Julian Nagelsmann is backing Manuel Neuer to get back to his "outstanding" best as the Bayern Munich coach looks to move on from the recent controversy surrounding the goalkeeper.
Neuer attracted criticism from the club's hierarchy following an interview with The Athletic, in which he said the dismissal of close friend and goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic was "a blow – when I was already down on the ground".
Bayern captain Neuer is out for the season after breaking his leg during a skiing trip shortly after the World Cup, and his comments led to speculation regarding his future.
Germany great Lothar Matthaus called for Neuer to be stripped of the captaincy, while some have suggested January arrival Yann Sommer may replace him as Bayern's first-choice goalkeeper.
Nagelsmann, however, considers the matter closed and is focused on helping Neuer in his recovery.
"Everything I discuss with players stays internal. Manu's job is to get fit again. My job is to support him," he said at a press conference to preview Saturday's meeting with Bochum.
"I ask you to let it rest. It's important that the topic is buried soon. Everyone knows that healing the body is also closely related to the thoughts in your head.
"Manu is currently the captain of this team, you will see everything else. I am certain that Manu will be an outstanding goalkeeper again."
Bayern are looking to extend a 12-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga when they face Bochum, having inflicted two 7-0 routs on the strugglers in the teams' last three meetings.
The German champions then take on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, but Nagelsmann is taking things one game at a time.
"We have to get the game against Paris out of our heads because we have to keep our rhythm," he said.
"We haven't had that much flow in the last few weeks. Everything we do on Saturday can also have an impact on Tuesday's game."
PSG have claimed Kylian Mbappe is likely to miss the teams' first meeting after suffering a hamstring injury, while fellow attacking star Lionel Messi will sit out their Ligue 1 trip to Monaco on Saturday with a similar problem.
Nagelsmann accused PSG of "playing poker" regarding Mbappe's availability last week, and the Bayern boss defended those comments on Friday.
"Paris are better with those two [Mbappe and Messi] than without. It's the same with us when two top players are out," he said.
"I've read a lot about my attack, which wasn't one. If a player is 'out' and then he plays, everyone says: 'What kind of idiot is Nagelsmann? He let himself be blinded'.
"My answer was just that I prepare like Mbappe is going to play, the same goes for Messi, I prepare the team as if they will both play, because they have other good players who can fill that position."
Half-centuries from Andre Fletcher and Nicholas Pooran spurred MI Emirates to a convincing eight-wicket win over the Dubai Capitals at Sharjah and a place in Qualifier 2 to face Gulf Giants on Friday.
Carlo Ancelotti resolved to help Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior through the strife affecting him on and off the pitch.
Vinicius has been become a regular target for racist abuse from fans this season, with footage on social media appearing to show discriminatory remarks being directed at him during Madrid's 1-0 defeat to Real Mallorca last Sunday.
Athletic Bilbao midfielder Dani Garcia said in an interview released by Spanish news outlet Durangaldeko Telebista on Friday that he believed Mallorca players had "gone too far" in winding up Vinicius during that game.
Garcia said Vinicius "sometimes makes gestures that he should not do, but then I think that he is also provoked too much", and that by becoming rattled by opponents "he gets hot and honestly it doesn't do him any good".
None of that excuses or serves to explain the racism Vinicius has encountered from the stands, but working through the on-pitch battles he encounters is an area Madrid may be able to influence as they look to get the best out of the Brazil international.
Garcia said he had chided Vinicius more than he would other players in the past, and Madrid head coach Ancelotti is eager to find ways to make life easier for the 22-year-old.
"If you think there is a problem, you have to find a solution," Ancelotti said, speaking ahead of Saturday's Club World Cup final against Al Hilal in Rabat.
"We are not stupid. We are going to find a solution."
Team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni also wants to support Vinicius and hopes LaLiga will take firm action to allow the former Flamengo player to flourish, no longer fearful of facing vile abuse from the stands.
"Vini is fine. We know that there are difficult moments in football, against opponents, the public," Tchouameni said. "We are with him. The important thing is that he focuses on football and shows his level."
