Klopp's ready for Sunday's encounter with Arsenal

Jurgen Klopp is looking forward to Arsenal’s visit on Sunday following his successful draw at Chelsea.

Leaving Mo Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson on the bench was risky but Klopp was happy with the way his team performed. He says it has given Liverpool “a basis for the rest of the season”.

He also said: “A point gained. It was an away game. It was not the most spectacular game I’ve ever seen… I decided to make six changes and against a good team that can be a problem, three in the last line which is always a challenge for the players."

It is a step in the right direction and gives me a lot to think about for the game against Arsenal. They are flying and in incredible shape and playing super football. But we are there and it’s a home game and our home record is not as bad as our away record. If we are difficult to beat we can win this game but if not, Arsenal will run over us.”

Liverpool’s midfield has been a concern for some time and with Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita not available. Stefan Bajcetic and Arthur Melo are also not likely to be considered and it will once again be up to the ageing pair of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to hold the midfield.

Mo Salah will almost certainly regain his place whereas Klopp has a difficult decision to make before Sunday because Joe Gomez played well against Chelsea and Alexander-Arnold is not a definite starter.

Mikel Arteta says William Saliba is doubtful for the match despite his hope that the centre-back would recover from a back injury. He has not returned to training in case it affected his recovery. Saliba was injured in the Europa League defeat to Sporting three weeks ago.

Arteta hinted that Rob Holding will continue to control the centre of defence alongside Gabriel adding that he is fully aware that Anfield is always a difficult place for the Gunners to win.

Chelsea’s current thinking on new coach

I noticed Chelsea legend and ex-coach Frank Lampard was in the VIP seats for the Liverpool game on Tuesday and of course rumours quickly spread. After a hurried meeting with owner Todd Boehly, Lampard was told his services are required until the end of the season when a permanent coach will be appointed.

He is hoping to be on the hot seat for this weekend’s clash with Wolves. Chelsea say they will not rush and make another mistake and the search for Graham Potter’s replacement will probably take until the end of the season.

Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, Ruben Amorin and even Zinedine Zidane have been mentioned. However, my sources close to Zidane said he was very cool about the possibility of joining if approached.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has more or less been ruled out. Nagelsmann would undoubtedly revamp the midfield and much would be expected from N’Golo Kante because the 35-year-old German’s coaching philosophy is very much centred around high-intensity pressure in midfield and possession football.

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving PSG in France and is the fans’ favourite. Luis Enrique flew to the UK from Spain on Wednesday and I understand he has impressed the Chelsea management with his vision and approach if he takes charge of the Blues.

United’s plans for summer clear-out

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has urged the Manchester United board to be more ruthless in their summer clear-out of unwanted players as he plans to rebuild his squad. United made only two sales last summer and brought in five new arrivals. Harry Maguire, Brandon Williams, Alex Telles and Anthony Martial will be sold.

Eric Bailly will join Marseille, where he is currently on loan provided he plays the required number of games to trigger a contractual obligation by the French club. Jadon Sancho is also not safe as Ten Hag is becoming increasingly frustrated with him and he has started only five times in five months.

United do not plan to sell Scott McTominay despite interest from Newcastle because he is the youngest of four senior midfielders. Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri will probably be loaned out and I have heard that Ten Hag will bring 20-year-old Amad Diallo back from Sunderland, where he is on loan.

Equally unsure of his future is Mason Greenwood and the club have not decided whether to keep him after his legal problems over the past year. Going forward the club plans to spend huge sums of money in an attempt to bring Tottenham’s Harry Kane to Old Trafford and either Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona or Jude Bellingham.

A new centre-back is being discussed but that depends on what happens with Maguire and Victor Lindelof. Negotiations are continuing to keep David De Gea at Old Trafford but on a reduced salary which was adjusted down by 25 per cent this season since United failed to get into the Champions League.

Grealish reaching new heights of excellence

Who is the most important player at Manchester City at the moment? Many would argue that Jack Grealish is playing so well that he is the best. Grealish has taken time to settle into Pep Guardiola’s team and has accepted his time on the substitute’s bench. He has shown patience and eagerness to learn exactly what the coach wants from him.

It was the same for the brilliant Bernado Silva, who struggled in his first season at City and Riyad Mahrez also took time to settle. Both players have spent time advising Grealish on how to conduct himself in training, learning from the maestro Guardiola and it has paid off.

Last weekend, the £100m-signing ran Liverpool ragged. What has pleased Guardiola the most, despite Grealish’s superb forward play, is his willingness to get back to help the defence.

Silva said: “We talk a lot about these things and people think you are going to come into a club, start every game and perform miracles. It doesn’t work that way. The manager demands a lot from us and his style of play is different to other teams.” 

