MANCHESTER, England: Jurgen Klopp’s trademark toothy grin has become somewhat of a rare sight in the Premier League this season.
More frequently, he has worn the look of a man with pressing concerns, perhaps having come to the crushing realization that even his special talents can only go so far.
English soccer owes him, however, for keeping the Premier League interesting, competitive, honest.
Without him, Manchester City’s dominance would have been even more pronounced over four years when Liverpool have defied expectations and spending power to — just about — keep pace with the team managed by Pep Guardiola and funded by Abu Dhabi’s royal family.
Liverpool are no pauper, though. Record transfer fees went for goalkeeper Alisson and center back Virgil van Dijk. And even last year, $71 million was spent on center forward Darwin Nunez to replace the outgoing Sadio Mane.
But the sparkle has gone, for now at least. Everything seems that much harder for a team that were within reach of an unprecedented quadruple of trophies with only two games to go last season.
Even the normally jovial Klopp has become irritated when questioned by the media this season. His team have looked disjointed and brittle defensively. Injuries have ravaged an already aging midfield, and Mane’s absence has been felt in attack.
Ahead of Sunday’s visit of Man City to Anfield, Liverpool are 13 points behind the reigning champions and 14 adrift of leader Arsenal, but having played a game fewer than both.
Because of that, Wednesday’s 7-1 rout of Rangers in the Champions League — including the fastest-ever hat trick in the competition’s history by Mo Salah — provided welcome relief.
Klopp’s broad smile was on full show at Ibrox, but the result offers little in the way of confirmation that Liverpool can overcome their early-season struggles.
A 2-0 win over Rangers last week was followed by a loss to Arsenal, underlining the impressive strides made by Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and his credentials to be the main challenger to Guardiola this season.
A record of only two league wins from eight games this season is evidence of Liverpool’s dramatic decline.
So are wildly fluctuating results across all competitions, including a Premier League-record equalling 9-0 win over Bournemouth and the seven struck at Rangers, while there was also the crushing 4-1 loss to Napoli and a 3-3 draw with Brighton at home.
There are tangible reasons for the slump, including injuries to a host of key players that has left Klopp plugging holes and struggling to put out a consistent team.
Meanwhile, the loss of Mane to Bayern Munich has removed a pivotal part of the attack that propelled the team to three Champions League finals (winning one), the Premier League title, FA Cup and League Cup under Klopp.
One of the world’s deadliest strikers was never going to be easy to replace, no matter how much faith Liverpool have placed in Nunez.
With Luis Diaz also joining in January, there is a sense of transition at Anfield. But what about the less tangible factors — notably the mental strain of trying to keep up with a rival as relentless as City?
It cannot be overstated just how psychologically taxing it must be to compete with a team with seemingly bottomless resources, as well as the brilliance of one of the sport’s greatest managers in Guardiola.
While Klopp is coping with the loss of Mane after finishing one point behind City last season, Guardiola has added arguably the most fearsome forward in the world in the form of Erling Haaland.
While Liverpool have had to perfectly judge virtually every signing, City just keeps on topping up perhaps the most talented pool of players in club soccer.
It must be exhausting, yet Klopp has continued to go toe-to-toe with his Catalan counterpart.
Just one point separates the teams over the past four completed seasons, yet City have won three titles in that time to Liverpool’s one.
Liverpool have recorded the sort of numbers that would place them among the most dominant teams in the history of English soccer, but have been left with relatively little to show for it. That “failure” is bound to take its toll.
Have Liverpool finally run out of gas after defying expectations for so long?
The question, more pointedly, is whether Klopp has the energy to go for it all again.
His team went through a similar slump after winning the title in 2020, with a paper-thin defense of the trophy that left them 17 points adrift of City.
Liverpool returned last season to come within a whisker of a clean sweep.
That already feels like a long time ago — but victory on Sunday could serve as encouragement that the good times may yet return.
