Carlo Ancelotti does not feel like a champion yet despite Barcelona's shock defeat to Cadiz putting Real Madrid on the brink of reclaiming LaLiga.

Madrid visit Osasuna on Wednesday with the chance to go 18 points clear at the summit.

They will win LaLiga as soon as Sunday should they beat Osasuna, Atletico Madrid fail to defeat Granada and Barca fail to win their next two games against Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano.

Even if Atletico and Barca continue to pick up results, Madrid have a healthy advantage to protect over the final weeks of the season and still have the opportunity to win the title at Atleti next month.

But Ancelotti's focus remains only on the task at hand, with Madrid also having to juggle a two-legged Champions League semi-final with Manchester City along with their LaLiga commitments.

Ancelotti told a pre-match media conference: "I have too much experience to have this feeling [of being a champion]. 

"We are very close, but it is not over. We have a great opportunity tomorrow. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to get closer.

"Our calculation is simple. Three points against Osasuna and then three against Espanyol. If we need more, three against Atletico.

"I don't need to be a mathematician, I like history better."

Karim Benzema will play against Osasuna, though Luka Modric is set to be rested.

Casemiro will miss the Osasuna game after withdrawing from the squad with what Ancelotti labelled a "small problem".

The Brazil midfielder is expected to return for the first leg against City next Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel is still demanding "special things" from his Chelsea side despite third place in the Premier League appearing secure.

Chelsea reached the FA Cup final with victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, having crashed out of the Champions League following extra-time heartbreak against Real Madrid in their quarter-final tie.

But Tuchel's side look to have little to play for in the league, with top two Liverpool and Manchester City seemingly out of reach while Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United fight for fourth.

Chelsea are five points clear of fourth-placed Spurs, who have played two games more, and eight clear of Arsenal and United heading into the final weeks of the season.

But the former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund coach assured he wants more from his side ahead of a clash with Arsenal, who Chelsea could complete their first league double over since 2015-16.

"I'm not sure we don't become second or fourth," Tuchel told reporters at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday.

"So we will fight hard. We have a crucial four matches coming in a short period of time with Arsenal, West Ham, Man United and Everton.

"These are crucial matches for us given the task and what we want to achieve.

"It's a big challenge physically but mentally to dive into the main competition that is Premier League. It seems like things are pretty safe, but things can change so, so quickly.

"We want to demand it from the team, and it is challenging for everybody, but at the same time, it's what you sign up for when you sign up for Chelsea.

"We demand special things because we want to be a special group, we have the trust in the players that they can compete and overcome teams who are better prepared, have more days to prepare and less games in their legs.

"It's on us to push the standards and to push the level."

Chelsea have lost their past two home games in all competitions, against Brentford and Madrid, and will look to avoid a third straight defeat for the first time since November 1993, when the third reverse was against Arsenal.

However, the Blues could be forgiven for turning their attention elsewhere, with an FA Cup final against Liverpool coming in May.

Jurgen Klopp's side claimed victory on penalties when the two met in the EFL Cup final in February, and Tuchel acknowledged he will be out to make amends at Wembley Stadium.

"Of course, we feel it. It was only some weeks ago we lost in the same stadium," he said of the loss to Liverpool.

"In sports, if you lost against a team so recently, you want to turn things around quick. If you call it revenge or not, it doesn't matter, but we all have these competitive feelings."

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent for the Premier League trip to Liverpool following the death of his son.

Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez confirmed the loss of their son on Monday.

The pair were expecting twins, but United forward Ronaldo announced in a social media post that his baby boy had passed away, while the child's sister had survived.

"It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away," he wrote.

"It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.

"We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. 

"Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you."

Ralf Rangnick's side head to Anfield on Tuesday to face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, and Ronaldo will not be present after the heart-breaking announcement.

"Family is more important than everything and Ronaldo is supporting his loved ones at this immensely difficult time," a United club statement read.

"As such, we can confirm that he will not feature in the match against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday evening and we underline the family's request for privacy.

"Cristiano, we are all thinking of you and sending strength to the family."