He believes that City are now playing their best football of the season, adding: “Although Arsenal can win the title, we are going to fight until the very end.”

Gallagher and Mount interest Liverpool

Conor Gallagher’s name is being mentioned at Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his midfield this summer. The Red’s recruitment team have been drawing up a list of potential signings and Gallagher’s name appears near to the top.

The 23-year-old is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer since Chelsea have to meet the Financial Fair Play regulations after spending almost £500million under new owner Todd Boehly.

Gallagher’s high-energy, all-action style of play suits Jurgen Klopp’s approach. Chelsea valued him at £40million in January but the influx of new players means they will probably accept less. Liverpool still want Jude Bellingham and also have Mason Mount and Wolves holding midfielder Matheus Nunes in their sights.

Mount has still not agreed to a new contract at Chelsea, who are finding it hard to accept his £200k-a-week (£10million a year) demands. Bayern Munich’s 20-year-old international Ryan Gravenberch and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes are also of interest but they recognise that Bruno is unlikely to be released as Eddie Howe is still improving his own squad.

Chaos reigns at Chelsea, again

In truth, Graham Potter was never going to succeed as the coach of Chelsea. He did not have elite management experience and dealing with world-renowned players such as Thiago Silva, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling etc was difficult for him.

Team sessions on Sunday or Monday mornings were quiet, analysis of player and team performances were not examined properly and Potter was more like a student rather than the teacher.

Senior players found it hard to support him and he was never accepted by the fans, who felt the club should have signed an elite coach in the same class as Thomas Tuchel. A win against Villa last weekend was not only expected but demanded by the hierarchy and when Potter failed to deliver yet again, he was doomed as the Blue’s coach.

There was a meeting on Saturday evening at Stamford Bridge with senior management attending but no decision was made to sack Potter. Another hurriedly arranged meeting on Sunday morning, which lasted until lunchtime, decided his fate and a statement was released that he was no longer the coach.

The media was caught by surprise because Chelsea said Potter would be taking Sunday’s press interviews. However, that quickly changed and interim coach Bruno Salter took over.

At 3 pm, the club confirmed they had parted company with Potter in an announcement made by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who both advised the sacking.

Chelsea players were shocked because they had not been told and many supported him despite the fact that he was making some strange decisions recently. He was appreciated for his emotional intelligence and close contact with players because he always explained to them his decisions and especially if they were not selected for a particular game.

He definitely had not lost the dressing room. However, those strange decisions, poor results, the lower half of the table position and a general feeling that Potter had not progressed the club during his time at Stamford Bridge, all contributed to the Blues’ decision to part ways with the ex-Brighton man.

Henderson looking for a new club

Word is that Dean Henderson is unlikely to play for Manchester United again. He has spent all this season out on loan at Nottingham Forest despite earning £100k-a-week.

Tottenham have been mentioned him as a possible replacement for Hugo Lloris between the posts. Henderson’s contract ends in 2024/25 but he is looking for permanent game time which he had hoped for at Forest but the arrival of Kaylor Navas changed that. At 26, Dean is viewed by many as a future England keeper. However, regular top-flight football is essential to achieve his ambition.

Doucoure and Simms important for Dyche

Despite Abdoulaye Doucoure’s red card for his assault on Tottenham striker Harry Kane during the week, he still plays a big part in coach Sean Dyche’s plans. Doucoure was on the verge of leaving Everton in January because Frank Lampard cut his game time. Dyche immediately restored the central midfielder to the starting line-up and his form has dramatically improved.

His contract expires in a couple of months but the Toffees have the option to extend that by a further year. The decision belongs to Dyche. The coach praised the way Doucoure has embraced training and has worked hard to meet the demands of a new system.

Ellis Simms is Doucoure’s immediate stand in and the impressive youngster is doing very well. However, Dyche says: “Despite his goal against Chelsea and the fact that it was a huge game for us, he still has a lot of improvement and work to do. He’s adapting to what we are trying to do but there is no fast track. He is still learning how to use his body properly.”

Leicester face losing key players

Following the sacking of Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, chairman Aiywatt Srivaddhanaprabha is desperate to find a replacement who can save the Foxes from the dreaded drop into the Championship.

If the club are relegated, they face losing a host of star players. The fact is that the club could not afford to keep them. The 2016 champions find themselves just two points off the bottom of the table with ten games remaining.

The list includes captain Jonny Evans, Youri Tielemans, Daniel Amartey, Caglar Soyuncu, Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez and loanee Tete. Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will definitely be heading for Premier League teams. 

Those players will not want to play in a lower division and the club would also not be able to meet their wages. The visit of Bournemouth this weekend is a huge match but Leicester have to face Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool in their run-up to the end of the season and survival is going to be very tough.