The entire club of Liverpool is in mourning on Monday after the death of former manager Gerard Houllier, putting all other news into perspective.
Palace won’t have supporters as London goes Tier 3
We’ve had fans at Anfield for one game and played in front of rival fans at Fulham for another.
Next up comes Anfield again for the visit of Spurs, and 2,000 Kopites will be in once more – but then the welcome chain of games with an actual atmopshere will end.
London is back into Tier 3 from Wednesday with Covid-19 protocols in place, meaning no supporters will be allowed in stadiums. Our next away game is at Crystal Palace, and now the game on 19 December will be behind closed doors.
Hopefully there are no such recurring restrictions in the north and we are able to continue seeing the first few back inside the ground at L4.
Champions League details and reaction
Nagelsmann vs. Klopp, part two. The Naby Keita derby. The Dayot Upamecano scouting trip. Call it what you will, but the Reds face RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16.
Full details and the rest of the draw are visible at the above link.
We’ve also had the dates confirmed already for our tie, with the Reds at home in the decisive second leg.
And the fans had their say on the tie straight after – with “a match made in heaven” being the rather apt, and terribly sad, truth of the matter.
Jurgen Klopp on Gerard Houllier
The desperately sad news of the morning was that Gerard Houllier passed away, aged 73.
Current Reds boss Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to his humanity as well as his footballing acumen.
“It is really, really, really a sad day. I didn’t know Gerard too well – I met him a couple of times, but in those few moments he created a relationship with me which was really special.
“He is a true Liverpool legend and he is a true coaching legend. He was really influential in the game. A great coach, but a human being who gave you a really warm feeling when you were around him. For all of us it is a big loss and a really sad day.
“I met him before I came to Liverpool and I knew him a little bit then. When I arrived here, one of the first messages I received – and I didn’t even know he had my number – was from Gerard Houllier.
“I know he had other clubs – worked for other clubs, was successful with other clubs – but the way he described it, Liverpool was his club, his real club where he probably felt still connected more than any other clubs.
“He was really supportive from the first day; between now and then, always messages came in after big games, big defeats, big wins and all these kind of things. In between, Gerard really texted and told me, ‘That was right… that was wrong… I know the situation…’ and all this kind of stuff.
“He was a really, really, really nice and gentle person. I miss him now already. Maybe the only good thing you can say in the moment is he will never be forgotten here.”
- The football world reacted to the news of an unbelievably huge loss
- Plenty of old Liverpool players and coaches alike had so many touching words to say about our former manager
- And Houllier’s former assistant Phil Thompson had a touching tribute of his own on a sad day for Merseyside
Quickfire LFC news
- Gini Wijnaldum wants Liverpool to quickly change focus after the weekend draw (TIA)
- Leon Goretzka has confirmed he had an offer from the Reds – but opted for Bayern instead (The Athletic)
- Local rumours in Italy suggest the Reds have asked Mino Raiola about a deal for Inter’s Stefan de Vrij (FCI)
- And our latest loan watch features Grujic and Awoniyi in action (TIA)
Around the Prem
- Thierry Henry is all of us apparently, as he was so disgusted by Granit Xhaka being captain of Arsenal that he turned off the tv (ES)
- The Gunners are battling with PSG to sign Houssem Aouar in January, which right now is a bit like Marine drawing Spurs in the FA Cup (RMC)
- And if you’re a fan of Sunday League pub teams, here’s the Europa League draw (BBC)
RIP, Gerard. Allez allez allez.
A man who was most associated with Liverpool, but transcended clubs and all of football thanks to his incredible persona and wealth of knowledge.
Everyone at Crewe Alexandra is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gerard Houllier at the age 73.
Gerard was a friend of our club when we had our strong association with Liverpool FC. His advise & expertise was world class.
RIP Gerard. #crewealex pic.twitter.com/Fb4PxHGcrl
— Crewe Alexandra (@crewealexfc) December 14, 2020
What we’re reading
Two Gerard Houllier pieces.
One from Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph.
One from Melissa Reddy of the Independent.
YNWA.
Worth watching tonight
Celta Vigo v Cadiz is the only top-tier game tonight, at 8pm.
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