The lack of a winter break in English football took its toll on Liverpool players' fitness levels and played a part in the Merseyside club's poor form since the start of the year, manager Juergen Klopp has said.
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Goalkeeper Alisson Becker scored a stunning header in the fifth minute of stoppage-time as Liverpool snatched a 2-1 victory at the death against relegated West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
Joe Cole's undistinguished start to his Liverpool career continued on Thursday when he missed a penalty during his side's 1-0 victory over Turkish club Trabzonspor in the Europa League playoff round first leg.
The next man in charge faces an unenviable task trying to sort out the existing mess and then living up to goals that seem ever more distant.
Joint-leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool both dropped points on a busy day of English Premier League action as Leicester City and Southampton narrowed the gap in what is shaping up to be one of the most open title races for years.
UEFA president Lennart Johansson supports the principle that a club winning the Champions League must be allowed to defend their title.
Liverpool did not reveal the transfer fee but Southampton announced it was "a new world-record for a defender" with English media reporting that it was a 75 million pounds ($100.49 million) deal.
Liverpool target Chelsea after midweek tinkering, while third-placed Manchester City, whose hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage were dealt a severe blow in a humiliating 2-1 home defeat by CSKA Moscow on Wednesday, travel south to face struggling Queens Park Rangers.
To miss UEFA Super Cup match against Chelsea
Liverpool and Juventus, forced into the indignity of beginning their season in the Europa League qualifying rounds, both won 2-0 away on Thursday as European club football ventured into deepest Siberia.
Free from the extra burden of European football, Liverpool have a strong chance to win the Premier League this season under a "ruthless" Juergen Klopp, according to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. Liverpool, who finished eighth in the league standings last season, are fourth in the table this campaign, having beaten Arsenal, Chelsea and champions Leicester City in their opening seven games.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard would have nearly swapped his home team for Chelsea nine years ago if he had gone ahead with a decision that reportedly rocked English football temporarily.
It was not so much the maths, though Liverpool's nine-point advantage over defending champions City, with one point less over Leicester City and Chelsea, is a significant gap, especially as Juergen Klopp's side have lost one league game in 18 months.
Following is reaction to the sacking of Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who was dismissed by the Premier League club on Tuesday.
Here are the top-10 highest paid soccer players according to Forbes.
Champions Liverpool were ripped apart 7-2 at Aston Villa and Manchester United were humiliated 6-1 at home by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in one of the most astonishing days of Premier League results.
Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
I feel in a very good place, physically and mentally. Every day, I feel better in this club, says Luis Suarez.
The Gunners' only league defeat of the campaign was in September away to one of England's traditional top-six clubs, Manchester United, drawing criticism that their strong start to the season was based on wins against lesser opposition.
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Liverpool are determined to end the trend of selling their best players during the close season in order to build a squad capable of consistently challenging for major honours, manager Juergen Klopp said.
Salah back in Liverpool squad but may not be risked at Genk, says Klopp
Liverpool will feel the weight of increased expectation to deliver silverware this season after making encouraging forays into the transfer market, manager Juergen Klopp said.
Manchester United have condemned an attack on the home of the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward by a group of hooded individuals appearing to throw red flares over the gate. A video posted on social media showed the group gathered outside the house in Cheshire chanting threats towards Woodward, who is married with two children.
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2015 couldn't have started any worse for a Liverpoool fan as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will leave the club.
Britain said it had imposed asset freezes on Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich
La Liga champions Real Madrid beat Getafe 3-1 on Saturday with a goal from Gareth Bale and two strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo to go 12 points behind leaders Barcelona and warm up for next week's Champions League game at Paris St Germain.
Liverpool have fined Uruguay striker Luis Suarez an undisclosed amount for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend but will not sack him, the Premier League club said on Monday.
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This is the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list in eight years.
Liverpool full back Nathaniel Clyne is eager to end Manchester United's Europa League campaign after losing both Premier League matches against their arch rivals for a second successive season. English football's most successful clubs meet for the first time in Europe on Thursday in the first leg of their last-16 clash at Anfield, with Liverpool aiming for revenge after a 1-0 home loss in January and 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford in September. "I think we owe them from the Premier League games, which we probably should have got more out of. But we have time now to put things right and progress through the cup," Clyne told British media.
Bayern's Mazraoui suffers heart complications due to COVID
Qatar will begin sifting through fan feedback from the Club World Cup to see how it can provide supporters with a successful World Cup in 2022, but cultural differences will be a tricky challenge to surmount. Drinking and partying can be a tricky concept in a country with strict restrictions on alcohol consumption and low tolerance for rowdiness.
Here is a look at the clubs most likely to give City a run for their money next season.
For the first time in 10 years, four English clubs have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Images from the Champions League football matches played on Wednesday night.
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'The most worrying fact is that young people are becoming less and less interested in football. The current competitions, as designed today, do not attract spectators' interest, except in the final stage.'
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