Steph Curry is happy to have "healthy competition" from Jordan Poole, who has stepped into his shoes and produced an "incredible" impression of the two-time NBA MVP.

Long-time Golden State Warriors point guard Curry has started the postseason on the bench as he recovers from a foot injury, allowing Poole to make his first playoff starts.

The third-year guard scored 30 points in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, then 29 in Game 2, two wins to put the Warriors in control of the first-round series.

Poole is the first Warrior to score more than 25 points in each of his first two career playoff games; Curry, who also debuted against the Nuggets in 2013, had 19 and then 30.

The 22-year-old is merely picking up where he left off in the regular season, though, having averaged 18.5 points per game, up on 12.0 in 2020-21.

That ranked as the fifth-largest year-on-year improvement among those to play 58 games or more this season but was not enough to make Poole a finalist for Most Improved Player.

Shooting 65.5 per cent from the floor and 58.8 per cent from three so far in the postseason, however, Poole can have loftier ambitions moving forward, having drawn comparisons to one of basketball's greatest ever shooters.

"Jordan's doing some of the same stuff Steph does," Draymond Green said. "That's tough.

"You're going to game plan for Steph, you're going to game plan for Klay [Thompson], but now you've got to game plan for Jordan. That's a different beast.

"You're trapping Steph, okay, but if you're trapping Steph and you've got Jordan on the floor, too, it's hard to trap two guys."

Green added: "He's been watching Steph a lot. He's doing his best impression, and it is incredible."

Poole got plenty of shooting practice this year while Curry was limited to 64 games, and he edged his older team-mate in averaging 92.5 per cent from the foul line; Curry finished with 92.3 per cent free-throw shooting in the regular season.

Asked if Poole would now be taking technical free throws, however, Curry replied with a grin: "Never."

"I like that healthy competition, because I know he edged me out in the season-long race," he added. "We set high standards for shooting free throws, so it's going to take a lot more than one free-throw champ to get me off that line for techs."

But Curry has been amazed by Poole's progress, explaining: "The maturation of his game in these three years has been unbelievable. Just his confidence in his self to be able to take it up another notch at this stage, it's extremely impressive.

"You can give direction and the Xs and Os, but the player has to be able to go out there and do it.

"That's what JP's doing, night after night. That can't be taught. That's something you either have or you don't. I'm happy he has it."

Orlando City star Alexandre Pato suggested Milan technical director Paolo Maldini knows the striker is ready to return to San Siro.

Pato is plying his trade in MLS for Orlando, where he is contracted until December 2022, but hinted at his willingness to move back to Milan.

The Brazil international scored 51 goals in 177 appearances for the Rossoneri during his time in Serie A between 2007 and 2013 before joining Corinthians.

The 32-year-old believes he still has what it takes to compete in the Italian top flight, which Stefano Pioli's side lead by two points ahead of Inter, who have played a game fewer.

"Orlando is fine and I still have a contract, but Maldini knows it: I would be ready," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

"Now I have matured, I have a different attitude towards football and maybe I would be useful with the younger players.

"I miss Italy and the Italians, the warmth of the fans. I always say to my wife, 'one day I'll take you to Milan and you'll understand what I'm talking about'.

"For me it was a fundamental city: I learned many things and I miss everything about Milan. And I'd like to go back to Milan, after all in Italy there are many players who are older in Serie A."

Milan and Inter face off in their Coppa Italia semi-final return meeting on Tuesday, level at 0-0 from the first leg, and Pato cannot pick between the two sides.

"It's a difficult one and Milan can't make mistakes,” he said. "They can win the title and beating their rivals in Coppa Italia would give them extra motivation.

"Olivier Giroud is strong, Rafael Leao can make the right moves. The game will be open, it always is against Inter."

As for the future, Pato has great expectations for Milan under the stewardship of Pioli and Maldini.

"I played in a team full of champions," added Pato. "This Milan side is improving and has a bright future because they are building the team well."

Steph Curry was hailed as the "greatest sixth man ever in the playoffs" after a 34-point performance from the bench that made that case.

