TLW

Liverpool veteran James Milner is keeping all options on the table as he moves into the final phase of what has been a illustrious career.The versatile 33 year-old is out of contract in the summer and able to sign a pre-contract deal with foreign clubs from next month.There has been a great deal of discussions between the club and the player himself and both parties have illustrated a desire to get a deal done.But to this point, there is no good news on that front.It has led to speculation that Milner could well end his career where it all began for him 17 years ago at his boyhood club Leeds United.Leeds who fell heartbreaking close to a Premier League return last season are currently having a strong campaign, currently sitting second, two points off West Brom and five points clear of Fulham in third..The Echo (via The Sportsman) reported that Milner still follows them with a deal of interest.“ I’m a fan. I always follow the team and the results. “So you can never say no or even yes because just so much changes in football, you never know what happens.“At the moment I’m a Champions League winner with Liverpool and this year we’re really going for the Premier League, but I don’t know what the future will hold.“It would be amazing to play for Leeds again but no one from the club has ever contacted me about that. "People talk about my age and that I’m getting on, and could I continue after Liverpool, but I don’t think I’m typical physically for my age" The fitness fanatic who has made 19 appearances for the Reds this season and 196 in all for the club says he is also happy to head abroad for a new footballing adventure.“ I’m open to anything, I’d be interested in going abroad and experiencing a new league, a new style of football, new lifestyle too, but that all just depends on where it is and also on my family too.But while football punditry is the pretty stock-standard gig for former players and sacked managers, don’t expect the universally admired midfielder to follow suite saying he has got plenty to pass on to the next generation.“I think I’d be more interested in coaching than the media side. “ I see people going into punditry all the time but I think, in terms of who I’ve played for and with and what I’ve learnt as a player, it would be a shame not to pass that on within football to young players.“Then again you see coaches and managers that are doing well for a time and then it doesn’t go so well and the amount of stick they then get week-in, week-out." View full article

Jurgen Klopp says that Liverpool could buy a player in the January transfer market if they release Rhian Brewster on loan.While the club is keen to release the 19-year old for the second half of the season, they are adamant that it must be to a club who are willing to give him the type of minutes that can benefit his game.Brewster became part of the senior squad in the summer after fully recovering from a long term ankle injury, but so far he has been consigned to Carabao Cup duty.While Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Championship side Swansea have been linked, there has been no firm decision as yet.But speaking in his Bournemouth pre-match press conference, The Reds manager alluded to the fact that he wouldn’t want to leave his squad short in the striking department. The Echo reported Klopp as saying:Yes, we have to see. We can't just give the boys [away] on loan because we have built this squad.“ We have three long-term injuries and four with Paul Glatzel, two of them were pre-season. Two came later with Joel (Matip) and Fabinho.“That gives us a 16-player squad and I count the kids, but we cannot only give players on loan and think it is good for him, we always have to consider both situations.“The boys and ours, and in the end, we try to make the perfect solution. Sometimes it works out, others it does not."Klopp believes that the long term injury suffered by Brewster could have put back his development. "Maybe Rhian is the one, age-wise, experience-wise, if he had not been injured, he would already have been on a different level, but that is the situation and we constantly think of the situation for the boys.“ He is very young, but still a bit advanced, but I don't know, we don't make decisions right now. "If we do [loan him] then it 100 per cent needs to be the right club.“They have all made steps here without playing Championship football week in and week out. "They have all made massive steps here and Rhian's was delayed because of that big injury he had.“Neco (Williams), Curtis (Jones) and Harvey (Elliott) have made massive steps here without playing week in and week out. No decision has been made yet [on the loan]."One young Reds star who has thrived on loan over the past few years is Harry Wilson.Currently at Bournemouth, the Welsh international is ineligible for the clash with his parent club today.But Klopp has seen enough to say that he can make the grade if he continues to progress at the rate he has. " Can he succeed? Of course, that's why we loaned him so he can make the steps.“It would have been difficult for Harry and I would have loved to have had him here if we had another choice, especially when Shaq (Xherdan Shaqiri) was injured, you want to have these kinds of players, but that is not the moment to decide.“All the players we sent on loan have the chance to make it in the first team otherwise we would have sold them. His shooting is world class, that is how it is.“Find me five players who shoot better than him, that is obvious, but the game is more and that is what he has to improve and that is clear. “ But to be involved as an offensive player you have to connect with other players.“He has that, it is not like he doesn't, but to get to the next level, he needs game-time at the highest level and that is why we loaned him to Bournemouth." View full article

