KLOPP’S SETS UP
ARSENAL have landed a defender who reads the game as well as Virgil van Dijk in left-back Kieran Tierney.
That’s the view of former Scotland boss Gordon Strachan, the man who handed the 22-year-old his first international cap.
Arsenal’s £25million summer signing from Celtic (below) is set to make his Premier League debut for the Gunners in tomorrow’s clash with Manchester United.
His first start for Arsenal was on Tuesday, in the 5-0 League
Cup thumping of Nottingham Forest.
Tierney made such an impression on the Emirates DINAMO ZAGREB hotshot Mislav Orsic has warned Manchester City: “We believe in miracles.”
Orsic (right) smashed a hat-trick in the 4-0 Champions League romp over Atalanta.
Ahead of Tuesday’s daunting trip to the Etihad, the new Croatia international said: “Despite their undoubted quality, City are not from another planet. ” MANCHESTER CITY are preparing for life after Pep Guardiola after giving Dutch coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst (right) an access-all-areas role at the club.
Van Bronckhorst, 44, has spent the last month working behind the scenes after being persuaded by City chiefs to ditch his plan to take a year-long sabbatical after stepping down as Feyenoord boss at the end of last season.
The Premier League champions claim their relationship with the former Barcelona, Arsenal and
Rangers faithful that he left the field to a standing ovation.
Strachan believes that performance was only a taster. He said: “His understanding of danger is magnificent. He reminds me of Virgil van Dijk in that way.
“I’d love to see some analysis on how many times he intercepts or clears the ball in the box. “He thinks like a forward, so he understands what they’re going to do. “You could have six attackers and just him, and Kieran could still sniff the danger and get the ball.” midfielder is an informal arrangement. But it is understood that City approached Van Bronckhorst – who has signed a contract and is on the payroll. Guardiola’s contract with City expires in summer 2021. And, after seeing Manchester United flounder after Sir Alex Ferguson retired, the Spanish executives who run City want to put a succession plan in place. Van Bronckhorst will spend the next year getting to know the inner workings of the club. WEST HAM are set to slap a UK record £100million tag on Declan Rice to price him out of a move to Manchester United.
United failed to tempt the Hammers into selling Rice (right) last summer.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked again in January with Paul Pogba expected to make another bid to leave Old Trafford.
The Hammers don’t want to sell the England star who they value as their most prized asset. Rice is happy in East
London and isn’t pushing for a move.
Solskjaer could now decide Leicester’s James Maddison is a better option.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has also been keeping close tabs on Rice, 20.
LIVERPOOL’S perfect start to the Premier League season continued as they weathered a storm against Sheffield United to make it seven straight victories. “Winning on the cloudy days is especially valuable,” was the verdict of manager Jurgen Klopp, the master of the perfect phrase as well as a champion team. “These games they are not all beauties – and you have to work hard for the results.
“You have to respect the opponent. It was one of those games you have to win but not think about too much.”
Liverpool were lucky at Bramall Lane.the only goal was scored by Giniwijnaldum in the 70th minute – but it was an almighty howler from United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
The volleyed shot from the edge of the box was innocuous, but the keeper allowed it to slip through his hands and his legs and then squirm over the line.
Klopp conceded that his team had been fortunate yesterday, adding: “We had luck for the goal, that’s obvious. But did they fight more than us? No. Did they run more than us? No.
“That is very important.we can play better, yes that’s true, but this was a tough game.
“A draw would have been the deserved result for us and for Sheffield, but we have three points and we are happy.
“For sure our defence deserves credit.you have to stay in the game sometimes.there is a proper unit here at Sheffield United.the players, manager and crowd are all together. You are facing a wall.
“The way they play and the way they fight is so good.they can be a really uncomfortable opponent for any team.”
Klopp also praised his rival manager Chris Wilder, saying: “He is really animated. He is loud. I am WEST Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini angrily accused Eddie Howe’s bench of pressurising the referee yesterday.
Pellegrini was fuming after a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth – and had to be separated from Howe during a heated exchange.when asked about the argument, Howe claimed they were merely discussing “one of ten VAR calls” during the match.
Pellegrini blasted Howe’s No2, Jason Tindall, for harassing the officials throughout. The Chilean rapped: “Their assistant doesn’t need to do those kind of things because it’s not fair for the referee.”
Howe insisted: “They weren’t heated words.we were discussing a fewvar calls.”