Two-time NBA MVP Curry is working his way back from a foot injury and has been kept out of the Golden State Warriors' lineup for their first two games against the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

The Warriors have won both, though, and Curry had a huge role to play in Game 2, scoring 34 points in just 23 minutes on 12-of-17 shooting to earn a plus/minus of 32.

"Jesus," said Draymond Green when he looked at the stat sheet. "Steph plus-32... that's incredible. Wow."

It was only Curry's fourth playoff appearance from the bench, and his 34 points still fell short of the 40 he scored against the Portland Trail Blazers in his first such appearance in 2016 – the most by any player coming off the bench in the postseason since at least 1985-86.

He has averaged 29.5 points across those four games, another record over that period.

The performance against the Blazers came in 37 minutes, however, with this latest display against the Nuggets the best performance by a bench player in 25 minutes or fewer. Only Paul George – 35 against the Dallas Mavericks in 2020 – has scored more in 25 playoff minutes as a starter.

"I'm back," Curry bellowed at one stage, later explaining: "In the first game, I didn't really feel normal, like I had the real flow. Then the first half [of Game 2] I had a little pep in my step and my body felt good.

"I was able to get to some spots, and when you make certain shots, it feels a little different. It feels a little bit more normal and more emotion comes out. It was a nice feeling."

Meanwhile, Jordan Poole, starting in Curry's place, followed up his 30 points in Game 1 with 29 in Game 2. Klay Thompson added 21.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said: "You have three guys that are capable of putting up 30, 40 points.

"Jordan Poole had 30 points in Game 1, he had 29 tonight. Steph Curry is the greatest sixth man ever in the playoffs. They bring a guy off the bench like that, 34 points, five threes... and then Klay Thompson."

The Warriors have an issue now, Green acknowledges, working out how to get all three guards into the same lineup.

"We're not going to keep Steph in the sixth man role, forget that," he said. "But saying that, ultimately, Jordan is probably going to have to start, too.

"Ultimately, we've got to figure a bunch of stuff out. It's a good problem to have, a great problem to have."

Green was happy to let Steve Kerr "figure that one out", but the coach is very pleased with Curry's attitude to returning to action on the bench.

"Steph is Steph," Kerr said. "You don't need to sell him on anything.

"He's very unique. He's incredibly humble and incredibly arrogant on the floor – humble off the floor, arrogant on the floor. It's a great combination. Anything that is going to help the team he's all for."

Manchester United must improve their squad in all areas except the goalkeeper if they are to compete, according to Ralf Rangnick.

Rangnick was placed in interim charge at Old Trafford following the dismissal of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in late November, though United's fortunes are yet to significantly change for the better.

The Red Devils sit three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and level with Arsenal, who have played a game fewer, in the race for Champions League football next season.

Qualifying for Europe remains the only way for United to salvage their campaign, after elimination from all the cup competitions and failure to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League.

The likes of Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire have all been regularly scrutinised with regard to the problems at United, and Rangnick believes wholesale investment is needed in the squad.

The German boss also suggested the next permanent managerial appointment, with Ajax coach Erik ten Hag widely expected to take charge, will be key for United in the transfer market.

"The players have to give their very best no matter who the next manager will be, and if he's announced in one or two or three weeks, I don't think that this affects the current situation we're in," he told Sky Sports.

"But yes, of course, it's important to know who will be the new manager, because to start the recruitment process, to find the best possible players only makes sense if you know who will be the manager and how does he want to play.

"There might be a couple of players – and I have already named those players to the board – that independent of formation, from style of football, and independent of a new manager, that could be of interest for a club like United.

"But in general, if you look at the size of the way the team needs to be rebuilt, I mean, it's not enough to bring in three or four new players. It will be more, bearing in mind how many players will no longer be here with the contracts running out."

David de Gea has been a rare bright spark for a below-par United side this season, and Rangnick believes the goalkeeper is the only position that does not warrant significant improvement.

"Yes, I think apart from the goalkeeping, we need to make sure that we improve the squad in all areas," he added. 

"To bring in players who really help the team to get better – again, it's about the profile. What kind of players do we need in order to play whichever kind of football we want to play?"

