Liverpool are still working behind the scenes to appoint a new manager to replace Jurgen Klopp ahead of next season

Fulham have a “sensational” player who Liverpool need to be worried about this weekend, but the Reds are still being backed to win handsomely.

Jurgen Klopp‘s side head to Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, knowing that anything other than a win would feel demoralising.

Liverpool take on a Fulham side with little to play for between now and the end of the season, but they are capable of being a big threat on their day.

The Cottagers have already won at home to Arsenal this season and another below-par Reds performance could easily lead to a bad result.

Ahead of Sunday’s match, Henry Jackson spoke to Fulham fan and journalist Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) to discuss the season to date, the weekend clash and much more.

Since we last spoke in December, have things got better or worse?

Things have stayed about the same, which is a good thing!

There are still major holes in midfield that must be addressed in the summer, but the emergence of Rodrigo Muniz up front has been sensational.

Replacing Aleksandar Mitrovic with an academy product is something nobody saw coming, and it saves the club a boatload of money they can spend at other positions.

There have been some great results and some awful performances, but that will happen in today’s Premier League.

Overall, it’s a positive end to the season to not be part of the relegation battle, even if Fulham seem to have headed to the beach a bit earlier than we would have liked.

Who have been Fulham’s best and worst players this season?

Incredibly, Willian and Bobby Reid have been great yet again, despite both being over 30 years old. Their contributions have been huge to keeping this club afloat and pushing it forward.

Bernd Leno hasn’t quite been able to recreate his season-long heroics from last year, but he’s done just fine, and the emergence of Muniz has been a wonderful bonus.

Alex Iwobi has been wonderful in his first season as a low-risk, high-reward signing, while the emergence of Tosin Adarabioyo has been massive.

The club has a number of valuable assets that they can hopefully cash in on in the near future, such as Tosin, Joao Palhinha and Antonee Robinson, and reinvest accurately.

On the flip side, the midfield has been a mess. Palhinha may leave this summer if Bayern Munich are still interested, and there are very few remaining assets in the middle who inspire confidence in next season.

Is Silva still the right man for the job?

Marco Silva is absolutely the man for the job.

The list of players who have overperformed anyone’s expectations for them under Silva grows by the month.

He is tactically adept and has the versatility to adapt as a season goes on. He can navigate an injury crisis well and he can develop talent and get the most out of mediocre players.

There is no coaching search at Craven Cottage this summer, and rightly so.

How do you assess Liverpool’s title hopes?

Oh my. We were all counting on you and Arsenal to give us something different, but you both botched it!

Man City winning another title would be the biggest bore, but sadly, it has that same feeling of inevitability as when they finally passed Arsenal last season.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, it feels as if the Gunners are better equipped to challenge City than you are, given the massive injuries Jurgen Klopp has been forced to navigate.

The more Liverpool played with fire late in games, the more it felt like this slip was inevitable.

Given the injuries and other squad constraints, the job Klopp has done this season is nothing short of remarkable, but it feels as if there are too many roadblocks to the Premier League title.

The one thing going for them is if they are eliminated from the Europa League, they won’t have to worry about navigating European football at the same time down the stretch, which does matter.

Who would you like to see win the league?

Anyone but City at this point – let’s have some fun shall we?

There is no reason to have the same nation-state-owned club winning every year.

From a neutral, journalistic point of view, either Arsenal or Liverpool winning would provide plenty of interesting storylines, but I think I’ve had enough of City for now.

As for Sunday, where will the key battles take place?

For Fulham, it always starts with Pahlinha, who needs to be a rock in the middle against Liverpool’s exceptional transitional play.

Robinson and Timothy Castagne (Kenny Tete? Probably not) will have their hands full on the outside and need to limit the times they are beaten one-on-one.

Going forward, if Pereira doesn’t have it through the middle, which is usually a coin flip, they will need to rely on Iwobi to run transitions and create danger in the attacking third.

This game has the potential to be a track meet just like it was in the reverse fixture which ended 4-3.

Fulham put in a fantastic shift that match and Liverpool will have to be far sturdier to avoid another slip in the title chase.

Still, if they bang one in early, Fulham have the potential to collapse, especially now that their season is essentially over.

If you could only have one Liverpool player at Fulham, who would it be?

Oh man, where to start?

It’s got to be Alexis Mac Allister, who I’ve repeatedly yelled about being far too underrated as a ‘Signing of the Season’ candidate.

The Argentine is just 25 years old and has been exceptional all year long in both phases of play – a true No. 8 star in midfield.

Watching the difference between Liverpool last season and this season starts and ends with the influence of Mac Allister in midfield.

Of course, Mohamed Salah is a star, but the way Mac Allister has single-handedly turned around Liverpool’s midfield — which was swiss cheese last season — has put stars (and dollar signs) in my eyes.

Finally, what’s your prediction?

Fulham have been so inconsistent over the past two months that it’s been tough to predict which version of the Whites will show up, but as the end of the season nears, they’ve been more and more mentally soft.

