Skip to main content

Leicester reaping benefits of Rodgers reign as Liverpool suffer familiar fall London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power. Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool. The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title. Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field. Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once the Uruguayan departed for Barcelona, they plunged to sixth the following season. “You can always think we could have been better or done things differently but it was just how it evolved. We had set an expectation that we could challenge but then we lost a world-class player and even though we were very much all about the team, Luis was very much part of that,” Rodgers told The Guardian ahead of his return to Anfield for the first time with Leicester last season. Liverpool have experienced a similar fate this season since Virgil van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October. The Dutchman’s absence has been compounded by season-ending injuries for fellow centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Klopp’s men have won just three of their last 11 games to exit the FA Cup and fall 10 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand. Sitting between the two clubs that have dominated English football for the past four seasons are a Leicester side moulded by Rodgers into consistent challengers for the Champions League places. – Restored reputation – Rodgers, 48, arrived in the Midlands having restored his reputation in two-and-a-half years with Celtic. The seven domestic trophies he won in Scotland were decried by some given the Hoops’ financial advantage over the competition, but Celtic’s struggles this season show it is not as easy to wipe the board as he made it look. The Celtic support were stung by the timing of his departure, just months before they would secure an eighth consecutive league title. But Rodgers could see the potential talent in a Leicester squad that had gone backwards under Claude Puel. A crop of young players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi have been developed alongside veteran Premier League winners Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Jonny Evans. Often criticised for his role in Liverpool’s transfer committee during his time at Anfield, Leicester’s savvy transfer recruitment has continued in Rodgers’s time in charge with the signings of James Justin, Caglar Soyuncu, Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana. Instant signs of improvement were obvious as Leicester rose from 11th to ninth in Rodgers first few months in charge and nearly helped deliver Liverpool’s league title a year earlier as they were holding City at bay in the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season until Vincent Kompany’s thunderbolt 20 minutes from time at the Etihad. A fifth-placed finish last season ultimately felt like a disappointment after a run of three wins in their final 14 league games blew the chance of Champions League football. Now they are determined not to make the same mistake again, but must deal with fixture congestion on top of their financial disadvantage to hold off Liverpool and a rejuvenated Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. The return of the Europa League next week will put extra strain on Rodgers’s squad and they have also progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals. One feat that has so far been beyond the Leicester boss on his return to the Premier League is victory over his former club. Liverpool have won all three meetings between the sides in the past two seasons. But this time the Foxes have little to fear given the faltering form of Klopp’s men.


London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season.

The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power.

Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool.

The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title.

Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field.

Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once the Uruguayan departed for Barcelona, they plunged to sixth the following season.

“You can always think we could have been better or done things differently but it was just how it evolved. We had set an expectation that we could challenge but then we lost a world-class player and even though we were very much all about the team, Luis was very much part of that,” Rodgers told The Guardian ahead of his return to Anfield for the first time with Leicester last season.

Liverpool have experienced a similar fate this season since Virgil van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October. The Dutchman’s absence has been compounded by season-ending injuries for fellow centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Klopp’s men have won just three of their last 11 games to exit the FA Cup and fall 10 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand.

Sitting between the two clubs that have dominated English football for the past four seasons are a Leicester side moulded by Rodgers into consistent challengers for the Champions League places.

– Restored reputation –

Rodgers, 48, arrived in the Midlands having restored his reputation in two-and-a-half years with Celtic.

The seven domestic trophies he won in Scotland were decried by some given the Hoops’ financial advantage over the competition, but Celtic’s struggles this season show it is not as easy to wipe the board as he made it look.

The Celtic support were stung by the timing of his departure, just months before they would secure an eighth consecutive league title. But Rodgers could see the potential talent in a Leicester squad that had gone backwards under Claude Puel.

A crop of young players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi have been developed alongside veteran Premier League winners Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Jonny Evans.

Often criticised for his role in Liverpool’s transfer committee during his time at Anfield, Leicester’s savvy transfer recruitment has continued in Rodgers’s time in charge with the signings of James Justin, Caglar Soyuncu, Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana.

Instant signs of improvement were obvious as Leicester rose from 11th to ninth in Rodgers first few months in charge and nearly helped deliver Liverpool’s league title a year earlier as they were holding City at bay in the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season until Vincent Kompany’s thunderbolt 20 minutes from time at the Etihad.

A fifth-placed finish last season ultimately felt like a disappointment after a run of three wins in their final 14 league games blew the chance of Champions League football.

Now they are determined not to make the same mistake again, but must deal with fixture congestion on top of their financial disadvantage to hold off Liverpool and a rejuvenated Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel.

The return of the Europa League next week will put extra strain on Rodgers’s squad and they have also progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

One feat that has so far been beyond the Leicester boss on his return to the Premier League is victory over his former club.

