More snow and freezing conditions on Merseyside on Wednesday, as we edge closer to Saturday’s match against Newcastle at Anfield.
Here’s a look at the snippets of Reds-related news today.
U23s game moved
The young Reds are in Premier League International Cup action this evening, as Porto arrive for the quarter-final. The game was due to be played at Prenton Park but the weather has meant a change of venue to Leigh Sports Village – which means it will now be behind closed doors.
It will though be live on LFCTV and we’ll have a report online this evening.
Sicknote Sturridge
After initial claims that Daniel Sturridge would only miss two weeks for West Brom with a hamstring injury, it’s now reported that he’s facing up to another month on the sidelines – by which time the Baggies could already be relegated.
Alan Pardew had boasted about how he planned not to train Sturridge too hard and reduce his workload to ensure he remained fit. A hamstring injury two minutes into their game against Chelsea made such a decision look daft.
He’s still only 28, but Sturridge’s career is already looking at a sad ending and there’s little chance of him making the World Cup this summer now.
Henderson: We can’t give up on title
Jordan Henderson says that despite Man City‘s 13-point lead at the top of the table, Liverpool cannot give up on the title just yet:
“You’ve got to keep going – Manchester City have a healthy gap at the top, and the title is theirs to lose more than anything – but we are Liverpool. We can’t just give up.
“As a club, we have a lot to play for until the end of the season, in terms of Premier League points and, hopefully, more games in the Champions League.
“We’ve got a healthy squad who want to work hard, to win, and it’s still pretty tight in terms of finishing in the top four.
“We go to Manchester United in about 10 days – that’s always a massive game, and this season is no different. It could have a big influence on where we finish.”
It would take one hell of a collapse for City to lose the title now, and there’s no chance that happens with Pep Guardiola’s squad. Surely.
Alisson gets Buffon’s approval
If he’s good enough for the great Gigi Buffon, then he’s good enough for us. The Italian has praised reported Liverpool target and current AS Roma stopper Alisson, saying:
Alisson is a surprise only for those who haven’t seen him before. What really strikes me is how he deals with dangerous situations so efficiently. That gives his team a lot of confidence.
Can Karius do enough in the remaining weeks of the season to mean Liverpool don’t need Alisson this summer? If so, that money could be spent elsewhere, primarily in midfield.
Tennesee tour
Liverpool will head east this summer for part of their pre-season, as they do every other year and it’s expected that they’ll stay on the east coast of America this time after being located on the west coast in California in 2016.
The Reds will likely take part in the ‘International Champions Cup’ tournament – which will see them face at least one of the Manchester sides – and one of the potential locations is Nashville, Tennesee.
The dates pencilled in for their stay in the States are from July 20 to 29, before returning to Europe for a training camp and home friendly at Anfield.
Keeper talk
Keeper coach John Achterberg has been speaking to the official site about his role and the training plans for the likes of Loris Karius, Simon Mignolet, Danny Ward and Kamil Grabara.
Most interesting were his words on how Klopp wants his keepers to play, saying:
“Liverpool’s philosophy has always been advanced play, which for a goalie is always harder to cover everything because obviously your goalie has to be more advanced in everything.
“It’s easier if you play with a team with 11 behind the ball because there are smaller spaces to cover, and so it’s easier to cover as a goalie.
“Playing for Liverpool is one of the hardest jobs. There are 500 million supporters who all have their own vision and input, and now with social media it’s bigger of course.
“The goalies all deal with it and it’s good for them. It’s all good.”
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