Klopp is very worried
Man City remains on the heels of troubled Liverpool
February 21, 2024, 1:42 a.m
For a long time, Manchester City struggled to catch up against FC Brentford, but in the end the English football champions can rely on goal monster Erling Haaland. Meanwhile, the situation for the league leaders doesn’t look so good. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp “obviously” sees problems.
English football champions Manchester City have reduced the gap to league leaders Liverpool FC in the Premier League title race. The Skyblues won the catch-up game against Brentford FC 1-0 (0-0) and moved within one point of team manager Jürgen Klopp’s Reds. Erling Haaland (71st) once again made the decision.
In the Champions League, defending champion City is about to reach the quarter-finals after winning 3-1 in the first leg against blatant outsiders FC Copenhagen. Star coach Pep Guardiola’s team is also still in the running in the FA Cup.
The favorites only slowly got going in the evening, then the chances to score increased – but something worthwhile was still a long time coming. After the break, City struggled for a long time to threaten the goal again. Only a counterattack via Haaland brought the decision.
Liverpool FC is now very worried
Meanwhile, Klopp is fighting for four titles on his farewell tour with major personnel concerns and has to be without his attacker Diogo Jota for a long time. It will “take months” until the Portuguese, who injured his knee, is available again, said the German team manager. The personnel situation was “not great,” said Klopp.
In addition to Jota, who has scored five goals and prepared four more in the ten competitive games since the beginning of the year, he will be eliminated in the next Premier League game on Wednesday (8.30 p.m./Sky) against Luton Town and in the English League Cup final on Sunday (4 p.m./DAZN) Also out against Chelsea FC were goalkeeper Alisson (muscle injury) and Curtis Jones (ankle). Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) and Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh) are “on the way back” but are not back in team training yet. The long-term injured Thiago and Joel Matip are also missing.
“I would like to sit here and say we don’t have any problems. But obviously we do,” said Klopp. The coach did not want to comment specifically on striker Darwin Núñez, who, like Jota and Jones, left the field injured in the 4-1 win at Brentford FC. Before the announced departure of the former Bundesliga coach, Liverpool is still in the running as leaders of the Premier League in the Europa League and the FA Cup.