trip Felix as he ran forward.

Jordan Henderson – 4/10

Attempted an ambitious lob after Arrizabalaga’s clearance fell to him but it was handled fairly easily. Seemed unhappy with his teammates’ decision-making in the first half. But little contributed.

Fabinho – 5/10

Fabinho seemed to foul his opponents because he couldn’t physically keep up with them. At the other end, he blocked a dangerous strike from Félix and nearly scored from a corner just before half-time, only a light touch from Fofana thwarting him.

Yellow card in the 74th minute after colliding with Felix and Chelsea wanted a second yellow card after collecting it soon after.

Curtis Jones-4/10

Jota slipped after a driving run but the striker couldn’t clear a shot away.

Had options in box trying to cross at start of second flank but couldn’t find any. Booked for complaining too aggressively when denied a free kick. Substituted in the 79th minute.

Diogo Jota – 5/10

Jota had a game opener late in the first half, but he tried to slice Cucurella inside instead of firing a shot and the luck was gone. Roberto Firmino – 6/10

Firmino produced some decent moves early on but faded as the game progressed. Replaced after 65 minutes.

Darwin Nunez – 5/10

His only notable efforts were speculative long-range shots, which Arrizabalaga comfortably saved. Struggled to build real openings when running the ball. Left with 12 minutes to go. ERSATZ

James Milner — N/A

Mohamed Salah — N/A

Also…

Sadio Mane on Bayern Munich’s appointment of Thomas Tuchel after hitting ‘new low’

Thomas Tuchel has signed for Bayern Munich and will have the chance to work alongside Sadio Mane, who has struggled since leaving Liverpool for Germany this summer.

While he tries to show Bayern Munich why he bought him, Sadio Mane is delighted to team up with Thomas Tuchel.

The Senegalese star left Liverpool in the summer for the Allianz Arena, where he finished his prolific run, but fell short of high expectations. Mane was hugely popular at Anfield, but his first season in Germany was hampered by inconsistent play and injuries.

Mane scored 11 goals for Bayern, who are now second in the Bundesliga but still in contention for the treble. It has been decided to replace Julian Nagelsmann on the bench with Thomas Tuchel, who left Chelsea earlier this season. According to Sky

Deutschland, the German manager, who has experience managing Champions League-winning sides and has worked at some of Europe’s top clubs, was interested in signing Mane at both Chelsea and PSG but was unable to do so. . Yet now they have the opportunity to work together.

A season-ending injury to Mane prevented him from playing in the Winter World Cup and derailed the rest of his season. He has since regained his place in the Bayern first team but there is a fierce rivalry for places and Tuchel intends to make his mark quickly.

He can choose from players such as Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Eric Choupo-Moting, with whom he previously worked with at Paris Saint-Germain. Mane admitted in October that “moving from one club to another isn’t easy. I’ve lived in England for eight very enjoyable years – six in Liverpool [followed] two in Southampton – and now I’m in a new country. It’s difficult because everything , including people and training, changes so fast.

Nagelsmann was looking for more summer signings but the striker’s problems have continued since then. In one match, Mané was even caught at half-time,

highlighting the challenges he faced in Bavaria. Bayern’s clash against leaders Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena in Tuchel’s first game in charge could help decide the league. Mane gets his first chance to establish himself as the new manager reviews the squad.

With many trophies still up for grabs for the German giants, the former Chelsea manager started training on Monday. Links to Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who could be on the move, mean Bayern could add even more firepower this summer after failing to replace Robert Lewandowski with a natural No.9.

Also.. 

Liverpool board can follow Chelsea step and sack Jurgen Klopp after Man City humiliation

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp suffered as his side lost 4-1 to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City-Liverpool: photo

There is no denying that Jurgen Klopp is a Liverpool legend. The German has brought his glory days back to Anfield in recent years, after being trapped in the wilderness for more than two decades. But Saturday afternoon’s defeat at the hands of Manchester City gave the board another reason to relieve the 55-year-old of his duties.

Liverpool took the lead against City thanks to Mohamed Salah, with the vivacious Egypt international getting past Ederson after good work from Diogo Jota.

But the Reds fell apart after Julian Alvarez leveled the home side, sparking wild celebrations at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne pushed City ahead shortly after the restart, with the Belgian pushing home from a surprising strike from Riyad Mahrez.

And further goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish boosted Pep Guardiola’s hopes of emulating fierce rivals Manchester United by winning three titles in a row.

Klopp stood to one side and looked shocked.

The German’s temper has clearly threatened to boil over at times, with his usual angry frown shining all over the world on cameras.
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Jurgen Klopp has major problem to solve with Liverpool after Man City humiliation

He’s a wizard for what he achieved at Liverpool. A modern manager who does an excellent job of waking up a sleeping giant after so many years of hitting the snooze button.

But he will now oversee the club’s worst season in recent memory, with the loss to City dealing a blow to their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

His players have knocked down tools too many times this season.
It happened in the Champions League when they were beaten at home by Real Madrid without doing anything to turn things around at the Bernabeu. It’s been going on ever since they beat Manchester United 7-0 and have lost all three games since.

And it also happened when the Reds lost to the likes of Brighton, Brentford and Brighton.

It’s alarming. A sign that Klopp may now have lost the ability to make his players dance to his rhythm.
Many are going back. Key figures like Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Andy Robertson are just a shadow of their former selves.

When a coach’s players lose their battle, things usually get worse instead of better.
And that would alarm the Liverpool hierarchy, as key figures would likely watch the City game with their own grimaces.

There are a few better bosses available. Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann in particular could be the answer. We’re not saying Klopp should come naturally. Liverpool would be right to support the former Borussia Dortmund boss in all he has achieved.

But with their squad in decline and the club’s rivals growing stronger, Liverpool are starting to feel like they’re chopping down the ax like a real possibility.
After the match, Klopp also hammered his players – accusing them of lack of effort and struggling as they succumbed to defeat.

“We can’t have challenges or be so open in key areas | he said. “Now I’m here and I have to explain it, but I can’t explain it.
“I can’t change it here now, I can only report what I saw and we’ll talk about it tomorrow. These things have happened too often.

As for Pep Guardiola, the Man City boss was delighted with his side’s performance.
“From the first minute to the 93rd minute it was a perfect performance – even though we conceded a goal we played very well,” he said.

“They [Liverpool] still have a threat on the switch, but we played very well. One of the best performances of my seven years.
“The players knew we weren’t playing badly. One goal from behind and we kept at it, we had a chat at half time and were lucky enough to score the second goal.
“But then at 2-1 the match was stable.”