Liverpool have won all three meetings between the sides in the past two seasons. But this time the Foxes have little to fear given the faltering form of Klopp’s men.



from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3aWhI23
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Xavi under no illusions ahead of fairytale on Barcelona return Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left Camp Nou to play for Qatari club Al Sadd in 2015, after making 767 appearances for Barcelona, with eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues among his 25 trophies. “It’s time to come home. Welcome, Xavi,” Barca tweeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, as Spain slept.  “It wasn’t goodbye, it was see you later,” it wrote, along with a video montage of the player’s departure in 2015. Barcelona said in a statement they had reached an agreement with Xavi to become first-team coach for the rest of the season and two more seasons, replacing the sacked Ronald Koeman. “It is expected that Xavi Hernandez will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and that on Monday 8, November his presentation as new FC Barcelona first team coach will take place in an event open to the public at Camp Nou,” it said. Nicknamed the “Maquina” (the Machine), Xavi is widely considered one of the club’s greatest players and there is huge excitement about his potential as a coach after his influence on the iconic Barca team managed by Pep Guardiola. His passing style was seen as the embodiment of Guardiola’s “tiki-taka” team that won the treble in 2009. “One of the greatest midfield maestros of all time, he helped redefine the art with his creative mind, pinpoint passing and sublime ability to read the game,” Barca said in their statement, heralding the return of “an absolute legend”. Al Sadd, which Xavi had coached since 2019, hours earlier said they had reached an agreement with Barca and posted photos on social media of the Spaniard saying goodbye to the players and staff. – ‘The dream’ – Barcelona’s attempt to appoint Xavi as Koeman’s successor had been held up on Friday over his Al Sadd release clause, with Xavi and Barca considering splitting the payment to complete the deal. Al Sadd said Barca had agreed to pay the clause in Xavi’s contract, which is reportedly set at around five million euros ($5.8 million), but Barcelona did not give any details of the deal in their statement. Spanish sports daily Marca headlined the club hero’s return and estimated the cost to Barca of sacking recent managers Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Koeman at 32 million euros. Xavi had made no secret of his desire to return to Barcelona, which he joined through the club’s La Masia academy at the age of 11. “My main objective, when I can do it, is Barca,” Xavi told Marca last year. “It’s my home, that’s the dream.” Barcelona sat ninth in La Liga on Saturday morning, with concerns growing they might not qualify for next season’s Champions League. The club are also in dire financial straits, having posted debts of 1.35 billion euros. They could not afford to renew Lionel Messi’s contract in the summer, and the Argentine left for Paris Saint-Germain. Xavi will also be charged with improving the team’s style of play, which was a key criticism during the tenure of Koeman, another former Barca player. Xavi’s flight is due to touch down as Barca take on Celta Vigo in La Liga in Juan Barjuan’s last game as caretaker coach before he hands over to the man the fans are pinning their hopes on to turn the club around.

Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bayern down Mainz to go six points clear in the Bundesliga Berlin (AFP) – Defending champions Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points on Saturday after coming from behind to seal a 2-1 home win against Mainz. Second-half goals by Kingsley Coman and 18-year-old Jamal Musiala sealed the victory behind closed doors at Munich’s Allianz Arena after Mainz had taken a shock lead. Bayern remain firmly on course to win the German league for the tenth straight season after stretching their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Dortmund were held 1-1 at Bochum. 

Berlin (AFP) – Defending champions Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points on Saturday after coming from behind to seal a 2-1 home win against Mainz. Second-half goals by Kingsley Coman and 18-year-old Jamal Musiala sealed the victory behind closed doors at Munich’s Allianz Arena after Mainz had taken a shock lead. Bayern remain firmly on course to win the German league for the tenth straight season after stretching their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Dortmund were held 1-1 at Bochum.  from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3lVLPNa
Post a Comment
Read more

Rangers brush aside title rivals Hearts Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland striker saw his lob tipped over by Allan McGregor. It was Rangers who scored with their first chance of the match after nine minutes when Ryan Kent’s cross reached Fashion Sakala and the Zambian cut the ball back to Morelos, who fired home from six yards out. Sakala shot just wide from close range moments later before Morelos headed wide from James Tavernier’s corner. Rangers’ second goal came in the 13th minute when Aribo ran on to a brilliant long diagonal from Connor Goldson and fired an angled low shot beyond the exposed Craig Gordon. Gary Mackay-Steven saw his angled shot pushed behind by McGregor early in the second half. Rangers had a let-off in the 53rd minute when Calvin Bassey knocked a Ginnelly cross off the underside of his own crossbar. Rangers remained a threat, however, and Scott Arfield and Sakala were both denied by saves from Gordon. Boyce fired over from close range after being set up by Mackay-Steven before Stephen Kingsley cracked a free kick off the bar from 30 yards out. In the 80th minute, Ginnelly was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for squaring up to Borna Barisic.

Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland stri...
Post a Comment
Read more