Tchouameni, who is also black, said this episode of racism was not an isolated problem.
"Against racism, there should be zero tolerance and it is something that must be eradicated as much as possible," France international Tchouameni said.
"It doesn't matter if they are white, black or red. LaLiga can also take measures, and we hope that the situation will change."
Joao Felix hit out at the latest racist taunts towards "friend" Vinicius Junior and suggested his detractors are jealous of what the Real Madrid star can do on the pitch.
Social media footage showed racist insults being shouted at Vinicius during Madrid's 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca on Sunday, marking the latest in a string of similar incidents this season involving the 22-year-old.
Portugal forward Joao Felix, on loan at Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, says he cannot fathom the abuse being directed at Vinicius.
"I don't understand the criticism of Vinicius," he told AS. "Maybe it's because he's better than the others, maybe because he does dribbles that others can't, because he's fast like others aren't, he scores goals, gives assists.
"He is in a very good moment and it seems that all people are against him. I am friends with him, I talk to him and I like his football... it's his football, it's fun, I like it and I don't understand the criticisms.
"It's a shame that racism issues are included. There are ways of criticising without getting into that topic."
Joao Felix departed Atleti for Stamford Bridge on a temporary deal in January, with reports suggesting he had fallen out with Colchoneros boss Diego Simeone, though the player only had kind words for the Argentine coach.
"Everyone knows him, everyone knows what he won," he said. "He is a very good trainer. He has his way of understanding and seeing football that others don't. This is good for some and bad for others. That depends on them, but he has his virtue and that makes him a good coach."
After receiving a red card on his debut for Chelsea at Fulham, Joao Felix is set to make only his second appearance for the Blues on Saturday when they travel to West Ham.
The 23-year-old has been impressed by the club since arriving, praising the structures that have helped him to settle in London.
"It is a great club, as we all know," he said. "The structures are very, very good, they have everything. There are a lot of people around the team so that everything is fine and that makes a difference. It is very well-structured."
Joao Felix was one of eight players signed by Chelsea in the January transfer window, with Enzo Fernandez among those acquired in a deal worth around £106million (€121m).
Having also moved from Benfica for a large sum in 2019, Joao Felix has backed Fernandez to live up to his price tag, saying: "It is becoming more and more normal for amounts like this to be paid. Football has changed, and it will be common for 80, 90, 100, 110m to be paid.
"He deserves the money because he is a young player, he is very good and has a lot of room to evolve. He will surely be one of the best midfielders in Europe."
Lionel Messi will be absent when Paris Saint-Germain face Monaco on Saturday, but coach Christophe Galtier says he will return for next week's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Messi joined Neymar in a two-pronged PSG attack for Wednesday's surprise Coupe de France defeat to rivals Marseille, with Kylian Mbappe missing as a result of a hamstring issue.
After PSG announced that injury could rule Mbappe out of the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern, reports suggested Messi was also doubtful after sustaining a similar problem.
However, Galtier eased fears Messi could miss Tuesday's meeting with the Bundesliga giants on Friday, although the World Cup winner is set to sit out PSG's Ligue 1 trip to Monaco.
"Leo has felt muscle fatigue, he will resume training on Monday. He is not uncertain for Bayern," Galtier said at his pre-match press conference.
"We know the importance of Leo to our game. With his absence, we will have to play in a different way to have a more solid, more compact team structure, to use each other.
"Obviously, going to Monaco without Leo is always annoying."
Messi's tally of 29 goal contributions this season (15 goals, 14 assists) is only bettered by three players from Europe's top five leagues, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland (34) leading PSG team-mates Neymar (32) and Mbappe (31).
PSG's reporting of Mbappe's injury has been met with scepticism in Munich, with Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann saying the French club are "playing poker" regarding his availability.
Asked whether he would be prepared to risk Mbappe on Tuesday, Galtier said: "The player's health comes first. I will be very vigilant about the player's health, especially as the season is long.
"Regarding Kylian, the communication has been made. We spoke of a three-week period of unavailability. Kylian is undergoing treatment."