Has Klopp run out of gas in the face of Man City dominance?
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Has Klopp run out of gas in the face of Man City dominance?
- Without Klopp, Manchester City’s dominance would have been even more pronounced over four years
- Even the normally jovial Klopp has become irritated when questioned by the media this season
Champion Sabalenka sets up Swiatek rematch in Madrid Open final
- Swiatek has a 6-3 record against Sabalenka but in their only match in the Spanish capital, the latter triumphed in three sets a year ago to claim the title
- In the men’s draw third seed Daniil Medvedev retired injured from his quarterfinal clash with Jiri Lehecka
MADRID: Defending Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka produced a brilliant comeback from a set and a break down to beat Elena Rybakina and reach the final on Thursday.
The Belarusian second seed triumphed 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) and will face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s final.
The clinical Swiatek earlier eased past American Madison Keys with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 victory.
In the men’s draw third seed Daniil Medvedev retired injured from his quarterfinal clash with Jiri Lehecka.
Kazakh Rybakina dominated a below-par Sabalenka in the first set with two breaks, but faced far stiffer resistance in the second after going a break up in the third game.
Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka put heavy pressure on the fourth seed’s serve and eventually cracked it to pull level at 4-4.
Rybakina hit back instantly but seemed rattled when serving for the match and world number two Sabalenka broke again for 5-5 and then claimed the next two games to force a deciding third set.
The players exchanged holds with just one break point reached — Sabalenka staying firm for a 6-5 advantage — before the tie-break.
Sabalenka, 25, sealed her victory with a typically powerful serve that Rybakina could not control.
The big-hitter had lost three of her last four clashes against the 24-year-old but emerged triumphant as they met on clay for the first time.
Swiatek has a 6-3 record against Sabalenka but in their only match in the Spanish capital, the latter triumphed in three sets a year ago to claim the title.
Dominant on clay, Swiatek barely put a foot wrong against Keys, making just eight unforced errors in the match to leave the 29-year-old American with virtually no chance.
“I’m really happy that I had such a solid game today,” Swiatek said on court after reaching her 11th WTA 1000 final.
“Madison is an amazing player with a really fast game and a big serve, so I wanted to focus on myself and I’m happy I was focussed.”
The top seed, triumphant at Doha and Indian Wells, started in unforgiving form, taking the first set in 31 minutes.
Keys was more competitive in the second but Swiatek took it with two breaks.
Russia’s Medvedev struggled through to the end of the first set against Lehecka with an apparent upper thigh problem, losing it 6-4 before retiring.
The Czech progressed to his first Masters 1000 semifinal, where he will face Felix Auger Aliassime, who received a walkover after top seed Jannik Sinner withdrew Wednesday with a hip problem.
“If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn’t be like that,” said Lehecka.
Medvedev took an off-court medical time-out after the fifth game, all holds of serve, and when he returned clearly had problems moving freely around the court.
The world number four saved two break points to hold for a 4-3 lead as Lehecka floundered, despite playing through obvious pain.
The Czech, who knocked-out Rafael Nadal on Wednesday, settled down and capitalized on Medvedev’s woes to break decisively in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead.
Medvedev won just four of the last 16 points before deciding to call it a night, with fans left disappointed. The other men’s quarterfinal set for Thursday had been canceled after Sinner’s withdrawal.
The 28-year-old Medvedev is the defending champion at the Italian Open, which starts next week, while the French Open, the season’s second Grand Slam event, gets underway in just over three weeks’ time.
“It would be good to come back (to Rome) after winning last year, but (I) just need to see what it is, because right now I basically don’t know if it’s very serious, just serious, or not serious — no idea,” Medvedev told reporters.
Taylor Fritz will face Andrey Rublev in the other semifinal on Friday, after the Russian ousted home favorite Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday.
