Jurgen Klopp once again lamented Liverpool's fixture list and suggested FA Cup ties should not be played on weekend days.
Liverpool head to Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round on Sunday, eight days on from their most recent match – a 0-0 Premier League draw with Chelsea.
It has been a rare week off for Klopp's men, who won both the FA Cup and EFL Cup last season, but the German is still not entirely pleased with his side's schedule.
"We're not famous for going long in the cups, apart from last year," he said at Friday's pre-match press conference. "Cups are difficult when you have midweek games.
"Now we have full weeks to prepare, but in our schedule, I'm not sure the FA Cup should be at a weekend. But we deal with it. It's not a problem for now."
Liverpool are aiming to avoid successive losses against Brighton for the first time ever following their 3-0 league defeat at the Amex Stadium earlier this month.
Klopp described that performance at the time as the worst he has ever seen from one of his sides in a coaching career spanning 1,000 matches.
The Reds have since defeated Wolves 1-0 in the previous round of the FA Cup and played out a stalemate with Chelsea, which leaves them ninth in the league.
While his side have won just one of their five matches this calendar year, Klopp is glad they have kept back-to-back clean sheets for only the second time this season.
"Clean sheets are massive for us. Everyone waits for free-flowing performance but that takes time and it starts with clean sheets," Klopp said.
"That Brighton game is still the worst game I have ever seen of a team of mine. Thank god as we have played a few games since then.
"The first half against Chelsea we were very disciplined and we didn't give them a lot. We have to do that again against Brighton, of course."
Liverpool have progressed from three of their five FA Cup games against Brighton, most recently winning 6-1 in a last-16 tie in February 2012.
However, since the 1925-26 season, only Wolves (30), Sheffield United (28) and West Ham (27) have suffered more fourth-round exits than Liverpool (26).
The Reds make the trip to England's south coast with a number of players still injured, but Klopp confirmed some key men are closing in on a return.
"Diogo [Jota], Bobby [Roberto Firmino] and Virgil [van Dijk] are a couple of weeks from joining training," he said.
"Arthur [Melo] is running a lot, so maybe two or three weeks before he joins team training, but he is looking good. Fabio Carvalho is still out and is not ready for Sunday."
What challenges lie ahead for Sarina Wiegman and England at the World Cup?
England boss Sarina Wiegman has finalised her squad for this summer’s World Cup finals as she targets another taste of glory.
The European champions have lost key players since their triumph at Wembley last year, but have potential new stars waiting in the wings.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the challenges which lie ahead in Australia and New Zealand.
How does Wiegman plug the holes at the back?
The anterior cruciate ligament injury which has ruled skipper Leah Williamson out of the tournament not only robs England of their captain, but also of a key defender. Millie Bright’s inclusion – Wiegman has confirmed the Chelsea star will wear the armband – has allayed fears over her fitness, with both she and full-back Lucy Bronze, who is also included, nursing knee problems. Left-back Alex Greenwood is a candidate to partner Bright in the middle, but Rachel Daly’s inclusion among the strikers suggests she will not be asked to play at full-back as she has done for her country in the past.
Who are England’s potential match-winners?
The absence of Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and Fran Kirby through injury and retired record goalscorer Ellen White might be felt more acutely if Wiegman did not have a wealth of attacking talent at her disposal. Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo proved game-changers from the bench last summer and will target more significant roles this time around, while Rachel Daly will head for the finals having scored 22 goals for Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League this season and the recalled Bethany England has 12 to her name since joining Tottenham from Chelsea in January. In addition, the Lionesses can also call upon emerging talents Lauren James and Katie Robinson.
Who are England’s main rivals?
Holders the United States are looking to lift the trophy for a third successive tournament – a fifth in total – and FIFA’s number one-ranked team will be hot favourites to do so. England beat the USA 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley in October last year but will not be taken in by that success. Germany, who lost to Wiegman’s side in the Euro 2022 final, will also be expected to feature prominently, as will semi-final opponents Sweden. Olympic champions Canada, whose campaign for equal pay prompted calls for a strike earlier this year, and co-hosts Australia, who will have Chelsea goal-machine Sam Kerr in their ranks, could have a say too.