If Liverpool can crack the lid off the goal early, they have the potential to run away with this. With the club having suffered a few adverse results of late, it will be hard to keep them down for long.

Liverpool should come away as 3-1 or 4-1 winners in the end.

Of course, if Willian scores a stunner and Pereira has one of his trademark masterclasses, and Liverpool miss a few chances (which they’re prone to lately), it could end very differently.

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Наставник "Ливерпуля" Юрген Клопп заявил, что его команде нужно провести концовку сезона "близко к идеалу", чтобы рассчитывать на завоевание титула Премьер-Лиги.

За шесть матчей до завершения сезона Премьер-Лиги "Ливерпуль" находится в двух очках позади лидирующего "Манчестер Сити".

В 2019 и 2022 годах "Ливерпуль" уступал "Сити" титул с разницей в одно очко, однако этот опыт не отбил у Клоппа желание попытаться снова.

"Мы уже были в этом положении прежде, и в конце концов мы не выигрывали лигу. Мы уступали очко и все такое. Какого рода опыт это был? Мы знаем, каково это, но это не приносило нам титул. Этот опыт не является решающим фактором".

"Хорошо знать, что ты хорош и можешь создавать проблемы другим командам. Но одна вещь ясна: если вы хотите стать чемпионами Премьер-Лиги, вам нужно быть близко к идеалу, а если вы неидеальны, тогда вам нужно реагировать на неудачи лучшим из возможных способов или идеальным способом. Это то, что мы делаем сейчас. Нам нужно начать исправлять положение".

"Думаю, если мы выиграем все свои оставшиеся матчи, у нас будут хорошие шансы стать чемпионом. Если нет, будут хорошие шансы, что чемпионом станет кто-то другой. Возможно, нам хватит и пяти побед, но никто не знает. Кто мог предсказать, что "Арсенал" проиграет "Астон Вилле"? Нам все еще предстоит отправиться туда, и это не самый мой любимый выезд".

"Все мы сидим здесь и думаем: "Да, окей, "Сити" выиграет все свои матчи". И это случалось довольно частно, но у них много матчей, и их ждут сложные соперники. Мы не думаем об этом. Мы не думаем о них. Нам просто нужно снова начать выигрывать матчи", — цитирует Клоппа Liverpool Echo.

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Нас ожидает крутейший уикенд! Вместе с вами создаём рейтинг интереса.

Moments you may not have spotted during Liverpool's Europa League clash with Atalanta on Thursday

Moments you may not have spotted during Liverpool's Europa League clash with Atalanta on Thursday

Центральный защитник дортмундской «Боруссии» Матс Хуммельс саркастически отреагировал на вылет клубов, представляющих чемпионат Англии, из Лиги чемпионов и Лиги Европы, состоявшийся на этой неделе.

Jones Knows takes aim at the football feast across the weekend in the Premier League and the FA Cup, sprinkling his betting insight and analysis across the card.

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Защитник "Ливерпуля" Трент Александер-Арнольд заявил, что его команда словно вручила титул Премьер-Лиги "Манчестер Сити", проиграв дома "Кристал Пэлас".

Поражение 0:1 от "Пэлас" в прошлый уикенд отбросило "Ливерпуль" на третье место и позволило "Манчестер Сити" возглавить таблицу Премьер-Лиги за шесть матчей до конца.

Александер-Арнольд ожидает, что "Сити" выиграет эти шесть матчей, но в то же время призывает "Ливерпуль" был наготове, если "горожане" вдруг оступятся.

"Арсенал" переживал это, мы переживали это два или три раза — когда участвуешь в чемпионской гонке с "Сити", они граничат с идеалом".

"Ты не можешь поскользнуться или допускать ошибки. Если ты даешь им преимущество, они не дрогнут в такие моменты. Они выглядят неуязвимо. Они как хорошо смазанная машина".

"Это то, что они делают. Как только у них пошла игра, их не остановить. Дать им это преимущество за шесть матчей до конца — это почти то же самое, как вручить им титул. Мы лишь можем надеяться, что кто-нибудь сделает нам одолжение, и наращивать свою разницу мячей".

"У нас остается шесть матчей, и они быстро пролетят. Наша цель — выиграть каждый матч. Это все, что мы можем сделать. Это будет сложно, но в последние недели я видел, что даже один результат может изменить соотношение шансов. В Премьер-Лиге может случиться всякое".

"У них великолепная команда. В данный момент сложно думать, что они не выиграют оставшиеся матчи, имея такой состав и такого тренера. Но в Премьер-Лиге случались и более странные вещи", — сообщил Александер-Арнольд Sky Sports.

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The FA announced on Thursday that FA Cup replays would be scrapped from the first round onwards from next season

The FA announced on Thursday that FA Cup replays would be scrapped from the first round onwards from next season

Liverpool’s search for a new manager has the club resolved to be “brave over popular” with their appointment, with three candidates already ruled out.

The narrative of Liverpool’s hunt for a successor to Jurgen Klopp has already taken a number of turns since the news of his resignation in January.

