WIRTZ INJURY UPDATE: WHY ARNE SLOT ISN'T PANICKING AFTER FLORIAN WIRTZ'S WARM-UP BACK SCARE
Is Wirtz's injury serious? Analyse Mac Allister's clutch winner, Curtis Jones' cameo, and Liverpool's fight for a top-four spot.
Arne Slot says Florian Wirtz’s injury isn’t anything serious, even though he had to pull out of Liverpool's starting lineup during the warm-up before their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Curtis Jones stepped in for Wirtz, and Liverpool grabbed a dramatic win with a goal deep into stoppage time.
Wirtz was set to start at the City Ground, but something in his back flared up during the warm-up, and he couldn’t go. Slot didn’t want to risk him. After the match, Slot explained, “We don’t think it’s serious, but he felt his back too much to start. He wasn’t close to 100 per cent. I think now, after being in this league for a while, he gets that you can’t play here unless you’re fully fit. We hope he’ll be back next week, but you never really know.”
So, Jones slotted in, and Liverpool scraped out a win thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s goal right at the end. That winner was even more impressive because Mac Allister had just had a goal ruled out five minutes earlier, but he kept going and found the net. Despite the late drama, Mac Allister wasn’t too pleased with the overall performance. Liverpool is still sitting sixth, behind Chelsea only on goal difference, and if Manchester United beats Everton on Monday, they’ll be three points ahead.
Mac Allister said, “Honestly, mixed feelings. Scoring and winning always feel good, so in that sense, it’s a good day. But we didn’t play well. There’s a lot we need to fix, but winning always makes things easier.”
About the disallowed goal, he added, “I felt like I’d get another chance, even before the throw-in. I told Hugo Ekitike, ‘This is our moment.’ I don’t remember if it was that play or the next, but I got another shot, and I’m glad it went in.”
He kept going: “We’ll look back at the game this week, but the first half was just bad. Positioning, intensity, pressing – it just wasn’t there. Maybe the only thing we did well was defending our box and blocking some shots. But overall, it wasn’t up to our standards. The second half was a bit better, not great, but we created some chances, and the main thing is we got the win.”
Slot didn’t hold back at halftime. He told the team straight up that it was Liverpool’s worst half under him so far. “That first half was the worst we’ve played,” Slot said. “But we defended our box really well, so that’s why it stayed 0-0. Forest were the better team; they pushed us back, but our defending inside the box kept us in it. We had to deal with a lot of set pieces, especially early on, so if we can take that mentality and use it all over the pitch and just keep the ball better and not lose it every time, these players can do more.”
Slot tried to fire the team up at halftime, telling them there’s no way they could be out of energy already, especially compared to Forest, who had played a tough away match on Thursday. He reminded them about the second half against Manchester City, when they managed to turn things around after a poor first half. It worked well enough; Liverpool didn’t play great, but they found a way to win.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
Must Read