A bullish Xherdan Shaqiri has said that he is ready for more game time after his star showing against Everton in the Reds 5-2 victory on Wednesday evening.The Swiss star was a surprise selection in the starting lineup especially when you take into account that he had not started a league game since the end of January and his last start in all competitions came on that memorable night on the 7th of May against Barcelona.Before Wednesday night, Shaqiri played a grand total of 25 minutes in all competitions with his longest run-out coming in the Community Shield against Man City.A long running battle with a calf injury has been the main reason for his lack of regular first-team action during this campaign, but after scoring his first goal in nearly a year and displaying his sublime skill, Shaq has made it known to all concerned including his manager that he is well and truly back.The Echo reported the popular utility player as saying:“ I’m ready, I think the coach saw that too in training,""I trained very well and today he gave me the chance and I think I played very well.“ At the end of the day it’s important to win games with my team, we won it as a team, and obviously when I can contribute it’s always good. “Let’s hope for more games!" Shaqiri said despite the lack of minutes, rust was never a issue and he felt at home on the pitch. “ You know me and how I play, so it’s nothing new!“I’m an instinctive footballer, so I like to play good football if I feel good. I felt good so I tried some things and it went well.“ I was very happy to score after a long time. It was a good feeling."While the injury was undoubtedly a frustrating time for the 28 year-old, he counted his blessings that it was not something more serious like a ligament injury.“ I’ve been injured [but] thank God I don’t have knee problems or something. I had some muscle problems so I just needed a few weeks to recover well.“The calf is very dangerous to get another injury and I had this so obviously it was not nice but I stayed positive and tried to come back. “I worked very hard in the gym and with the fitness coaches to come back and be ready when the coach needs me. I’m feeling good."Shaqiri was a player that Jürgen Klopp turned to around this time last season and he certainly did not let his manager down turning in some special performances against Man United and Arsenal in particular.He is well aware of the jam packed fixture list during this month and says it is great to be option for his manager again."Everybody knows that it’s a busy period now with a lot of games coming up, [so] I’m very happy to be back. I’m feeling fresh, feeling good, and I think you saw that.“We know each other very well, we train every day together, the team stays like last season even when the coach makes some changes - five changes, I think.“He changed the formation a little bit so it was not simple but we managed that very well today against a good side." [It’s] a derby obviously so we wanted to keep the city red, so it was a very important win." View full article

Divock Origi proved once again that he is a Derby specialist after grabbing a double against Everton in Liverpool’s 5-2 win over Everton at Anfield on Wednesday evening.Jürgen Klopp juggled his pack to great effect giving rare starts to the Belgian, Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana as Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Mo Salah watched on from the subs benchOrigi looked sharp from kickoff and was the beneficiary of some wonderful play further up the pitch from Sadio Mane and Dejan Lovren to tuck his chances away with aplomb, while Mane and Shaqiri also piled on the misery for the beleaguered Blues in the first 45 minutes.The four goals were the most scored by a Liverpool team in the first half of a Derby since 1935, and the emphatic victory saw a club record broken for most games unbeaten in the top-flight (32).With his two goals on Wednesday, Origi has now scored five times in just six appearances against this particular opponent for the Reds. The Official site ( via Amazon Prime) reported Origi as saying:“ It's a special atmosphere, a special game. I think as a team we just enjoy it.“There were a lot of goals today and we showed that we really enjoyed to play for Liverpool." Origi was delighted that he was given the opportunity by his manager.“The manager showed us trust and we just tried to repay it as much as possible and get the three points.“We know it's important for our season. It's an important game, it's special, you can hear it. I'm so happy. "The chief nemesis of Everton gave a description of both goals, paying full tribute to his teammates."I think the first was important just to break the game open."I think second one, I enjoyed that."It was a great pass from Sadio for the first and [then] a wonderful ball from Dejan.“We used the spacing well, that's one of our weapons in going in behind and then we just tried to do it. “It was wonderful service and that was good today." View full article