Xabi Alonso became the immediate favourite for the job, but the club kept their own counsel when it came to rumours, with the confirmation that he would stay at Bayer Leverkusen seemingly less of a shock to them.

Brighton‘s Roberto De Zerbi was another early front-runner, but it is now widely reported that he is not under consideration.

Friday brought the news that Julian Nagelsmann has extended his contract as Germany manager, while earlier in the week, ex-Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac publicly dismissed claims he was in the running.

Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim is now the overwhelming favourite, but The Athletic‘s David Ornstein insists Liverpool are “prepared to be brave over popular” with their choice.

Amorim, he insists, is “not a shoo-in” for the job, which indicates that, at least where the media is concerned, no decision has been made yet.

The notion of being “brave over popular” could lead Liverpool to a shock candidate, though from an outside perspective there seem few viable options.

It has been maintained that, benefiting from the input of director of research William Spearman and new arrivals Michael Edwards (CEO of Football) and Richard Hughes (sporting director), the search will be data-led.

Whether that could lead them to a left-field target such as Bournemouth‘s Gary O’Neil, for example, would certainly fit into the “brave over popular” mantra.

O’Neil is now fourth-favourite among bookmakers, behind only Amorim, De Zerbi and Bologna manager Thiago Motta, but there would be major question marks over his credentials.

Interestingly, odds have shortened in recent days when it comes to Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, while Thomas Tuchel, Unai Emery and Vitor Pereira, who currently coach of Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab, are also deemed in the frame.

Sources in Portugal have been adamant that Amorim is the primary candidate and even that talks had progressed with the 39-year-old’s representatives.

But perhaps the key takeaway when it comes to Ornstein’s update is that, when it comes to Liverpool’s new manager pursuit, the club are simply giving nothing away.

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been talking ahead of his team's Premier League visit to Fulham on Sunday

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been talking ahead of his team's Premier League visit to Fulham on Sunday

It's been a bad week for English clubs in Europe, but a fifth Champions League spot is not impossible – Aston Villa are the only hope

Бывший нападающий «Ливерпуля» и сборной Англии Питер Крауч подвёл итоги ответного матча 1/4 финала Лиги Европы между мерсисайдцами и «Аталантой» (1:0).

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Fulham head coach Marco Silva believes his squad is in the best place they could be, as he aims to make life difficult for Liverpool on Sunday.

Fulham head coach Marco Silva believes his squad is in the best place they could be, as he aims to make life difficult for Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains positive about their place in the title race and still believes if they win all remaining six matches they will be Premier League champions again.

A difficult run of results – starting with a draw at Manchester United and followed by home defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace – ended with a 1-0 Europa League victory in Bergamo but that could not prevent their exit from the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.

A first clean sheet in 10 matches was a boost to confidence, especially as they continue to struggle to find their best form at the other end of the pitch, and Klopp thinks the two-point gap to leaders Manchester City can be overhauled with a perfect run in.

“It’s not obviously in our hands, it is not about that,” said Klopp.

“I think if we would win all our games there is a good chance we will be champion. If not there is a good chance someone else will be champion.

“Maybe we only have to win five, but nobody knows. Who would have thought that Arsenal lose against Aston Villa?

“We all sit here and think ‘OK, yeah. City will win all their games’ and that’s happened quite frequently, but they have a lot of games to play and difficult opponents as well.

“We don’t think about that. We don’t think about them. It is just how can we make sure we start winning games again.”

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Over the course of their recent rivalry, Liverpool have had a couple of seasons where the race to the line with City has seen them miss out by just a point despite matching each other win-for-win for the majority of the run in.

But Klopp said that experience was not necessarily as positive as onlookers may believe.

“When we were in the position we didn’t win the league in the end. We lost by a point and stuff like that. What kind of experience is that?” he added.

“We know how to get there – and then don’t [win]. It’s not about that.

“It’s good to know that you are good and you can cause other teams problems.

“But the thing is clear: if you want to be champion in the Premier League you have to be close to perfect and if you are not perfect you have to deal with the setbacks in the best possible way or in a perfect way.

“That is what we are now doing. We had a setback week with three games we didn’t like too much, the results especially, and now we have to start turning it around.”

Key to turning things around will be a change in fortunes in front of goal.

Three goals in their last four matches has stalled their progress with the forwards failing to take numerous opportunities they have created.

Mohamed Salah, whom Klopp defended after he missed a key chance to make it 2-0 against Atalanta, has scored six – two of which were penalties – in 11 matches since returning from two months out with a hamstring injury.

Luis Diaz has two in eight games, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have just one in their last seven, while Diogo Jota has yet to find the net in three appearances since returning injury.

“We had good moments and had an awful lot of chances, and didn’t use one of them more of less,” said Klopp.

“That’s not great but the worst thing in football is not to have chances. It is better you deal with chances you miss than you have no chances.

“That’s why I’m absolutely positive and after processing things properly, yeah, I’m more than happy with the situation.”

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Капитан и защитник «Ливерпуля» Вирджил ван Дейк ожидает, что мерсисайдцам удастся добиться успеха в заключительных матчах нынешнего сезона.