PSG have endured an underwhelming start to 2023, failing to keep a clean sheet in their past four Ligue 1 games and losing two away matches in the league since the turn of the year, only one fewer than they did in the entirety of 2022.
Galtier's men are the only Ligue 1 side yet to win 1,000 duels in the competition this season (998), and he believes they need to be more aggressive to turn their form around.
"The players were very affected in the locker room after the [Marseille] match and yesterday," he said. "You have to avoid long speeches but also show them what did not work.
"When there is so much disappointment, it is useless to get angry. You have to keep a very cool head.
"We are going to have a series against intense teams who impose duels. We will have to respond.
"At the moment, we are not finding this aggressiveness. The players have to make a big effort on the mental aspects to win a lot more duels in the middle."
Anthony Davis insisted his reluctance to celebrate LeBron James' NBA scoring record was related to the state of Tuesday's game rather than any issue between the two Los Angeles Lakers superstars.
James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-time record against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Davis did not look to join his Lakers team-mates in saluting the new scoring king.
Fan footage posted on social media showed Davis sat on the bench, with his view of the court obscured by standing Lakers, as James made his historic fadeaway jumper.
That reaction prompted puzzlement from those on the outside of the organisation, but Davis provided an explanation on Thursday.
As he pointed out, the Lakers trailed the Thunder at the time of James' history-making bucket, which saw the game paused, and LA were unable to rally later in the 133-130 defeat.
Speaking after another home loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, seeing the Lakers fall to 25-31 in 13th place in the West, Davis appeared irked by mention of the topic as he said: "You all know mine and Bron's relationship. It's nothing.
"It's about the game. We're losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game we needed. And I was p***ed off that we were losing. It's that simple.
"It's nothing that has to do with Bron. He knows that.
"Everybody else is outside looking in, it's their opinion. But I was p***ed off that we were losing the game."
Rohit Sharma completed a century for India on day two of the first Test against Australia – but that was just the start of the suffering for the tourists in Nagpur.
It proved to be a grim day for Australia, despite Todd Murphy, a 22-year-old Victoria off-spinner, taking five wickets on debut.
India racked up 321-7 by the close, leading by 144 after Australia were dismissed for 177 on day one at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Ravindra Jadeja followed up his five-wicket haul by leading a lower-order assault on Friday, sharing in an ongoing eighth-wicket stand of 81 with Axar Patel, both men making fifties. Jadeja reached 66 not out, with Axar 52no.
Rohit had lost opening partner KL Rahul just before the close on Thursday, so he returned in the morning looking for others to provide support, and it proved to be in limited supply.
Ravichandran Ashwin fell for 23, given out lbw after a review from Australia, and Cheteshwar Pujara (7), Virat Kohli (12) and Suryakumar Yadav (8) all went cheaply as India struggled to cope with the Australian spinners. Nathan Lyon coaxed out Suryakumar with a teasing delivery the batter went after but missed, the ball clattering into off stump.
Stability at the other end finally arrived in the shape of Jadeja, who helped to put on 61 for the sixth wicket before Rohit fell for 120, perishing to the new ball, Australia captain Pat Cummins uprooting his off stump moments after Steve Smith dropped the century-maker at slip.
That left India on 229-6 and Jadeja went on to reach a gritty half-century, while Murphy completed his five-wicket haul by having Srikar Bharat (8) pinned lbw, again getting the decision on review.
Axar's arrival helped India take the game away from Australia though, and when slip fielder Smith dropped Jadeja from the penultimate delivery of the day, frustration was etched across the face of every tourist.
Rohit's Australia breakthrough
In his eighth Test against Australia, Rohit made it to three figures for the first time. He previously had five 40-plus scores, but his highest score was the 63no he managed at Melbourne in the 2018 Boxing Day Test. This was his ninth Test century in all, and his first since making 127 against England at The Oval in September 2021.
It made Rohit, at the age of 35 years and 286 days, just the second India opener to score a Test century against Australia after turning 35, with Sunil Gavaskar the first to manage the feat.
Jadeja doubles up
This marks the sixth Test where Jadeja has taken five wickets in an innings and hit a half-century. Back in action after recovering from knee surgery, he is continuing where he left off with the bat against England last July, having hit a century at Edgbaston, albeit in a losing cause on that occasion.