Bayer Leverkusen’s record unbeaten march continues with a 2-0 win at Roma in Europa League
- No club from Europe’s five biggest leagues — in Germany, England, Italy, Spain and France — has had a longer unbeaten streak
- The result also marked a measure of revenge for Leverkusen — since Roma had beaten the German club in this exact same stage last season for their last defeat in Europe
- In the other semifinal, Atalanta drew 1-1 at Marseille
ROME: An imposing stadium in a major foreign capital did nothing to stop Bayer Leverkusen’s record unbeaten march across Europe.
The freshly crowned first-time Bundesliga champions silenced the Stadio Olimpico with a 2-0 win at Roma in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday to extend their unbeaten streak to 47 matches across all competitions.
No club from Europe’s five biggest leagues — in Germany, England, Italy, Spain and France — has had a longer unbeaten streak.
“We take things game by game and we are not thinking about being unbeaten,” Leverkusen midfielder Amine Adli said. “We are not thinking about making history or things like that — that’s why we are playing like this and the team is strong. We just want to enjoy ourselves.”
The result also marked a measure of revenge for Leverkusen — since Roma had beaten the German club in this exact same stage last season for their last defeat in Europe.
“We know it is not easy to play here,” Adli said. “We played a very serious game.”
Leverkusen’s last loss across all competitions was a 3-0 defeat to Bochum in the final round of last season’s Bundesliga nearly a year ago — on May 27, 2023.
Roma were dangerous with an early header off the crossbar from Romelu Lukaku. But then Leverkusen scored on the counterattack seven minutes later.
A failed back pass from Roma right back Rick Karsdorp under pressure from Alex Grimaldo on the left flank resulted in a 3-on-1 for Leverkusen. Grimaldo then passed to Florian Wirtz, who calmly slotted in from the center of the area.
Midfielder Robert Andrich added another goal for Leverkusen in the 73rd with a long-range shot — just as Roma had been threatening on the other end.
In the other semifinal, Atalanta drew 1-1 at Marseille.
The second legs will be held next Thursday, with the final to be held in Dublin on May 22.
Leverkusen has won only one European trophy: the 1988 UEFA Cup, which was then predecessor to the Europa League. Its only other European final came in the 2002 Champions League, won by Real Madrid.
Roma are aiming to qualify for their third consecutive European final after winning the Europa Conference League in 2022 and losing last year’s Europa League final to Sevilla in a penalty shootout.
Daniele De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho as Roma’s coach in January.
The Giallorossi hadn’t lost a European knockout stage game at home in seven years — since getting beat 1-0 by Villarreal in the 2017 Europa League.
Roma fans’ pre-match choreography across one entire end of the stadium spelled out the word “AVANZIAMO” (“Let’s advance”). But Roma now face an uphill challenge to eliminate Leverkusen, who haven’t lost all season.
Marseille-Atalanta
Marseille’s players were treated to an ovation at Stade Velodrome from their hard-to-please fans after the draw with Atalanta — who eliminated Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Atalanta took the lead in the 11th when striker Gianluca Scamacca hit a low shot into the bottom corner after reading Teun Koopmeiners’ clever pass.
But Marseille equalized in the 20th when central defender Chancel Mbemba collected Geoffrey Kondogbia’s pass and his fine curling shot from the edge of the penalty area hit the left post and rolled in.
The second half was almost entirely one-way traffic as Marseille pushed forward. Winger Ismaïla Sarr had a goal disallowed for an offside following a video review and substitute Azzedine Ounahi hit the crossbar with a curling shot in the 73rd.
Europa Conference League
In the third-tier competition semifinal first legs, Aston Villa’s hopes of reaching a first European final since 1982 were diminished with a 4-2 home loss to Olympiakos, the first defeat at Villa Park in the European campaign for the last English club in European competitions.
Villa came back from 2-0 down but were not able to answer Ayoub El Kaabi’s third goal of the game. The striker converted from the penalty spot to make it 3-2 for his eighth goal in the competition this season. Santiago Hezze finished the scoring before Douglas Luiz wasted a penalty for Villa.