The former RB Leipzig head coach suggests United can learn from Liverpool, who they face on Tuesday at Anfield, regarding their investment and scouting.

"With Liverpool, it's clear why they are playing as aggressive as they do – it's since Jurgen [Klopp] arrived," he continued. 

"If you compare the squad that he inherited six years ago and compare it with the present, I think there are maybe four or five players still there.

"All the others signed since then have been signed exactly under those premises: how do we want to play? They have to be able and willing to run and sprint a lot. They have to be physical. They have to be technical. They have to be clinical. The profile for each position has been clear and that's why they are where they are.

"And here at Manchester United, this hasn't been the case with every change of manager. New players came in, but it was not under that pre-condition of how do we want to play, and this is for sure something that needs to be changed in the future, but this doesn't help us.

"Now we have to play with the players that we have available and get the best out of them. It will be difficult for us at Anfield. We know that we have to raise our level to the highest possible that we can.

"Our ambition is to win that game, and this is how we are going into it."

Manchester United must move away from having one manager run the club and instead appoint the "best possible head coach" with a skilled team around him.

That is according to Ralf Rangnick, who will take up a consultancy role at Old Trafford after his interim manager role at United concludes at the end of the season.

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is widely expected as the next permanent appointment, but Rangnick believes wholesale change is needed behind the scenes to set up the club for future success.

The German oversaw transformative innovation during his time at Hoffenheim and the two Red-Bull owned clubs: RB Leipzig and Salzburg. However, he remains uneasy with the managerial approach in England.

There is a preference to have a managerial figure lead clubs, like Alex Ferguson at United, but Rangnick insists success comes from the teams around these bosses, such as the set-up behind Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

"In Germany we have a head coach and then there is usually a minimum of two skilled people continuously in the club on a longer-term basis responsible for recruitment, scouting and any daily operation," Rangnick told Sky Sports News.

"They also bring in the right and best possible head coach for the team. This still hasn't got a big tradition here and so the job of a sporting director or director of football, only a few clubs have that.

"I know that for the future, and I think even more so for a big club like Manchester United, you can't put all those jobs and tasks and the whole responsibility only on the shoulder of one person – on the manager. I'm not sure if this can be dealt with by one person, no matter how good he is.

"I know Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea also have smart people who take care of recruitment, scouting, the medical department. 

"I think this is also an issue for our club, where they have to pay attention to."

Former Leipzig coach Rangnick will move into the background when Ten Hag, or any other manager, is appointed at United for next season.

Asked if he had offered the club any guidance, he said: "I've done that already after the first couple of weeks and regularly since then.

"I told the board members about what I have experienced so far and what I think are the important things we have to pay attention to and where we have to make sure that we maybe get better at.

"But right now my full focus is on the remaining six games that we have to play and that we hopefully play as successful as we can be. All the rest has to wait until the end of the season."

Jurgen Klopp urged Liverpool to fight for the "most important three points in your life" against Manchester United as the Reds aim to reach the Premier League summit.

Liverpool would, at least briefly, leapfrog Premier League leaders Manchester City with a draw at Anfield on Tuesday; Pep Guardiola's side are in action the next day against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Victory over United would move Klopp's side two points clear of reigning champions City, who suffered a 3-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool on Saturday to end their treble hopes.

United, meanwhile, have struggled once again this season and limped to a 3-2 victory over Norwich City last game, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.

While uncertainty surrounds Old Trafford, with Ajax coach Erik ten Hag widely expected to be named the next permanent United manager, Klopp warned his side of the dangers Ralf Rangnick's visitors will pose.

"We have to be angry in a good way, greedy, all these kind of things, like you are if you have won nothing and would be with nil points and it's the most important three points in your life," said Klopp.

"That's the attitude we need for this game. If we let United do [what they want] they will cause us massive problems.

"We have to be in the right mood, the people have to be in the right mood to really be ready to fight for the three points and not want to show we are in a better moment than United. Who is interested about that?

"There are times when you have better moments than other teams then you get a knock and that's it with the better moment. Who cares?

"They want the three points we need. That's that attitude we have to show."

A 5-0 hammering by Liverpool at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture in October contributed to United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being dismissed the following month, with Rangnick placed in interim charge.