Eddie Howe has expressed concern for former Newcastle United and Bournemouth winger Christian Atsu amid conflicting reports over the Hatayspor player's welfare after earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria.
More than 21,000 people have died after southern Turkey and northern Syria were struck by earthquakes on Monday.
Atsu, who enjoyed five years with Newcastle after spending six months on loan at Bournemouth under Howe in the 2015-16 season, was reported to be missing in the aftermath of the tremors.
There appeared to be a positive update on Atsu when Hatayspor vice-president Mustafa Ozat said he had been "removed from the wreckage" on Tuesday, but the club remained unable to confirm his whereabouts the following day and said there was no update on Atsu's condition.
Howe had Atsu and his family in his thoughts ahead of Saturday's meeting between the winger's two former clubs, saying: "It's hugely worrying.
"I really, really enjoyed working with Christian, a great lad, great player. Our thoughts are with him and his family.
"We hope for some good news, we hope he's okay, but we're really concerned for him and his welfare this week.
"It has been difficult because there have been conflicting stories coming out about his whereabouts, so it's been very tough. I can't imagine how his family are feeling.
"But from the bottom of our hearts, we wish him well and hope there's a positive ending."
Diogo Jota could make his first appearance for Liverpool since mid-October on Monday when the Reds host Everton in the Merseyside derby, but Thiago Alcantara may miss out.
Thiago has suffered a hip flexor injury, according to manager Jurgen Klopp, and the Spanish midfielder has not trained this week as a result.
Jota was taken from the field on a stretcher with a calf injury in stoppage time of Liverpool's 1-0 win against Manchester City almost four months ago, but returned to full training earlier this week and Klopp confirmed at a press conference on Friday that the 26-year-old is "in contention" to make the squad on Monday.
The former Wolves striker was pictured in training along with three other players back from injuries in Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk and Arthur Melo.
"I don't know, we have to see how that looks, how [they deal] with training intensity and we'll make a decision," Klopp said regarding Firmino and Arthur, while adding about Van Dijk: "I don't think [he] is that close [to playing]."
Getting players back will be a much-needed boost for Klopp, whose team are on one of their worst runs in recent memory, winning just one of their seven games in 2023 (D2, L4).
Liverpool face an Everton side fresh off the appointment of manager Sean Dyche at Goodison Park and an impressive 1-0 win against Premier League leaders Arsenal, and Klopp is in no doubt as to the size of the task on Monday.
"Intensity is always important," he said. "We know it's a difficult game, Sean Dyche is now there and made a massive impact immediately, it was obvious. We have to prepare and that is what we will do."
Klopp refused to discuss the Premier League's decision to refer Manchester City to an independent commission for alleged breaches of financial regulations, and just wants his team to focus on getting their own season back on track.
"This is not a time we wanted to have or are we are happy to be in, but I think it's a time that we can show if we want to show that the club is really special," he said.
"The boys delivered a lot of great moments in the last few years, not all of them at the moment for different reasons are clear, but we are fighting to change the situation, but I really believe that the better you behave in your lower moments, the quicker you get in the better moments again."
Alex Killorn admitted "emotions were high" as the Tampa Bay Lightning thrashed the Colorado Avalanche 5-0 to get back to winning ways.
The Avalanche beat the Lightning in last year's Stanley Cup, taking the series 4-2 to deny Tampa Bay a hat-trick of trophy triumphs.
That made Thursday's game one that Killorn and team-mates had been looking forward to for a long time, and they made it a night to remember.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy achieved his first shutout of the season, while Brandon Hagel managed two goals and an assist, with Corey Perry, Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev also netting.
Tampa Bay had lost to the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings since the All-Star Game, so there was an imperative to get back to winning ways, and they did so in grand style.
Forward Killorn said: "Tonight we played very well. It's obviously a matchup we circled at the beginning of the year with what happened last year."
The teams play again next Tuesday in Denver, the second of four road games coming up for the Lightning, who must also face the Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights before getting back to home ice.
