Latest news with #FernandoTorres
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Jurgen Klopp disciple ready to boost Pep Guardiola's Man City
Some worrying news for bookshops on Merseyside. Any copies of 'Intensity' by Pep Lijnders are likely to remain unsold on the shelves. They may want to instead store them with 'El Nino', the Fernando Torres autobiography that was a love story to Liverpool. But Torres joined Chelsea and now, barely a year after leaving Liverpool, Lijnders' return to English football could come by Pep Guardiola 's side. The supporters who branded Trent Alexander-Arnold a traitor for heading for Real Madrid – though one of their complaints has been removed now he is no longer going on a free transfer, but for €10m – may transfer their irritation to Jurgen Klopp 's sidekick should he materialise at Manchester City, the club who ensured one of the great Liverpool managers won a lone league title. If a year away has illustrated the legacy Klopp and Lijnders left, with Arne Slot's success reflecting well on the previous regime, it may have been chastening in other respects. Klopp's popularity in Germany has been dented by the decision of a man who was a byword for authenticity to work for the despised Red Bull group. Lijnders, once touted as a potential successor to Klopp at Anfield, floundered in his second attempt to go it alone. He was sacked by RB Salzburg – a couple of weeks before Klopp took up his role at their parent organisation – with the usually dominant force in Austrian football only fifth in the Bundesliga, 10 points off the lead, and having lost five of their six Champions League games. Defeats without scoring to Sparta Prague, Brest and Dinamo Zagreb were scarcely the great European nights Lijnders experienced at Liverpool. Take out the tribalism of football, however, and there is logic on both his and Guardiola's side; this could be a marriage of considerable convenience. City parted company with three assistant coaches, in Carlos Vicens, Inigo Domingues and Juanma Lillo, which could leave Guardiola looking lonely. Lillo, in particular, was a symbolic figure; Guardiola admired him so much he went to Mexico to end his playing career under Lillo at Dorados Sinaloa. Yet if City's explanation was simply that Lillo, whose contract expired this summer, wanted to return to Spain – and he never spoke much English – Guardiola's most torrid season featured many a strange decision. The Guardiola-Lillo axis may not have worked as well as it did. At 42, Lijnders is 17 years younger than the wizened Spaniard, with a Premier League pedigree, multilingual – speaking Spanish and Portuguese – and bringing an energy Klopp appreciated as he aged. That City struggled with the physicality of many an opponent last season could give an added reason to appoint a coach responsible for some Liverpool sides who were primed to outrun anyone. For Lijnders, meanwhile, a step backwards could nevertheless bring one of the plum coaching jobs, just not a managerial post. He was interviewed by Norwich, before they appointed Liam Manning. The City Football Group, with their portfolio of clubs, could suit Lijnders' long-term plan to get back into management. Or, if Klopp does not return to management, he could do with finding a new patron. A double act of Pep and Pep may sound good. A theme of Guardiola's career has been his ability to win with different assistants, starting with Tito Vilanova at Barcelona. At City, he has been joined by Mikel Arteta, Brian Kidd, Domenec Torrent, Rodolfo Borrell, Enzo Maresca and Lillo. Lijnders' partnership with Klopp followed the break-up of his long-term alliance with Zeljko Buvac. The Dutchman's ideas nevertheless took Liverpool to greater heights; arguably they played less heavy-metal football but they won the 2019 Champions League and the 2020 Premier League and pursued the quadruple in 2022. His brief spell at Salzburg, like a similarly short stint at Nijmegen in 2018, could suggest that Lijnders is no manager. While he could coin Klopp-style soundbites – 'our identity is intensity' was one – perhaps they didn't sound right without Klopp and he lacked his mentor's degree in people. Lijnders is thought to be aware of his shortcomings. As a coach, though, his reputation is safe. Klopp initially inherited him, asked by Fenway Sports Group's Mike Gordon to give him a go. He agreed, ringing the FSG president a few weeks into his reign to tell him that he didn't like Lijnders only, after a dramatic pause, to add that he loved him. He brought him back to Anfield after Buvac left. He played him at padel, often losing to a man 16 years his junior; that was a sign of Lijnders' competitiveness. Unlike Peter Krawietz, Klopp's other assistant and a far quieter figure, Lijnders had a profile in his own right. He did the pre-match media duties before Carabao Cup games, to prepare him for the return to management, which then backfired. Instead, he is primed to join the select group who have crossed the great divide and played a part for arguably the two most influential managers of their generation. For Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski and Thiago Alcantara, however, it was as players. For Lijnders, in the opposing dugout for titanic duels as Klopp enjoyed a rare winning record against Guardiola, it will be as a coach. Liverpool could win the games but, over 38 matches, City won the title in Lijnders' last four seasons at Anfield. So if he couldn't beat Guardiola, he will now join him.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ICONIC former Liverpool striker agrees Atletico Madrid deal