Rangnick has been unable to significantly alter the fortunes of United, but thanks to slip-ups by Tottenham and Arsenal, the Red Devils sit just three points behind the Champions League qualification spots.

Klopp sympathises with his fellow German as he suggested there are no short-term solutions for major clubs.

"We had a similar situation when I started here," Klopp said. "We were not flying from the first day, let me say it like this, and you might have thought after six or seven weeks: 'Is it really much better than before?' 

"When you are in that situation, you just accept that you need all the steps. You cannot just put on a magic sprinkle and go from there.

"It is completely normal that expectations are always short-term, never long-term. You want the advantage now and forever, and not from five months on and forever. That is the problem we all have.

"That might be the situation there. But we don't face the team that has problems, we face Manchester United. The goalkeeper is world class, the last line absolute top, then [in midfield] I'm not sure if [Scott] McTominay and Fred can play and it might be [Paul] Pogba and [Nemanja] Matic.

"Then up front you can choose from [Jadon] Sancho, [Bruno] Fernandes, [Anthony] Elanga or [Marcus] Rashford. That's what we have to prepare for, not what happened last week."

Harry Maguire insists revenge for a 5-0 hammering by Liverpool will be Manchester United's motivation, not the damage they can do to the quadruple hopes of Jurgen Klopp's side.

Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick as a rampant Liverpool breezed past United at Old Trafford in October, contributing to the sacking of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the following month.

Liverpool have since lifted the EFL Cup, reached the FA Cup final by defeating Premier League leaders Manchester City, who they trail by one point in the league, and are in the Champions League last four against Villarreal.

Klopp's team have repeatedly quashed talks of the quadruple but could take another giant step towards an unprecedented achievement if they defeat Ralf Rangnick's side at Anfield on Tuesday.

That would leave them two points clear of Pep Guardiola's City, but United captain Maguire believes hampering Liverpool's quadruple hopes is not the main focus for the visitors.

"I don't think that's part of our motivation, to be honest," he said to Sky Sports.

"I think the motivation is going to Anfield, playing against Liverpool and winning a football match and getting three points for this club and the fans.

"The fans have stuck with us throughout this season, they turn up in their numbers wherever they go, they've been amazing in such a difficult season.

"For us to go to Anfield, perform well and get the three points, it would be a huge moment for us to give to the fans. So I think that's the big motivation for us."

Liverpool laid down a marker with their 5-0 thrashing at United, but performances since have further displayed the opposite trajectories of the two clubs, with 19 points separating them in the Premier League.

United could still qualify for the Champions League, though, sitting just three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and level with fellow top-four chasers Arsenal, who have played a game fewer.

And Maguire wants his team to set the record straight when they head to their fierce rivals in a bid to boost their European hopes.

"That was such a low point, the lowest point of the season, one of the lowest points of my career, and I'm sure the rest of the lads', without international football involved in that," he said of the 5-0 defeat.

"You don't need motivation to play in these games. It's such a big rivalry, when you join this club you know the rivalry, it's one of the biggest in the world.

"It's a game we've got to look forward to. We know we're going to have to play at our best to get something, and that's what we've got to prepare for."

Ralf Rangnick does not believe it will take "three or four years" for Manchester United to be back competing for the Premier League title, claiming the task ahead of the club "is not rocket science".

United head into Tuesday's game against Liverpool 19 points behind their rivals, who can move top of the table with a draw at Anfield.

The Red Devils have now not won the league in nine years since Alex Ferguson retired and have scarcely looked capable of troubling the genuine contenders.

This has been another difficult season and their future is far from certain, with United set to appoint a new manager – widely expected to be Erik ten Hag – in place of interim boss Rangnick at the end of the campaign.

But for all the pessimism around United's situation, Rangnick suggests it will not take a huge amount of work for the 20-time English champions to return to the top of the sport.

He cited Liverpool's turnaround under Jurgen Klopp as evidence of that.

"I don't think a club like Manchester United can afford to take three or four years in order to achieve that [competing for the title]," he said. "And I don't think that it is necessary.

