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Key events
Jurgen Klopp: “I was waiting for Amnesty International”
It would be fair to say Jurgen Klopp is at it again. The outgoing Liverpool manager loves nothing more than moaning about his side having to play on Saturday lunchtime after a midweek European Championship game, and despite the fact that it’s a horror he’ll never have to live through again, he is still lamenting last weekend when his side were held to a draw by West Ham and saw any slim hopes they still had of winning the title evaporate. Never mind the fact that they missed enough scoring chances to win a few football matches, the blame for their failure to pick up all three points seems to lie squarely at the door of TNT Sports.
“Seeing Aston Villa’s loss last night means that no English team will be in a European final, we have to ask whether we reduce the intensity for the players,” he says. “If no English team is in a European final, haven’t we underperformed? The Premier League is the best in the world, but the players are overworked. Someone needs to help people, cut a game. Two more Champions League games next season and you can break the League Cup semi-final second legs.
“Everyone has a reason to say we can’t do it, but we can’t sort it all the time. I was talking to TNT – a TV channel I will never watch again! – and they said they pay us to play football, but I don’t see it that way. Football pays them. You have to become part of football again, not just a squeeze, this is advice from an old man on his way out.
“People can survive without match days every now and then. City, Arsenal, we all went out in the quarter-finals. This is not a reflection of quality but that we could not deliver on the day. Other countries have good teams, of course. When I talk about it, people think it’s because of the last game, no. It’s not. It’s a common problem. They dare Thursday-Sunday, Wednesday-Saturday 12:30 p.m. This is a crime. I was waiting for Amnesty International to go to them!
“I would love to be part of that meeting when someone says ‘Liverpool 12.30pm’ and the whole room bursts into laughter. I would love to be there. In the whole world we have the fastest turnaround between games, but they are still happy and collecting subscribers. You can take me down. If they ever go after an expert, I speak English, I can do it.
Although he can joke around, Klopp has worked as a pundit in his native Germany in the past and is reported to be a very entertaining and informative match analyst. There will certainly be buzz for his services in the coming months, although it seems unlikely that TNT Sports will succeed in any bids they may make.
Eddie Howe on Sandro Tonali: “It’s the right decision, I think the FA has come to the ban which is not being extended,” he says. “Sandro is working hard behind the scenes at the moment, he has been training very well. But as always, given this situation, we are still supporting him and helping him as he serves his sentence.
“He was very good, very consistent. Of course, I see a small part of his life, the time he is on the training pitch. He’s a very good professional, he’s trained very well, but he’s relatively quiet, that’s just his personality. I don’t necessarily see what’s going on under the surface, I’m sure he’s had some tough times, but he’s done really well.
“I’ve seen the hunger there all the time. He’s done a lot of work on his own, individual work, fitness work, gym work, we’ve worked on his speed and covered a lot of aspects of his game to try and help him.”
Fabian Schar will miss the last games of the season
Newcastle United: You have to get up early to catch Eddie Howe and as usual the Newcastle boss is first out of the traps when it comes to Friday press conferences. Not for the first time this season he has news of another injury. Fabian Scharr has a hamstring problem which is likely to rule him out of Newcastle’s remaining games of the season and Howe revealed the Switzerland international’s absence could open the door for Paul Dummett, Alex Taylor or Emil Kraft.
In better news for Newcastle fans, Howe revealed that Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Nick Pope are back in training, although he says Kieran Trippier is slightly behind them in his recovery from a calf injury. We’ll have more from War Eddy soon as he’s likely to address the good news that Sandro Tonali has had his two-month illegal betting ban suspended by the Football Association and won’t have to serve any extra time on top of the 10-month ban he’s already serving at the moment, reminiscent of his time in Italy.
That suspension expires in August and if the Italian midfielder keeps his hamstring clean until the end of next season, he will not have to serve the shorter one given by the FA. All in all, it seems like a pretty sensible approach to ending what has been a difficult situation for the Italian, and we have to hope that Tonali gets whatever help or advice he needs to get his addiction under control.
Super League Women: After Chelsea’s tired loss to Liverpool in seven bare whiteknuckle rides at Prenton Park on Wednesday night, Emma Hayes conceded defeat in the title race to Manchester City. The Chelsea manager looks likely to end his 12-year reign at the club without winning a trophy in his final season, a prospect that seemed unthinkable five weeks ago when he was still in top four. However, all hope is not lost in the WSL, although Manchester City have a six-point lead and a significantly better goal difference (+8).
With three games remaining, Chelsea have a game in hand at the leaders and host already relegated Bristol City at the weekend. Elsewhere, City entertain Arsenal. After their inconclusive fracas in the immediate aftermath of the Continental Cup final, Hayes desperately needs Arsenal manager Jonas Eideval and his players to do her a favor on Sunday. If Chelsea can beat Bristol City by a big score this weekend and Arsenal do a number on City at the Etihad Campus, it will still be all going into the final week of the season.
West Ham: The club’s search for a new manager has resulted in technical director Tim Stadten being asked to stay away from David Moyes and the first team until the end of the season, writes Jacob Steinberg.
Aston Villa 2-4 Olympiakos
Conference League Europe: Aston Villa’s first major European semi-final since 1982 has failed and if they fail to inspire a memorable comeback in the port of Piraeus next Thursday, their adventure will end in disappointment. Ben Fisher reports from Villa Park…
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League: Ange Postecoglou admitted Tottenham had the wrong mindset after their Champions League qualification hopes were hit by a narrow 2-0 loss to Chelsea. Jacob Steinberg reporting from Stamford Bridge.
Good morning!
Another weekend is upon us, with no shortage of potentially exciting football action to keep us entertained, and as various leagues head into their denouements, there can be no end to the remaining twists and turns in what’s left of the road ahead.
The Women’s Premier League and Super League remain undecided for now, but both are for Manchester City to lose, while in the men’s top division, the seedy battle to avoid the two remaining relegation spots will enter its final phase. A division down, there are still I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed in the final round of Championship games, while the promotion play-offs for Leagues One and Two also begin this bank holiday weekend.
We’ll be bringing you news from various press conferences throughout the day, which promises to be packed with often pointless managerial chat, while flagging any other stories or topics of interest as the day unfolds.
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