Liverpool’s preparations for the visit of Wolves on Saturday have begun and Cody Gakpo is in the mix, but three other Reds were not in the main session at the AXA Training Centre.
Gakpo trains, but doubts over 3 Reds
The Reds are back in action on Saturday in the FA Cup, a chance to put the defeat at Brentford behind them and push on in their defence of the title.
Gakpo trained alongside his new teammates on Thursday and will be in contention to take part in the match after the paperwork for his move officially went through on Tuesday.
Jordan Henderson, Calvin Ramsay and Curtis Jones will also hope to have a big role to play, all present and accounted for at Kirkby, with the captain able to return following concussion protocol.
There was no sighting of Naby Keita, James Milner or Roberto Firmino, the latter two are expected to return imminently after injury but they have yet to rejoin team training.
Good afternoon, Cody ? pic.twitter.com/J9hgFYPy4U
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 5, 2023
Keita, meanwhile, played 45 minutes at Brentford and it could simply be a case of him taking part in individual training elsewhere – let’s just hope it’s not down to another injury!
Virgil van Dijk was, of course, absent after his hamstring injury and joins Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Arthur on the sidelines.
And if you’ve seen any suggestions of Joel Matip being the latest to succumb to injury, don’t fear as the centre-back was involved in the session.
Clark to Preston? “Don’t know where that came from”
- Bobby Clark has been speculated with a loan to Preston, a move manager Ryan Lowe has dismissed as while Clark is a “fantastic footballer,” he doesn’t “know where that came from.”
- Nat Phillips could again be denied a move thanks to Virgil van Dijk‘s injury, but there are two other solutions should he seek a transfer in January.
- Matheus Nunes was a standout for Wolves in their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, with his performance showcasing “why he is one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe.”
- Klopp‘s side are currently conceding 4.59 shots on target per game in the Premier League, the most of any season under the German. And there’s plenty of other interesting/worrying stats in this Sky Sports piece.
Ex-Red shields referee from own players
?? Quand Nuri Sahin protège les arbitres… de ses propres joueurs !
? C'est complètement dingue ! pic.twitter.com/2i47M9Dw9c— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) January 4, 2023
- Ex-Red Nuri Sahin is currently in charge at Antalyaspor and on Tuesday he had to step between his players and the referee after his side were denied a late equaliser – the clubs later made a “demand” for justice.
- An unnamed member of a club’s backroom staff has highlighted three of Liverpool’s key weaknesses, which included the damning verdict that there’s a “frequent inability to stand up to physicality.” Ouch.
- Three Reds are up for awards: Mohamed Salah for Premier League goal of the month (vs. Villa), Alisson for save of the month (vs. Southampton) and Klopp for December’s manager of the month.
- Also, a timely reminder for any fans who bought tickets in the November Members’ sale that they have until 5pm on Friday to complete their fan update process, otherwise memberships will be cancelled.
Elsewhere in the Premier League today…
- Benfica manager Roger Schmid has accused Chelsea of being “disrespectful” in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez, following attempts to not pay his £106 million release clause upfront.
- But Chelsea have announced the signing of defender Benoit Badiashile for £35 million, their second signing of the window.
- Frank Lampard says he is “a big man working for a great club” and isn’t looking for any reassurances over his job after Everton moved into the relegation places.
Take a look at this, plus the match of the night
Yes, look at ex-Red Taiwo Awoniyi but more pertinently, just look at where Darwin Nunez sits – once he finds his goalscoring boots we’re in for an even crazier ride.
Some Taiwo Awoniyi appreciation this morning, he's great. pic.twitter.com/p2tCleeOpm
— Ninad Barbadikar (@NinadB_06) January 5, 2023
Tonight it’s Chelsea vs. Man City in the Premier League, with kickoff at 8pm (UK). Are we now at the stage where we want City to win so Chelsea are not level on points with Liverpool? Sigh.
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