It may only be pre-season, but the tackles were flying in during Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Liverpool on Wednesday night in California.
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“Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. He (Fabregas) came by us in the dressing room and said sorry”, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told his post-match press conference.
This far this summer he has signed Joel Matip, Loris Karius, Sadio Mane, Ragnar Klavan, Alex Manninger and Georginio Wijnaldum – none of whom Liverpool had to fight tooth-and-nail to acquire.
By then Californian referee Baldomero Toledo had already been forced to show yellow cards to four Liverpool players – with another to come – and one to Chelsea’s Gary Cahill.
Here we look at the potential options, including two talented young Welshmen who could fit the bill. The Spaniard endured a hard end to last season with a dismal performance in the Europa League Final against Sevilla.
According to a report in the Liverpool Echo, Klopp is prepared to use James Milner as the club’s “emergency left-back” rather than bringing in defensive cover.
“I am not interested in the money of the players, actually not really often in my life I have had to fine anybody because I want that we learn together to do the thing that is right.”
I don’t think we’ll have a lot.
The Nigerian winger making his third start in the pre-season, played from the left wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation deployed by coach Antonio Conte. “So I want them to do the things because they want to do it, that’s all”.
“Always it is the same with every group”.
The former Southampton man was a big money signing, as he cost the club £30 million.
“There is a lot of desire and good attitude and the working mentality is good”, he said.
Leicester benefitted from having few other distractions previous year, least of all long continental trips, while Liverpool would have done likewise in 2013-14 but for Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip that helped the Blues win at Anfield.
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‘Sometimes when you do that as a ref you lose a little feeling of what is happening, because if you give one that is 50-50 or 40-60 then you have to give the next one again and it became a little bit of a farce.
