After the 200th Premier League win of his career, coach Jürgen Klopp praised the approach of Liverpool FC’s professionals. “Attitude is not our problem, it is something we can expect. The attitude comes from the culture, the attitude is created by the audience and pretty much everyone around this team,” said Klopp after the 4-1 win against Chelsea on Wednesday evening. “Attitude will never be an issue for this team. The team is full of joy, full of fun and stuff and that’s really cool.”
The Reds consolidated their lead in the table with the win. Three days after reaching the FA Cup round of 16, the team won at Anfield thanks to goals from Diogo Jota (23rd minute), Conor Bradley (39th), Dominik Szoboszlai (65th) and Luis Diaz (79th). Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez hit the aluminum four times and missed a penalty. “Incredible first half, I would say it’s indefensible,” Klopp praised the striker from Uruguay. “Extraordinary, really good.” The somewhat lucky goal for the overwhelmed guests was scored by former Leipzig player Christopher Nkunku (71st).
Klopp surprisingly announced on Friday that he wanted to leave Liverpool FC after the current season despite a contract that runs until 2026. The 56-year-old justified the decision by saying he was running out of energy. After 22 Premier League games, Liverpool is five points ahead of the new second-placed Manchester City, who have played one game less, and third-place Arsenal, with the same points.
Meanwhile, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo will miss another duel with Lionel Messi on the pitch. The Portuguese will not play in the friendly against Inter Miami on Thursday (7 p.m. CET), coach Luis Castro of Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr announced on Wednesday. According to reports, Ronaldo was recently suffering from a calf injury. “Cristiano is in the final stages of his recovery before rejoining the team. We expect him to work with the team again in the coming days. So obviously he will be missing for the game,” Castro said at a press conference.
Marcus Erberich, Manchester Published/Updated: Recommendations: 14 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 134
Messi and Ronaldo both played for a long time in the Spanish Primera Division. Together they have won 13 of the past 15 Ballon d’Ors for the best footballer in the world. For Miami, the trip to Saudi Arabia is part of pre-season preparation. Major League Soccer begins February 21 with a home game for Miami.
