PL RAW: Liverpool back on their perch as champions
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26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jamie Carragher gives Liverpool fans glimpse into future with Viktor Gyokeres claim
Jamie Carragher has boldly suggested that Mikel Arteta won't be deploying new signing Viktor Gyokeres in Arsenal's most significant matches this season. That would include Arsenal's Premier League title clashes with Liverpool. The first of those games will take place at Anfield on Sunday, August 31. Liverpool's trip to the Emirates this season is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, January 7. Carragher's statement left fellow pundit Gary Neville surprised, as he held a completely different opinion. Gyokeres was in the starting eleven for Arsenal's season opener against Manchester United, but was substituted after an hour following a performance deemed "clumsy." READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news as cult hero 'accelerates' exit after new signings READ MORE: 'I won trophies at Liverpool - but now my sons play for Manchester City' The Swedish international struggled to make an impact in the match and failed to take a single shot during his time on the pitch, despite Arsenal securing victory at Old Trafford due to a blunder from United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Reflecting on the impressive record Arteta's team has amassed against their high-profile rivals - Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham - Carragher hinted that Gyokeres might not feature against such teams, given Arsenal's 22-match unbeaten streak against them. Carragher is confident that Gyokeres will have no problem scoring goals throughout the season, but believes Kai Havertz is too important to leave out. "If I'm being honest, I think they go back to Havertz in the biggest games, I think that will be the case," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "I can see Gyokeres playing and scoring goals." Neville countered: "He can't leave Gyokeres out of big games." But Carragher stood his ground, adding: "He can. I think Havertz is too important a player for Mikel Arteta to be left out. I don't see that happening at all." Neville proposed that the two stars could form a powerful partnership on the field. "Arsenal needed a center forward and brought one in, I saw glimpses that made me think he'll be a handful," he commented. "[Gabriel] Martinelli looks like he's struggling, maybe getting Gyokeres and Havertz in together is something he has to try." After Arsenal's triumph over United, Arteta admitted there was still work to be done to fully integrate Gyokeres into his team but was satisfied with his initial performance. "Well, he did a lot of things very good," the Spaniard remarked. "You can tell, especially in our high-pressing rhythm that we demand that, especially in the first hour. Again, he took too much time. It's something that we have to work on him, especially there. "And then, yeah, finalizing situation, he didn't have that many chances to do that because, as I said, on the previous action, before we had to play that last ball that the line was standing still with 40 metres behind. "We then managed to put the ball through to exploit his quality. But overall, I mean, coming away to Manchester United, winning your first game with Arsenal, it's a good start."
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Liverpool fans' Federico Chiesa chant has sparked an online war
Liverpool serenaded Italian forward Federico Chiesa with his signature song after the diminutive forward scored the go-ahead goal in the club's opening Premier League match of the 2025/26 campaign against Bournemouth last Friday. Here are the lyrics (to the tune of 'Sway' by Dean Martin): 'We can hear them crying in Turin, Federico, he's here to win., One chat with Arne Slot and he said 'ciao', f--- off Juve, I'm a Kopite now…' While Chiesa admitted he was "really grateful for the song" post-match, it sparked some ire due to its strong anti-Juventus slant. Chiesa played for the Italian giants from 2020 to 2024, scoring 32 goals in 131 appearances. READ MORE: Darwin Nunez shows his true colors after Liverpool transfer exit to Saudi Arabia READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Alexander Isak deadline, Ibrahima Konate talks, Marc Guehi latest Liverpool met Juventus in the 1985 European Cup final at Heysel Stadium in Belgium. Fans from each side were separated on either end of the stadium. A mixed section near the Liverpool supporters contained only fans purchasing tickets in Belgium. Instead, it was filled with a plethora an Italian expats (and Juventus fans) living abroad. Reds fans breached the section, separated only by a thin fence, prior to kick-off as Juventus attempted to flee. A wall collapsed, causing 39 fans to die and a local state of siege to be called. The match continued despite the captains of both clubs being made aware that fans may have died — the decision was made by a collection of local and other European authorities. Juventus