Olympiakos are aiming to play on home soil in the May 29 final in Athens.
Earlier, El Kaabi scored twice within a half hour put the visitors in charge.
In Florence, substitute M’Bala Nzola netted in stoppage time for last-year’s runner-up Fiorentina to secure a 3-2 victory over 10-man Club Brugge.
Brugge’s Raphael Onyedika was sent off after receiving his second yellow card on the hour when the Italian club was 2-1 up but the visitors equalized through Igor Thiago to complete a counter just minutes later.
Riccardo Sottil put Fiorentina ahead early on, Brugge captain Hans Vanaken answered with an equalizer from the penalty spot and then Andrea Belotti restored the lead for Fiorentina on a rebound.
Saudi women tackling, kicking their way into football
- Ministry of Sports has reported a 150 percent increase in women’s participation
RIYADH: Women are finding new territories in various industries as the Kingdom sets diversity and inclusion goals, and football is no different.
There are currently 1,100 female football players registered with Saudi clubs through the leagues, three regional training centers, and four active national teams.
Today, the Women’s Football Department focuses on various areas of grassroots development, like five upcoming local competitions including the Premier League.
The head of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Women’s Football Department, Aalia Al-Rasheed, told Arab News: “Today, we’re witnessing with Vision 2030 a whole transformation when it comes to the country in general. The Ministry of Sports reported a 150 percent increase in women’s participation (since 2015). The game is growing everyday."
Al-Awwal Park Stadium lit up with fireworks Sunday night as Al-Nassr were crowned champions against Al-Ittihad, ending their season on a high with a 1-0 victory.
As the 2023-2024 Premier League concludes, the spirit of celebration still lingers in the air. Female trailblazers in the football sector came together on Monday to champion the incredible women of the Kingdom who are breaking boundaries in the realm of football at Hiwar, PepsiCo’s signature annual event for women empowerment.
In the 2024 Hiwar, hosted in collaboration with the SAFF’s Women’s League, industry drivers spoke about their experiences in pushing the boundaries of women inclusion in the sport, during a panel discussion that evening moderated by Mo Islam, featuring Al-Rasheed alongside Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sara Khalid, Al-Ittihad’s women’s team head coach Kelly Lindsey, and PepsiCo.’s senior marketing manager, Anfal Al-Duhilan.
Khalid, one of the Kingdom’s star female football players, reflected on her team’s first-ever international victory last year, winning the premier league twice in a row, and her current, vivid reality in leading the industry into international territory.
But when Khalid left her day job to pursue a football career, she knew she had an example to set and responsibility on her back.
She told Arab News: “Today, I can say I’m one of the first players to represent the national team and my country on an international level, and now with us winning the league and participating in the AFC champion’s league, it’s definitely a huge weight on my shoulders.
“Every decision I have to make must be made thoughtfully and in consideration of everything else, and to always inspire and be inspired by the people around me.”
As a coach, Lindsey said the top struggle is creating equilibrium within a team. Her coaching approach blends physical preparation with cultural understanding, acknowledging the importance of nutrition, sports psychology, and family values within Saudi leagues.
While some Al-Ittihad team members struggled to even pass the ball five times just last summer, they have now managed to compete in the first level of the Saudi football pyramid.
She commended Saudi Arabia’s massive investment into women’s sports, with the SAFF allocating SR49.9 million ($13 million) to women’s football cross-country programs just last year.
Lindsey told Arab News: “By investing in sports, women are not only out in society, they are front and center for everyone to watch, judge, and support.
“The dialogue will change about everything that needs to happen around them so that more women can do their passion, live their passion in work and music and art and culture and sport. It will create a natural dialogue and a push for more infrastructure for women to succeed.”
