Liverpool - News

ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/8a12/live/67c64ae0-b461-11ee-bc52-d963846fe767.jpg
Liverpool defender Billy Koumetio has returned to the club from his loan spell at USL Dunkerque.
The 21-year-old initially moved on a season-long deal, but made only nine appearances for the French second-tier side.
The centre-back, who has been with the Reds since 2018, has featured twice for the senior team under Jurgen Klopp and signed his first professional contract in 2020.


ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5fb3/live/5a564600-b3b5-11ee-8f1a-01dc26e49958.jpg
Calvin Ramsay has returned to Liverpool from his loan spell at Preston North End, having spent the first half of the season at Deepdale.
Ramsay signed for Liverpool from Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen in June 2022, making just two senior appearances during a first season at the club that was marred by injury.
The right-back moved to Championship side Preston hoping to regain fitness, but further injury problems restricted the 20-year-old to two appearances.

Afcon 2023: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah misses Egypt's next two games with hamstring injury..

ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/174F5/production/_132377459_screenshot2024-01-19224046.png
Mohamed Salah helped Egypt reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022

Mohamed Salah will miss Egypt's vital Africa Cup of Nations Group B game against Cape Verde on Monday with a hamstring injury.

The Liverpool forward, 31, has also been ruled out of a last-16 tie should Egypt qualify.

Salah limped off before half-time in the 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday.

The result has left the record seven-time African champions needing to beat the already-qualified Cape Verde to guarantee their progression.

"Tests on Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Egypt national team, proved that he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next two matches of the team at the Afcon," the Egyptian Football Association said.

Salah will therefore only feature in the tournament again if Egypt advance to a quarter-final on 2nd or 3rd of February.

Earlier on Friday Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp suggested Salah's hamstring problem was likely to be severe, given the forward had missed just 10 league games for the Reds in more than six seasons.

"He was shocked and couldn't see why he was hit by something so intense," said Klopp.

"You have these hamstring injuries in a different way. He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something."

Losing Salah, who is on the cusp of 100 caps for his country, comes as a major blow to Egypt, who have made a sluggish start to their campaign in the Ivory Coast, collecting two points from two matches.

Salah scored a last-gasp penalty on Sunday, after a VAR decision, to help Egypt draw 2-2 with Mozambique to avoid an embarrassing opening defeat, and they also twice had to come from behind against Ghana.

The last of Egypt's seven titles at the Cup of Nations came in 2010, a year before Salah made his international debut.

Mohamed Salah: Injured Egypt star to have 'rehab' at Liverpool..

i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/19/22/80241763-0-image-a-47_1705701768123.jpg
Mohamed Salah is planning to return to Merseyside to be treated by Liverpool’s club doctors

Mohamed Salah will return to Liverpool for treatment on the leg injury he suffered at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Egypt are hopeful he can come back for a potential semi-final.

Salah was injured in Egypt's 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday in Group B.

"It makes sense that he's doing the rehab with us," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Sunday, before Egypt confirmed the forward's return.

Egypt face Cape Verde on Monday and will reach the knockouts with a win.

The Egyptian football association had initially said on Friday that Liverpool forward Salah would only feature in the tournament again if his nation advance to a quarter-final on 2 or 3 February.

Asked if the 31-year-old would go back to Afcon should his country progress, Klopp added: "I would say if Egypt qualifies for the final, if he's fit before the final, then probably yes."

Klopp had suggested on Friday that Salah's hamstring problem was likely to be severe, given the forward had missed just 10 league games for the Reds in more than six seasons.

"He was shocked and couldn't see why he was hit by something so intense," said the German.

"You have these hamstring injuries in a different way. He felt it and we know how rarely Mo goes off, or needs to go off, so it is definitely something."

He scored a late penalty last Sunday to help Egypt draw 2-2 with Mozambique to avoid an embarrassing opening defeat earlier in the tournament.

Salah is convinced he will win the Afcon "sooner or later".

"I would love to win it, absolutely," he said. "It will happen somehow - that is what I believe. Whatever I believe, I achieve - so sooner or later, it will happen.

"I have won everything possible but this one, not yet. Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup.

"The players are very motivated to win the tournament. I believe that, with hard work, everything is possible, so we just need to win one game to qualify and we go from there."

i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/21/22/80242993-12989517-There_was_concern_that_Salah_was_set_for_a_significant_spell_on_-a-5_1705874983355.jpg
There was concern that Salah was set for a significant spell on the sidelines

Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool: What Jurgen Klopp said:

ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/76e4/live/3e535a10-b892-11ee-b1cd-8994c55eb6f5.jpg

Jurgen Klopp speaking to BBC Match of the Day:
"I'm more happy after the first half because it was a tough one. We didn't play good football. The message at half-time was that it's still 0-0 so let's try to be great and the boys were.
"People might write a story about the half-time changes working again, you can write as well about why you have the first line up from the beginning.
"It was obvious we needed to change something. We did and it worked much better. Everything was better, counter press is better, we put them really under pressure and we scored some beautiful goals, it was well played anyway. Impact from the bench again as well, so it turned into a pretty good evening.