won the contest 1-0. English fans were subsequently banned from European competition for an indefinite period of time. Since then, Liverpool has only played the Italian giants twice: both legs of the 2004/05 Champions League. The club attempted to show solidarity with a tifo preaching friendship, though the gesture generally split the Juventus fanbase. The Chiesa chant, which also adorned Wembley Stadium during the 2025 Community Shield, will likely remain a staple throughout the season if the Italian stays. READ MORE: Jamie Carragher spots immediate Pep Lijnders effect on Man City and Liverpool similarity READ MORE: Hugo Ekitike debut ranked against Viktor Gyokeres after dream Liverpool start at Anfield He seemed like a surefire bet to transfer clubs earlier in the window, having featured just 14 times for the Reds last season. However, the departures of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, as well as the death of Diogo Jota, have opened up playing time for Chiesa. 'The fans sang for him so many times last season, and it is very nice for him to give them something in return," Liverpool manager Arne Slot said of his versatile forward. 'That is difficult for me to tell you [why supporters have taken to Chiesa so well], although I am a fan, I am never standing on the Kop and don't come up with these songs. 'The only thing I can come up with is Federico had a great history, was a big player deciding to go from Italy to England, which you don't see that much," he added. 'I don't know, maybe it is also a nice song to sing, but then I probably don't give him the credits he deserves.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool have got a NEW £60m right-back
Liverpool have a new £60m right-back that could be deployed against Newcastle next week. He's proven his ability to execute the role to a really high standard and if the current squad issues remain unresolved then he might get an opportunity to showcase his ability in a makeshift defence. 🔴 LFC x adidas Shop the away range TODAY LFC x adidas Shop the home range today! LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! The team is still subject to further additions from the transfer market until deadline day rolls around in just less than two weeks and Arne Slot is having to constantly adapt to the players he has available. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range Right now, Conor Bradley remains injured after picking up a knock in pre-season and Jeremie Frimpong's fitness remains uncertain after running himself ragged down the touchline against Bournemouth, so we might well be looking at a more dynamic choice as the right-sided full-back. Szoboszlai is Liverpool's secret weapon Having been displaced as the Reds first-choice No. 10 by Florian Wirtz's arrival, Dominik Szoboslzai has quickly become one of the club's most priced assets given his impressive all-round ability. Occasionally, he will play as a forward when he's on international duty for Hungary, he is comfortable playing in the attacking midfield role, he's since been featuring deeper in midfield as part of a double-pivot, playing either the defensive midfield or central-midfield roles on the left or the right and it's this adaptability that makes him the obvious solution to Liverpool's latest problem. Of course, we already knew that Bradley was likely to be absent for the next few weeks as a result of an injury he developed prior to the Athletic Bilbao match in pre-season, which has kept him away from the Community Shield game against Crystal Palace and last week's Premier League opener. Frimpong, however, might still be available, but he was clutching his hamstring at the end of his 60 minutes appearance, where he made 20 sprints, which is enough to leave anyone with a sore leg. Since we expect Ryan Gravenberch to return to the starting XI against Newcastle, the Dutchman might be paired with Alexis Mac Allister rather than Szoboszlai, allowing the Hungarian to pivot to right-back if he is required to temporarily fill-in. It would be a similar role to what Moises Caicedo was positioned in for Chelsea during a lot of last season. It's not ideal, but it's a possible move. After all, the £60m fee we paid for him two years ago wasn't cheap and so we might as well get our money's worth out of him instead of leaving him on the bench and leaving ourselves shortchanged. One example could be to utilise Joe Gomez now that he's back from his injury, but the defender will need to cover Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at centre-back, since new signing Giovanni Leoni hasn't really had an opportunity to be brought up to speed with Slot's style of play quite yet. In future, if Marc Guehi signs, then the Reds could utilise him as third-choice cover at right-back, but since a move for the Englishman hasn't come to fruition yet, we'll have to make do with other players. Given the match against Newcastle isn't until Monday, there is time for other solutions to be looked at, and Frimpong might still be available, bit creative solutions might need to get us out of trouble.
