
'Tough run of fixtures' but could put Liverpool in 'promising position'
BBC Radio Merseyside spoke to Liverpool.com's Matt Addison about the Reds' Premier League fixtures after they were announced on Wednesday. "I think Bournemouth is a good game to start with," Addison said, "I think it's always an advantage to start at home first and I think it's probably a good thing that Liverpool aren't playing one of the promoted teams."There's still going to be a lot of atmosphere for Liverpool and a lot of expectation with that but to be at home and to be against a team like Bournemouth, I suspect it might be an advantage to play them early in the season rather than a few weeks in."I think you can probably look at any run of fixtures in the Premier League and think there's one or two tricky ones in there or one or two that look tricky to Liverpool. But to have Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal before that first international break is as tough as it would have got."A trip to Newcastle is never easy and Liverpool have always managed to make it a bit of a mad game one way or another in the past couple of seasons up at St James Park."So it's a tough run of fixtures but the flipside of that is that if they can get one or two wins in the early spell, that will put them in a really promising position."Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
It would be remarkable to drop Ollie Pope after 171
Ben Stokes insists Ollie Pope was never in danger of being dropped for this week's opening Test against India, claiming it would be 'remarkable' to leave his vice-captain out. Jacob Bethell is pushing hard for a place in the red-ball side as he continues his sharp ascent through the ranks but while he was at the Indian Premier League last month, Pope firmed up his spot at number three with a knock of 171 against Zimbabwe. If there were ever any doubts over him holding on to his shirt, that innings at Trent Bridge extinguished them and he remains the man in possession heading into a huge five-match series that begins on Friday at Headingley. Stokes, who has been steadfast in his support for Pope, said: 'The 'big selection' (idea) did not come from us. It would be remarkable to choose someone else if their last knock was a 170, and that's pretty much all I need to say on that. 'Scoring 170 definitely doesn't do anyone any harm, but having him at number three since I've been captain over a three-year period, averaging over 40, it speaks for itself.' The presence of Bethell, who deputised impressively in New Zealand before Christmas and turned in some highly accomplished performances in the recent white-ball games against the West Indies, means there is at least an element of added pressure on Pope to continue producing. Stokes acknowledges the noise is growing but is relaxed about Pope's ability to navigate it. 'In this day and age it's very tough not to see all that speculation, just because of how easily accessible things are. You don't even have to go and hunt for it,' he said. 'But I think scoring 170 in his last Test match has sort of shown how well he's handled that extra scrutiny. 'When you're a kid you dream about playing for England and obviously it's an unbelievable thing, but then the other side of it is that you come under the pump a little bit and that's part of the territory.'


Daily Mirror
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea leave Rio Ferdinand dumbstruck as he makes Todd Boehly thoughts clear
Rio Ferdinand has been left stunned by the financial state of Chelsea under Todd Boehly after a Premier League profitability and sustainability rules list emerged Ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has expressed his surprise at Chelsea topping a list ranking the healthiest Premier League clubs based on profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). On his podcast, Rio Reacts, the former England star was taken aback to see the Blues firmly positioned at the top with £300 million banked in sales despite their substantial spending under Todd Boehly. The Blues have shelled out more than £1.1billion over the past three years, consistently leading the Premier League's spending charts. Despite this, they have managed to steer clear of PSR violations. In conversation with football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Ferdinand couldn't conceal his astonishment. "I've got a list of the healthiest PSR clubs. Chelsea? How the hell are Chelsea top, please, with £300m?" Ferdinand queried. Under the current regulations, Premier League clubs are prohibited from having losses exceeding £105m over a three-year period. Maguire elucidated how the Blues are actually exploiting a notorious loophole provided by the Premier League. "In terms of Chelsea, having this £300m - £200m of that comes from selling the women's team to themselves, and another £70m, or £60-£70m, comes from selling a couple of car parks to themselves as well," Maguire explained. "Without that, Chelsea would be in a really tricky position." When questioned about the legality of such dealings, Maguire confirmed it was above board, stating: "It's in the Premier League rules. The Premier League had the opportunity to close that loophole last week and the club owners decided they quite liked it as it seems a 'get out of jail free' card that Chelsea have used and perhaps other clubs might say we want to use that as well." It's thought that Chelsea eased their financial concerns using this very loophole. The club's accounts, released in April 2024, revealed an astonishing loss of £89.9m in the previous financial year. However, without their shrewd sale of two hotels from Chelsea FC Holdings Ltd to Blueco 22 Properties Ltd, which brought in £76.5m, that figure would have been a whopping £166.4m. Both companies are subsidiaries of Chelsea's parent company, Blueco 22 Ltd. Despite the scrutiny of Chelsea's spending since Boehly's takeover, they have consistently adhered to financial regulations. They've also raked in nearly £500m from player sales, a fact that Ferdinand was quick to commend Boehly for. "You've got to give it to Chelsea, yeah," He said. "Their owners have come in, they've created a new model right, everyone laughed at them, everyone ridiculed them, said, 'There's no chance they're going to finish anywhere, if you were a player you'd never sign for Chelsea'. "They've swept up some of the best talents in the world. They've gone full throttle with it and backed themselves, and then found a few loopholes, that some people are turning their nose up at, but if there's a loophole there to be had, it's there to be had, and they've exploited that and that's the Premier League's doing, not theirs. "They've seen it, gone for it and then used it to their own benefit. Their model in terms of selling players, I don't think it can be beaten at the minute - them and City probably."


BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Lewis-Skelly - Arsenal's duel king
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly is reportedly very close to signing a new long-term contract at the club which is set to make him one of the best-paid youngsters in world follows the 18-year old's rise to prominence last season, with his senior debut coming in the Gunners' 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad in September. His first Premier League start came against Everton in January, head coach Mikel Arteta confirmed Lewis-Skelly had "never played as a full-back" prior to his inclusion in the first team but he made the left-back position his own with his intelligence, ability on the ball and combative occasionally crossed the line and collected two red cards - one versus Wolves and the other against West Ham - but in the Premier League last season no Arsenal player won more duels per 90 minutes that Lewis-Skelly.