What kind of form are they in?
England’s form had been little short of exemplary until April’s 2-0 friendly defeat by Australia at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium brought their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman to an end. However, there is a feeling within the camp that the run was always going to end eventually and it is far better that it did so in a friendly. The accuracy of that view will only become apparent when they embark upon their Group D fixtures against Haiti, Denmark and China.
Can a depleted squad live up to the expectation they have created?
England will head to the tournament having made it to the semi-finals at the last two World Cups, but not managed to go a step further. They cleared a major psychological hurdle last summer when they won the Euros on home soil having negotiated a tense last-eight clash with Spain and nerve-jangling showdown with Germany in the final and will travel Down Under with that vital tournament experience under their belts and confident of making an impression once again.
Adam Legzdins wants Dundee in the Premiership long-term after signing new deal
Adam Legzdins is looking for newly promoted Dundee to become an established cinch Premiership club after signing a new deal which commits him to the Dark Blues until the summer of 2025.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper joined from Burnley in November 2020, and helped the Tayside club to the top flight via the play-offs in 2021.
After dropping back down to the Championship, Dundee won the title this season and will return to the Premiership and Legzdins wants the Dens Park club to stay at the top long-term.
He told Dundee’s official website: “I really am delighted to extend my contract with this fantastic club for another two years.
“Dundee FC is a massive team in Scottish football steeped in history and tradition which you feel every time you represent the Dark Blues.
“My family and I have lived in Dundee and the surrounding area for the last two and half years and we feel so lucky to have found a wonderful place we now call home.
“The people of the city and the fans of our great club have been fantastic with us and I promise them I will continue to be committed and give my all both on and off the pitch to help us accomplish what we want to in the future.
“Last season really was a fantastic achievement by everyone at the club. We made memories that will last a lifetime.
“I will never forget the support from our travelling fans at Ochilview on the final day of the season to the outstanding reception we received at City Square.
“Seeing the next generation of young fans having their pictures taken with the trophy really showed me how lucky we are as players to play for this great club.
“It is now time for us all to work even harder to establish ourselves as a team in the Scottish Premiership for years to come.
“There are some great people at this club who will work tirelessly in pursuit of this goal.
“I want to help them, my team-mates, and the fans whenever I can to bring even more good times to Dundee FC.”
Willian believes the Brazil national team are in a transition period as they look to appoint a new coach.
Brazil have not yet appointed a permanent successor to Tite, who left after the Selecao were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly wanted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Brazil will play friendlies against Guinea and Senegal in June, with interim coach Ramon Menezes naming a strong squad, and Willian, who was part of the Selecao's squad for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, feels that the national team is also in need of a fresh injection of talent into the squad.
"In 2018 we were very confident that we could reach the final and win the title," he told Stats Perform.
"This time, I thought Brazil were a strong candidate to reach the final and win the World Cup, but that didn't work out either.
"So it's hard to tell if it [a sixth World Cup win] is far away or if is close. I think now Brazil are in a transition process, waiting for a coach and also a change in the players.
"But Brazil's national team will always enter any competition to win. It is the team with the most World Cup titles, so it will always enter the World Cup or any other competition to win."
Asked who he thinks should be the next coach of Brazil, Willian said: "It's hard to give an opinion because a lot of people say it should be a foreigner, and a lot of people say it should be Brazilian.
"I think it has to be a manager that helps the team, regardless of being Brazilian or foreign. But one that will help the team to reach the main objective which is to be able to be champion of the World Cup."
When it was put to him that it would be easier if a Brazil coach spoke Portuguese, Willian replied: "I think so, but it depends. When you're on the pitch, the language of football is universal.
"I think it helps to speak the same language, but it's not a question that makes any difference in the end.
"The important thing is to have a coach who knows how to manage the group, who knows how to talk to each player, do the work on the pitch and has the human part too, which is very important in football today.
"Regardless of whether the coach speaks the same language or not, the most important thing is that he knows how to deal with the players."
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