Jürgen Klopp says that the depth of Liverpool’s squad was clearly illustrated after their emphatic 5-2 victory over Everton on Wednesday evening.The manager made five changes from the team that beat Brighton on the weekend with the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and captain Jordan Henderson all rested while Alisson was suspended.Players like Divock Origi, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri were given the opportunity to shine in one of the standout fixtures on the Premier League calendar.And it is fair to say that the fringe players did not let him down with Origi grabbing a double and Shaqiri scoring his first goal for the club in nearly a year.Sky Sports reported a delighted Klopp as saying:“ There were a lot of great football moments in that game.“ We made five changes. I speak a lot about the quality in the squad, so I have to show it from time to time.“It’s really important and gives us the feeling that we can do it more often – and we will do it more often.“ You give the responsibility to the boys and they have to show that they can perform and what they're made of, which is incredible.“ Divock's goal, Sadio's passes, Shaq's everything, Adam Lallana everywhere and he had so many really really good moments. "They are fantastic footballers. "I said before the season that there is no one in the squad who is not an outstanding footballer." Klopp said he was thrilled with the first half performance in particular, but wasn’t happy when his players switched off allowing Richarlison to score on the stroke of half time.“From time to time it was a bit rusty in defending because they were really direct."It was all good until 4-1, but the 4-2 I didn't like so much. "But we have to learn and have to improve and that's what we will do." View full article

We all know that Virgil Van Dijk is as graceful as they come on the pitch, but he has produced similar etiquette when it comes to social media.As widely predicted, Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon d’or award in Paris on Monday night with Van Dijk coming in as runner up ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.It is only the third time in the last twelve years that Messi and Ronaldo have not finished 1/2 in the award.Before the event, a reporter said to Virgil, “Cristiano wont be here tonight so that is one less rival to worry about.”In a off-the cuff response, Van Dijk then said “Was Cristiano Ronaldo really a rival.”Ever the provocateur, the morning show host Piers Morgan piped up to say on Twitter,“No., Cristiano is a far greater player, you’re not in his league."While many would have bitten back in savage fashion, Van Dijk to his great credit did not feed the troll and responded:“ Hi Piers, If you don’t jump on the social media bandwagon and would listen to the whole interview then you would know I made a joke, and only got respect for those 2." The talismanic Dutchman was just as gracious after the event as the Official site reported:"You need to respect greatness. I was close, but there was just someone a little bit better. “I’m very proud of what I achieved last year, with Liverpool and Holland. Hopefully we can do it again this year.“I never thought I would be up for a Ballon d’Or until I was actually nominated. "It says a lot about how my career has been, it has never been easy. I came late but I never gave up on my dreams. I had to work very hard every step of the way.“Where I am right now is something I’m very proud of. To be here makes me very proud and makes me want to work even harder and hopefully be here next year again.”Van Dijk becomes only the third Liverpool player to finish in the top two of the award along with Kenny Dalglish (second in 1983) and Michael Owen who claimed the top gong in 2001.Liverpool were deservedly well represented in the top 10 with Sadio Mane (4th), Mo Salah(5th) and Alisson (7th).Roberto Firmino finished 17th, Trent Alexander-Arnold was just behind him in 19th while Gini Wijnaldum came in at 26th.The Brazilian gloveman was also awarded the Yachine Trophy for the best goalkeeper award in World Football voted by France Football magazine.It adds to his bulging haul of honours which includes the Champions League Goalkeeper of the season and Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award. Allison was humbled by the honour as reported by the Official site.“It’s a great honour to be here with those great players, men and women.“I just want to thank my family, my wife, who support me everywhere I go. To my parents, they are in Brazil – I think watching me! And to God. “ It is a great honour he is giving me in 2019, winning the Champions League and winning some individual awards.“I don’t feel lucky, I feel blessed and grateful. I also want to say thank you to my teammates, to all the Liverpool staff. Thank you very much.” View full article

