The Carabao Cup on Sunday afternoon could be a classic match. Chelsea were poor when they visited Anfield a few weeks ago but since then Mauricio Pochettino has turned his team around. Raheem Sterling is back on form and even scoring and Ben Chilwell at left back and centre back Axel Disasi have found themselves working together perfectly which not only strengthens the defence but also is effective moving the ball forward. Chelsea are now dangerous as Manchester City discovered last weekend when they conceded a draw at home. A key player could be defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo who was overpriced at £115 million but is still a good player and he can control the centre in this game.
Jurgen Klopp has got the best out of his central defensive midfielder Endo who is much better than when he played in Germany. Both Pochettino and Klopp think the match could hinge on these two players and their success rate in stopping the forwards.
Injuries have been cruel to Jurgen Klopp with Curtis Jones being the latest along with in-form Diogo Jota who was stretchered off after colliding with Brentford’s Christian Norgaard. Jota left Anfield with a knee brace fitted and on crutches. He has scored six times and made several assists which will be sorely missed on Sunday. Darwin Nunez was taken off early as a precaution to ensure he plays on Sunday but he was complaining of muscle fatigue. Cody Gakpo deputised and scored Liverpool’s fourth goal giving himself a good chance of playing. One big concern is Mo Salah’s recurrence of the injury he suffered playing for Egypt and which forced him to return early to Liverpool. The injury has troubled him all week and I was told on Wednesday he is unlikely to start however the medical team are assessing him day by day and a decision will be made on Saturday. Four of the front five have reached double figures this season which gives Liverpool a good chance of scoring again against Chelsea. Trent Alexander-Arnold will be watching from his sofa at home along with Thiago and Szoboszlai and altogether seven first team players are out injured.
United look closely at Kane
Harry Kane was definitely interested in joining Manchester United last summer but the financial restrictions placed on clubs meant his £100 million price tag and £400k a week wages could not be met by the management at Old Trafford. Kane was anxious to add a medal to his successful career having won nothing in all his years at Tottenham. Joining Bayern Munich guaranteed him a winner’s medal – or so he thought. With Bayern losing three in a row it is Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Levekusen who head the Bundesliga table by six points. Harry has briefly spoken with his agent to explore possibilities of breaking his contract and moving back to the Premier League. Enter United with their new 25% owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and there are possibilities for signing Harry who recognises that this season he has two chances at winning that elusive medal. First England could win Euro 24 and secondly Bayern could win the Champions League which would mean Harry had achieved his ambition. Coach Thomas Tuchel will also be leaving in June as he agreed to step down after Bayern suffered a poor run of results.
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Jota could be out for two months
The Portugal international will miss Sunday’s Carabao Cup and Liverpool are awaiting further scans to determine just how serious his knee injury is. I am told it is not cruciate ligament damage and Jota is hopeful he can play some part in Liverpool’s final games towards the end of the season. Reports circulating in Portugal have suggested he could be out for two months but this is not accurate according to my sources.
Hojlund and that chested goal
Following his £74 million transfer to Manchester United Rasmus Hojlund found it difficult to adjust to the standard and speed of the Premier League. Finally he has turned the corner after intense training on a one to one with Erik Ten Hag’s assistant coaches and the boss himself. The Danish international did not score in his first 14 games for United but has hit the back of the net in each of the next 6 games. Celebrating two excellent goals at the weekend against Luton Town, his second has created a lot of comment. Many said his chested goal from a deflection was luck but I can tell you it wasn’t. Speaking after the game Rasmus confirmed that he has spent time in training redirecting chest high balls towards goal. He has also perfected using his shoulder.
In order to assist Rasmus, Marcus Rashford and Casemiro in particular have been sending crosses into the box during training. Erik Ten Hag recognises that there was no experienced centre forward such as Edinson Cavani to help Rasmus.
Hodgson replaced at Palace
It was a sad ending to Roy Hodgson’s tenure as Crystal Palace coach. He saved them from relegation last season but this season has just not been good enough. Roy knows that survival in the Premier League is vital to clubs and their financial stability. Palace, as I revealed last week, had approached Ipswich coach Kieran McKenna to take over but were rejected and the south London club then turned to Oliver Glasner who has taken over from Roy. Roy and his chairman Steve Parish recognised that a change was necessary but the club have acted properly. They supported Roy for as long as they could and when he collapsed during training last week not many people know that Steve Parish accompanied him to the hospital after the ambulance arrived. Roy is now recovering at home. Glasner inherits a team on the down with star players Michael Olise and Eze out for a while and they make a huge difference to this side. Palace are safe at the moment but a relegation fight is looming and I do not think the former Eintracht Frankfurt coach will be up to the job of taking on the Premier League which is a much tougher environment than the Bundesliga.
Candidates lined up for Moyes job at Hammers
West Ham coach David Moyes has until the end of the season to save his job. Beaten 2-0 by Nottingham Forest at the weekend and 13 points behind the top four. Many clubs would be satisfied with sitting ninth in the table but West Ham’s directors demand more from their team. At the moment the Hammer’s board are discussing with agents which coaches would be interested in an approach. The main candidates are Julen Lopetegui, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter. At the start of the season Moyes discussed a new contract but that has been put on ice given the topsy turvy results. Many of the supporters have turned on Moyes after a run of no victories in eight games.
PSG home in on Victor Osimhen to replace Mbappe
With Kylian Mbappe seemingly on his way to Real Madrid despite the interest of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, the clubs have to look for alternatives. Chelsea are targeting Victor Osimhen but have come up against Mbappe’s current club Paris Saint-Germain who need to replace the Frenchman as he heads for Spain. PSG have big money to invest as the Ligue 1 champions will save £170 million a season once Mbappe is off the books. They want to invest some of this in Osimhen. The Nigerian scored 26 goals in Napoli’s title winning team and PSG are willing to meet the £113 million fee demanded by the Italian club.