Last October, this support was bolstered even further as PepsiCo. and the SAFF announced that the multinational’s subsidiary, Lay’s potato chips, will sponsor the 2023-24 Saudi Women’s Premier League.
“Our sponsorship is in alignment with the company’s vision, which is to basically drive diversity and inclusion, aligning with the Saudi 2030 Vision. We wanted to make a difference and really give every single Saudi female the opportunity to pursue her dreams in any field and to continue empowering and supporting them,” said Al-Duhilan.
Iraq qualify for Paris Olympics men’s soccer tournament with win over Indonesia at U23 Asian Cup
- Ali Jasim’s extra-time winner means Iraq take Asia’s third automatic place at the Olympics
- Japan and Uzbekistan, who meet in Friday’s cup final, have both already qualified for the Paris Games
DOHA: Iraq qualified for the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics with a 2-1 win over Indonesia in the third-place playoff at the Under-23 Asian Cup on Thursday.
Ali Jasim’s extra-time winner means Iraq take Asia’s third automatic place at the Olympics. Japan and Uzbekistan, who meet in Friday’s cup final, have both already qualified for the Paris Games.
Indonesia took the lead after 19 minutes at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in the meeting of the two defeated semifinalists when Ivar Jenner scored from outside the area.
Eight minutes later, Zaid Tahseen headed home at the near post to make it 1-1.
The game went to extra time and Iraq took the lead in the 96th. The Indonesian defense misjudged the bounce of a long pass allowing Jasim to run free into the right side of the area. He sent a powerful shot across the diving goalkeeper to put Iraq on the brink of their sixth Olympic appearance.
Indonesia, still searching for a first Olympic appearance since 1956, almost took the game to a penalty shootout in the final action but Justin Hubner’s header was cleared off the line.
There is still one more opportunity for Indonesia. They will face Guinea in a May 9 playoff for a place in Paris.
Hyderabad steal one-run win as Rajasthan falter
- Needing two off the final ball, Rajasthan’s Rovman Powell missed a full toss and was trapped in front of the wicket by Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Kumar earlier undermined Rajasthan’s innings by removing star England batter Jos Butler and captain Sanju Samson for nought
HYDERABAD, India: Sunrisers Hyderabad stole an unlikely one-run victory over table-toppers Rajasthan Royals in a tense Indian Premier League encounter on Thursday.
Needing two off the final ball, Rajasthan’s Rovman Powell missed a full toss and was trapped in front of the wicket by India international Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The right-arm swing bowler, who finished with figures of 41-3, earlier undermined Rajasthan’s innings by removing star England batter Jos Butler and captain Sanju Samson for nought in the first over of the chase.
“I wasn’t thinking much about the result in the last over,” said Kumar.
“There was no discussion in the last over, was just focussed on the process.”
After the early setbacks, young Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rayan Parag scored counter-attacking half-centuries to rebuild the innings and Rajasthan seemed on course for a comfortable victory.
But Jaiswal (67 off 40 balls) and Parag (77 off 49) fell in quick succession to left-arm pacer T Natrajan, setting off a collapse.
Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins conceded only seven runs in a miserly penultimate to tilt the match in the home team’s favor.
“Knowing the nature of the IPL, you never win the game until you actually win the game,” said Samson.
In their innings, Rajasthan Royals made an uncharacteristically slow and shaky start with in-form opener Abhishek Sharma falling for 12 off 10 balls.
Anmolpreet Singh, who followed at number three, also failed to make an impact scoring a run-a-ball five.
But Australia international Travis Head and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy upped the pace with a partnership of 96 runs off 47 balls.
The duo were particularly harsh on wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who leaked 62 runs in his four overs.
Head’s crucial knock of 57 off 44 balls finally ended when he chopped one onto his stumps as he tried to scoop pacer Avesh Khan.
South Africa’s power hitter Heinrich Klaasen then joined Reddy who remained unbeaten on 76 off 42 balls to take Hyderabad past 200 for the fifth time this season.