"We spoke about Liverpool earlier on, how long it took for them.

"[It could happen] after two or three windows, if you know what you are looking for. If you don't know what, you'll always be looking for the needle in a haystack, but if you know what kind of football you want to play, what kind of profiles for each individual position, then it is about finding them. Not only finding them but convincing them to come.

"Liverpool at the time they finished eighth [in 2015-16]. The year after they didn't play [European] football at all, so the full focus in the second season of Jurgen was on the Premier League and the national cup competitions.

"Then it took, I don't know, two transfer windows. But even in the other transfer windows that came later on, they just made a lot of very, very good transfers and signings. This is what it's all about.

"It is not that complicated, it's not rocket science, but in order to have the best possible wind, you need to know where your destination haven is. If you don’t know that, it's always difficult."

Klopp ended Liverpool's 30-year wait for a title in 2019-20, but Rangnick believes the fix for United is too straightforward for them to endure a similar drought.

"[Thirty years] without a title? I suppose that this will not happen because it's pretty obvious what needs to be changed and that there needs to be a rebuild for the future," he said, "So I don't think that this will happen."

A lot of talk in recent weeks has centred around the burgeoning "rivalry" between Manchester City and Liverpool, with English football's two current leading lights doing battle on multiple fronts.

Liverpool got the better of City in the weekend's FA Cup semi-final, but they remain in a tussle for the Premier League title and could yet meet in a Champions League showdown – there's much to play for.

But while that rivalry has been borne out of competitiveness, the Liverpool matches that most – fans and neutrals alike – will continue to look out for are those with Manchester United.

Despite their historic successes and status as English football's most-successful teams, rarely in the modern era have they been competitive rivals like Liverpool are with City now – in fact, only once in the Premier League have the Reds and United finished as the top two. Invariably, if things are going well for one, the opposite is true for the other.

Ahead of Tuesday's clash at Anfield, the gulf is 19 points in the Premier League. Since Alex Ferguson's retirement, only once has there been a larger gap between the two ahead of their second meeting of the season.

After their 5-0 rout at Old Trafford in October, Liverpool are looking to complete the league double over United for the first time since 2013-14, while the Red Devils are winless in their last five league games at Anfield, netting just one goal in these matches. They last had a longer run without an away league win against their north west rivals between September 1970 and December 1979.

What makes the situation even worse for Ralf Rangnick's side is that it's difficult to escape from the idea that Liverpool are the club – in terms of how they're run and the success they're enjoying – that most United fans wish they were.

The template

Change is coming at Old Trafford. Whether it is for the better remains to be seen, but it would appear Erik ten Hag is set to be confirmed as United's next permanent manager in the coming weeks.

As highly rated as the Dutchman is, there is not masses of evidence to suggest anything will be better with him in charge. After all, under each of the four managers appointed in full-term roles since Ferguson, there are arguments to be made that they were not the biggest issue – rather, the club's hierarchy and decision-makers were.

Regardless of whether you agree with the decision or rate him as a coach, Rangnick's arrival as interim manager in November at least suggested United were attempting a cultural reset. Here was a "football man" with a track record of establishing certain processes and tactical setups at clubs coming in to potentially lay the groundwork for a rebuild.

But a lot of Rangnick's public advice to United has looked eerily like him pointing blatantly at Liverpool and saying: "Them, look at them. That's how you run a football club."

Klopp's arrival in 2015 was undoubtedly momentous. Liverpool had already shown promising signs in terms of their forward-thinking approach when initially hiring his predecessor Brendan Rodgers, as all the names reported to be on their shortlist when the current Leicester City boss got the job were coaches who had similar tactical outlooks, were young and spoke of the importance of "philosophies" or "projects".

A two-time Bundesliga-winning Klopp was, of course, a coach of an altogether different calibre. Their choice at the time was apparently between him and Carlo Ancelotti, but the fact they went for the German was by no means surprising. For one, the brand of football he was going to implement was hardly going to be a polar opposite of that employed by Rodgers, while he always appeared a far greater fit culturally than the Italian.