On the attacking quality of the team: "We miss a few others, we missed Joel Matip who won the Champions League for us, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] who was in a pretty good moment, Dominik Szoboszlai is out, Thiago didn't start, Stefan Bajcetic didn't start and on top of all of the others, Wataru Endo, so it's a tough moment. In the moment we still have solutions and now the boys should come back step by step. We play in three days, then three days, then three days later. Semi-final in cup games and then Chelsea and Arsenal, so we better be good otherwise we have a problem."

On Conor Bradley: "Top. Good aggression, really in the game. He's such a good footballer, he didn't show it all the time today but he is such a good footballer and his attitude is outstanding. He has speed, he has aggression, all the things you need in that position. The other boys came on, Owen Beck came back and made a big step after being in Scotland. Scotland is a good country for us to give players on loan.
"That's a good thing about this situation that the boys get the opportunity, but these boys have to come in when we are a in a good moment, they cannot change the world for us and we should be in a good moment. The first half was not good enough, no rhythm, nothing, but the second half everything was better so we won the game."

ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/f15e/live/f783a250-b88e-11ee-a38a-e5e5e1b60dca.jpg

ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/1/22/1858582f-fe69-49b2-945c-a5b9afa1796f.jpg

Key stats - Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool

Liverpool have won their past three away games in all competitions by an aggregate score of 8-0 - it's the first time the Reds have won three in a row without conceding on the road since March 2022 (run of five).

Darwin Nunez scored the 100th and 101st goals of his senior career for club and country, 25 of which have been for the Reds.

Only against Manchester City have Bournemouth lost more games (13) and conceded more goals (44) in the Premier League than against Liverpool (11 defeats, 43 goals conceded). The Cherries have conceded 3+ goals in eight of their past 10 league games against the Reds.

Bournemouth failed to score for the first time in their past 12 Premier League matches, while this was their heaviest home defeat in the competition since September against Arsenal (0-4).

Diogo Jota, who scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season for Liverpool, both scored and assisted in the same Premier League game for a sixth time – the past five occasions of which have been away from home.

Darwin Nunez (10 goals, 10 assists) became the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions for Premier League clubs this season.

ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/14F14/production/_132408758_gettyimages-1684698528.jpg
Andy Robertson is expected to be back in the Liverpool squad 13 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery

Liverpool expect to have Andy Robertson in the squad for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Fulham.

Jurgen Klopp's side go into the game at Craven Cottage with a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

Robertson has been out for 13 weeks after suffering a shoulder injury while playing for Scotland that required surgery.

"The medical team said it's a coaching decision, so he's in," said assistant manager Pep Lijnders.

"That's now 13 weeks after surgery so he got clearance to train fully with the team, so that's really, really cool.

"He's only trained once so he's pushing himself in the squad, which is nice because he's one of our captains."

ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/71b8/live/e043dfb0-9c2d-11ee-b9a7-c91b9dfa91e5.jpg

We asked you for your thoughts on Sunday's match between Bournemouth and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Dan: Brilliant performance from the lads. We needed someone to step up in the absence of Salah - and Jota and Nunez did exactly that. Solid at the back and clinical up top. Fantastic.

Shuggieo: I think everybody thought this would be a banana skin game today. So the manner of Liverpool's performance in the second half felt like a title statement, especially with the players coming into the team.

Tommy: Liverpool won't get away with a rank first half performance like that against Arsenal or Man City. Second half was the best I've seen this season. Jota is by far our best striker at the moment so we haven't missed Salah or Endo. It should be amazing when we get all the injured players back - especially Andy Robertson.

Luke: Excellent performance by the Reds! Key players missing but were still able to unlock the Bournemouth defence. No Salah? No problem.

ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/6D76/production/_132422082_-a812b522-4122-4016-80d2-132158350aca.png

Liverpool have joined Manchester City in the race to sign Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, 28, from Bayern Munich.

Jurgen Klopp to step down as Liverpool manager at end of season..

i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/26/10/80498771-13009763-image-a-12_1706266552751.jpg

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is to step down from the role at the end of the season, saying he is "running out of energy".

Klopp was appointed in October 2015 and his contract was due to run until 2026.

He won the Champions League in 2019 before leading Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years in 2019-20.

"I told the club already in November," said Klopp, who has announced his decision with his side top of the Premier League.

"I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it - or at least try to explain it.

"I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.

"It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.

"After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth - and that is the truth."

Liverpool have won every major honour since the German took charge of the Reds.

Klopp guided Liverpool to their sixth European Cup in 2019 when they beat Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid.

They followed that up with victory in the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup and, most significantly, the Premier League title the following season.

Liverpool won a domestic cup double in the 2021-22 season, and narrowly missed out on a quadruple as they were pipped by Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid in Paris.

The Reds failed to win any major silverware last season but are in contention for four trophies this term. They beat Fulham on Wednesday to reach the Carabao Cup final.