Virgil Van Dijk says there is areas for Liverpool to work on despite comfortably sitting atop the Premier League table.The Reds made it 13 wins from 14 games after their 2-1 win over a gallant Brighton outfit.But with any team looking to go to the next level, you don’t always look at what you have accomplished, it is focusing on the things that you can improve on. The two-goal hero from Saturday’s clash identified one area in particular The Mirror reported:“The (lack of clean sheets) annoys me. “We want to improve but if you are going to look at negatives…it is a negative to be fair. “We are winning games, so we shouldn’t look too much at it, but as a defence we know we can do a lot better, especially with the clean sheets.”“We know we can do maybe that extra 10 per cent.“But we win games and that at the end of the day is what it is all about. The talismanic Dutchman was also unequivocal when asked about the eight point lead that Liverpool hold over Leicester.“The gap doesn’t mean anything, you see with Brighton, they were very brave and played very well, and that is what we will face.“We are in a good situation points wise but we know we can do maybe that extra 10 per cent.“We have to try and do it every week, but it is not easy. “That’s all we can do - try it and hopefully it will work out. “The most important thing is to win the games.” View full article

Naby Keita has declared he is fully fit and would love to be able to fill the void left by Fabinho in the Liverpool starting lineup.The Guinea international who came to the Premier League with big wraps from his time at RB Leipzig, has had a frustrating time of things in his Reds career to date.It seems for every couple of encouraging performances the 24 year old has produced, he then has spent the next month on the sidelines with a injury.And then when he returns to the park, it takes him a good while to get his game up to speed meaning all positive momentum has been lost.Keita who was a unused substitute in Liverpool's 2-1 victory against Brighton on Saturday is well aware of those inconsistencies and after playing a grand total of 14 minutes in the Premier League this season, is very keen to make up for lost time.The Echo reported Keita as saying:“ I would love to be involved.“My injury put me back a bit but now I feel as though I am back. “I've been quite pleased with my form but I'd like to do better.“I feel that, if I get to play in a lot of matches, I can really try to help the team. “I try to play every training sessions as if it were a match and I always try to raise my game.Keita also spoke about the heartbreak he felt when he missed the Champions League triumph against Tottenham after suffering a hip injury in the semi final first leg against Barcelona."It was quite hard for me. “All players dream of playing in a big final like that and it would have been great for me.Despite missing a fair bit of football over the past season and a bit, Keita is something of a lucky charm for Liverpool.In the 27 Premier League appearances he has made for the club, he is yet to be on the losing side. “ Well, a record like that can only serve to motivate me more.“We're all here to work for exactly those sort of records and then to surpass them. Hopefully by winning every match those records will come naturally.But the main focus on Keita’s mind is helping the club go one step further to claim the league title.“We don't want to repeat the error - if you can call it an error after getting 97 points of falling into second place at the last hurdle at the end of the season.“We want to push for new records right until the end of the season. "We want to beat our record and It's in the club's thinking to do so." View full article

Liverpool legend John Barnes says that the mindset and togetherness is the key reason behind the Reds current success.The European Champions are on a mission to go one step further this season in their quest to win the Premier League title.While the quality of players that Jurgen Klopp has in his squad is indisputable, Barnes says you need more than that if you are to be successful in this game.The Mirror (via The Offside Rules Exclusives podcast) reported Barnes as saying: “Liverpool haven’t got better players than Manchester United or Arsenal or Tottenham.“What they have is more harmony, more belief, togetherness, and belief in the manager.Barnes also said it is a great time to be a supporter of the club and that every person associated with the club have played a part in the current feel good environment. “It's an exciting time because we have now given Jurgen support. We trust him and we always have.“When you have that harmony and togetherness, the fans, the Liverpool family or football family, generally speaking, you can succeed."Of course, I'll be happy to win the league on 90 points this year, but I won't say that this is a better season than last season, if we lose three games and win the league on 90 points." View full article