Klopp's arrival was seen as a coup. Let's not forget, in October 2015 Liverpool weren't exactly considered among the "elite". Historically, sure, but not competitively at that moment.

They went on to finish eighth in the Premier League, averaging 1.6 points per game – over Klopp's entire Premier League career, he's collected 2.1 per game, highlighting just how much of an improvement he's presided over.

While difficult to pinpoint one key factor, Rangnick was unequivocal in his surmising of his compatriot's situation on Monday, saying: "The same happened at other clubs. When he came to Borussia Dortmund or when he started his coaching career at Mainz, he developed all of those clubs, he raised the whole team and club to a different kind of level. This is what modern management is all about. He's one of the best, if not the best coach, not only now but in the past couple of years.

"If this should be a role model, I don't know. It's definitely no coincidence what's happened there in the last six years. In his first year, when he came during the season after eight or nine games and they finished eighth, and thereafter they just made the necessary adaptations. They brought in the right players, they got rid of the right players, they just built, they really built a squad and that's why they are where they are."

Patience is a virtue

Klopp's success at Liverpool isn't something that United can copy and paste. Even if the Reds' club setup is married to the coach's managerial style, the man in charge still needs to be very, very good at his job.

Ten Hag has done well at Ajax. He's taken them to a Champions League semi-final, played attractive football and looks likely to win a second Eredivisie title – but they have a club-wide 'philosophy' that the head coach must work within, rather than establish himself. United do not, as highlighted by the hotch-potch of tactical styles embraced with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even Rangnick.

As such, the current squad has been assembled by Ferguson and his four successors, which hardly screams cohesion. Granted, one coach building a squad in its entirety is rare given how quickly clubs are to chop and change these days, but of Liverpool's first-choice XI, only Jordan Henderson was not brought to the club – or nurtured through the academy – during Klopp's reign.

United's appointment of John Murtough as football director and Darren Fletcher as technical director at least hinted at the club being brought out of the dark ages in terms of its structure, while many in the fanbase will have seen Ed Woodward's departure at the end of 2021 as a positive step.

The jury is still out on this new-look setup, though there is seemingly now something more closely resembling Liverpool's so-called "transfer committee". Indeed, that term is a bit of a blast from the past – it was once something you would regularly hear mentioned and sneered at during Rodgers' reign and early on in Klopp's spell, but Liverpool's undoubted success in terms of recruitment over the past six years speaks for itself.

Ten Hag will represent a gamble for United, but – assuming he does take the job – he will also be arguably the first up-and-coming manager to be appointed by the club since Ferguson. The Dutchman's is only two years Klopp's junior but is definitely on the rise reputationally.

No one knows if he'll be a success and, to be fair, he will need to justify patience to a degree. But time, trust and joint-up thinking have clearly been vital to Liverpool with Klopp – if United do truly value Rangnick's input, they would do well to heed his advice here.

Freddie Freeman said his emotions were "all over the place" as he hit his first home run for his new club, the Los Angeles Dodgers, against his former team in a 7-4 win against the Atlanta Braves.

Freeman spent 12 seasons with the Braves, earning five All-Star appearances and an MVP trophy in 2020, and faced them for the first time on Monday since signing a six-year, $162million deal with the Dodgers this past offseason.

In his first at-bat, from just the second pitch he saw, he blasted a home run over the fence at left-center, and later scored a second run when he was brought home by Trea Turner's base-clearing double in the fourth inning.

"Obviously there's just a lot of emotion going on right now," Freeman said afterwards. "But a lot of good emotion.

"I’m just happy to be able to see all the guys. We won a championship together last year, so that's what we're all talking about over there.

"I love every single person on [the Braves'] side of that field – but I do hope they don’t do good for these next three games.”

When asked if the game represented some closure for Freeman, he insisted that was not the case.

"I don't know if any of us are really looking for closure," he said. 

"I had a great 12 years; I'm not trying to close anything. I'm just trying to move on, obviously. 

"But I had so many great memories with the Braves, with the guys over there. That's always going to be there, I think."

He added: "As the game went on, there were a couple smiles here and there from staff members and people I spent a lot of time with.

"It's just a special day, one I'll always remember."