Liverpool's current crop of strikers leave a lot to be desired, but this hasn't always been the case at Anfield. Over the years, the Reds have had some of the world's best forwards among their ranks and now one of their most iconic forwards is back in the headlines. Advertisement The no. 9 shirts at Anfield is currently worn by Darwin Nunez, who has proven to be a divisive figure with Liverpool fans since his arrival. Before Nunez, it was Roberto Firmino who donned the no. 9 every week but you have to look back to 2011 to find the former Anfield hero who has made headlines this week. Fernando Torres, one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers, has doubled down on the next step in his career – agreeing an extension as manager of Atletico Madrid's B team. Fernando Torres agrees Atletico Madrid deal The 41-year-old Spaniard, who retired from professional football in 2019, has been working his way through Atletico's youth setup as a coach and enjoyed a successful first campaign at the helm of the B team this season. Advertisement Now, as a result of the former Liverpool man's impressive campaign, Atletico Madrid have tied El Nino down with a two-year deal that will see him remain as the boss of the reserves until 2027. All signs currently point to Torres having a bright future as a manager, and he will be hoping to lead his side to promotion to the Spanish second division in the 2025/26 season. A number of successful managers started off managing reserve teams, with former Red Xabi Alonso probably the most famous example.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Dirk Kuyt backs Darwin Nunez to perform and prove his worth to Liverpool team
Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt believes Darwin Nunez's Anfield future remains in his own hands despite a disappointing season. The Uruguay international has scored just seven times for the Reds and has earned both praise and rebuke from head coach Arne Slot for his efforts on the pitch. Liverpool's Premier League title charge has been propelled once again by Mohamed Salah, with 32 goals in all competitions, but his contract expires in June and with no sign of a resolution big changes could be ahead this summer. Potential new strikers have already been linked, with speculation Nunez may be moved on, and Kuyt said that was the reality of playing for the club. 'I became friends with Pepe Reina and after the first season he congratulated me with the fact I was one year at Liverpool and said, 'actually, every year you can stay at Liverpool it is a championship of your own',' he told the PA news agency ahead of his appearance for the Liverpool Legends against Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday. 'Not only are the players who are there trying to kick you out of the team but every year there comes someone in your place. 'I played the first season with (Craig) Bellamy and (Peter) Crouch and I was the top goalscorer and thought, 'I will be OK for next season' and then the club signed Fernando Torres. 'You always have to be at your best to stay at Liverpool and every player has to perform day in, day out, and you know if you are not performing another player will be ready to fill your place. 'If you know Arne Slot a little bit every day he will have tried to push Darwin to get the best out of him so he will never stop doing that and then the player decides himself whether he will play or not because he will have to perform. 'When you have a team-mate like Mo Salah – or in my time Fernando Torres – and these guys are making goalscoring so easy all the supporters want you to make as many goals as well. 'Darwin is pushing himself very hard, sometimes doing well and sometimes not scoring the goals he wanted himself, and that makes it difficult because the pressure is so big.' :: Tickets are still available for the Legends game, which has raised more than £7.5million for the LFC Foundation from eight previous matches.
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Liverpool v Wolves: Did you know?
Liverpool have won 15 of their past 16 Premier League meetings with Wolves, with the exception being a 3-0 loss at Molineux in February have lost all seven of their Premier League away games against sides starting the day top of the table. Only Sheffield Wednesday (9), Bournemouth (8) and Watford (8) have visited the league leaders more times in the competition without managing to avoid Gakpo has scored in each of his past six Premier League starts at Anfield, scoring seven goals. Only three different Liverpool players have scored in seven or more successive home starts in the competition: Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez (both eight) and Mohamed Salah twice (seven and eight).