Key Liverpool midfielder Fabinho could be sidelined for the most demanding part of Liverpool’s season to date.The Brazilian hobbled off before the 20 minute mark of the Reds 1-1 draw with Napoli on Wednesday evening.Fabinho did not have a scan on his troublesome ankle on Thursday as they were keen to let the area settle.But the Daily Mail says that there is a feeling within the Liverpool camp that he will out of action between four and six weeks meaning that he will miss the Club World Cup and the Christmas and New Year fixtures. Speaking after the game, Jürgen Klopp alluded to the fact that they could lose the Brazilian for a decent stretch saying:“That’s the biggest thing from tonight. “It’s still early and we all hope it’s not too serious but it’s pretty painful in an area you don’t want to have pain.Gini Wijnaldum who could well be the player to fill the hoiding midfield role in Fabinho's absence also said it was a big setback. " It is a blow, a big blow, for the whole team, of course also for him as a player but there are situations you have to deal with.“I think during the years we have had a few blows, in terms of injuries, and we just have to show we can deal with the situation.” Gini is right on the money with that observation, and in a way it is better if this kind of setback for Fabinho and indeed Joel Matip happen now than in the title run-in.Jürgen Klopp has built a fantastic squad mentality where one player comes in and plays their role such as what we have seen with Dejan Lovren.That same opportunity will arise for Fab's replacement. View full article

Jürgen Klopp has remained optimistic about Liverpool’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite being held 1-1 by old nemesis Napoli at Anfield.The Reds knew that a win would see them progress to the knockout stages, but with the wily old fox in Carlo Ancelotti in charge of the Italians, he was sure to have a few tricks up his sleeve.Napoli were looking to kickstart their season as they came to Anfield without a win in their last six fixtures in all competitions.After claiming the win on Matchday 1, the visitors got off to the perfect start through a classy finish by Belgian star Dries Mertens.Try as they might, Liverpool could not get their game into gear, not helped by the early loss of Fabinho with a ankle injury. While the tireless running and overall quality of Trent Alexander-Arnold was missing with Joe Gomez being preferred at right-back.The home team had to wait until midway through the second half to get parity when Dejan Lovren powered home from a.corner.That was how it remained and speaking after the game, the Echo reported Klopp.as confirming that Napoli are a team which trouble his side.“What do I think about the situation in the table? Still open“Obviously I struggle when I play Napoli so sorry about that. “It's more about how good they are. That's how it is.But the manager said the experience from last season would serve his team well.“Nevertheless last season we won here and went through. “This year we have to fight until the last game. That's exactly the same as what we had to do last year. It's not really new for us.“The Napoli guys probably think they are already through. But they have to play Genk at home."As fans well know, Liverpool are a club which never take the easy route, and it is something that Klopp touched upon after the match. “I am four years in, tell me when it was easy? "Last year we had to win 1-0 at home to Napoli. I cannot remember a bigger pressure game than that but we did it.“Now we have to go to Salzburg. In this moment my problem is Fabinho being injured and Brighton (in the Premier League on Saturday).“But I know how human beings are.While some thoughts may go towards the clash with the Austrian club in a few weeks time, Klopp said the focus will well and truly remain on the present. “People wished that we could finish the group tonight and make kind of a holiday game in Salzburg. “ But that will never happen.“If we have ambitions in the Champions League then we have to show that in Salzburg. “Until then we have to show our ambitions in the Premier League.” View full article

Andy Robertson says that Liverpool are pleased with their start to the season but still believes they can progress to another level.The Reds have shown once again this season that they are prepared to go the full ninety minutes to get the desired result, but the Left-Back said that they would prefer a more comfy ride for themselves and their fans. The Echo reported Robbo as saying:"We have found ways to win and have been going right the way to the end. “Against [Manchester] City and Tottenham we played unbelievable but Villa and Palace we had to dig deep.“We have 37 points in the Premier League, you can't do much better than that but we are always striving for perfection.“We haven't reached our best yet and it will be great when that happens. “Fans would love a game where they can sit down for the last 10 minutes and enjoy it, not biting nails." The Scottish captain is like a energizer battery running up and down his flank every game, but the 25 year-old admits he has been carrying his share of niggles of late.He admits that he hates missing any game time, but sometimes smart game management and preservation is necessary like what occurred against Genk when he came on late in that Champions League group game.“The lads will say I've been in the treatment room too long and the physio is getting sick of me.“It just takes longer to get things going, and once I get going it's okay. I have 30 mins to warm up rather than 10-15 mins.“Everyone is pushing each other in the squad. It's not about fear, it's about me personally wanting to play in every game. Watching isn't good for the heart! I'd sooner be playing. "We all want to play games and sometimes it's just not possible. You have to respect that." View full article