"For us now going on the road that was a huge game to kind of start and get momentum going the right way," Killorn said.
"We've been on the other side of that for the past couple of years. And we realised teams kind of circle us. This has been the first time where we get a chance to play the team who beat us [in the Stanley Cup], so emotions were high for sure in this game.
"They're a great team. Tonight we just had a complete game, we were very aggressive, so we look forward to seeing them later in the playoffs."
Killorn was pleased for Vasilevskiy to avoid conceding, saying: "It's a little bit of a weight off his shoulders. He's obviously one of the best goalies in the league. For him, it's going to be huge momentum going forward, and I know he's happy about it."
Head coach Jon Cooper offered a different slant, suggesting that to his mind the game was not about last year's disappointment, but about building for the rest of this campaign.
"To be honest it had nothing really to do with Colorado," Cooper said. "What it had to do with was our previous two games.
"We're going on a tough four-game trip against some of the best teams in the west, and we couldn't go out losing three in a row after the break.
"It was entirely about us and not who we were playing. We needed an effort and they gave it tonight."
Manchester United's improvement this season has been significant, there's no doubt about that.
Erik ten Hag has not only made them more disciplined, but something resembling a team identity is beginning to take shape.
The Dutchman's signings have largely been effective as well. The jury is out on Antony, though he has shown a bit more promise lately. Otherwise, however, Ten Hag gets high marks in this area.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have, of course, been the standout individuals in this respect. The experienced pair have brought know-how, control and general quality to the engine room, with the Brazilian also providing the destructive tendencies they long lacked.
But their excellence also highlights the significant gulf in quality to their back-ups.
United look likely to have another busy pre-season in the transfer market, but if there's one area they still need to bolster, strangely enough it's where they're arguably strongest.
A step in the right direction
That midfield trio of Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes is among the best of its kind in the Premier League.
While the two new arrivals have made a real impact already, quickly becoming hugely influential, that's taken some of the burden off Fernandes, who in turn has flourished.
But when you take Casemiro or Eriksen – or both, as was the case against Leeds on Wednesday and when the two tussle again on Sunday – United simply don't have the same standard or type of player.
Obviously, you can't expect a team to have two world-class options for every single position, but at Old Trafford there has to be an acceptance that they need to get as close to such depth as possible if they are to be a long-term challenger to Manchester City under Ten Hag.
Marcel Sabitzer looked fairly assured and generally promising on his first start as he filled in for Eriksen, who is out until May, during Wednesday's 2-2 draw at home to Leeds United, but Casemiro's suspension saw Fred deputise.
Fred routinely proved before this season that he isn't equipped to play as a six, so him lining up in his compatriot's position may have caused fans some stress.
In fairness to him, he didn't really fill that role at all – but then neither did anyone else. He and Sabitzer both occupied very similar positions, so United were essentially playing with two eights rather than an eight and a six.
It's no wonder they often looked outnumbered when Leeds attacked. Not only was Casemiro absent, they didn't really have anyone occupying his void.
United cannot stand still
Fred's effort certainly can't be faulted. If there's one thing he stands out for, it's his work ethic.
He ran further than any of his team-mates on Wednesday, while only Luke Ayling (24) and Alejandro Garnacho (20) engaged in more duels than his 17.
Additionally, there were nine players to register 10 or more duel involvements, and only Ayling (66.7 per cent) had a better success rate than Fred (58.8 per cent).
But it's all well and good running around lots. He didn't actually offer a great deal of defensive protection, attempting just two tackles and making one interception.
Of course, you'd not necessarily expect those figures to be through the roof in a game United largely dominated, and any lack of protection would've been forgiven had he been an effective user of the ball.
He wasn't.
The only United player (minimum 10 pass attempts) with a poorer completion rate than Fred (62.5 per cent) was Garnacho (61.9 per cent).
It was a frantic game, so it's not like being a world-class playmaker is something a player can just switch on and off.
But when United were chasing a winner, their passing seemed to get even sloppier. Fred in particular was guilty of coughing up possession in his own half on several occasions when Ten Hag's men threatened to spring a counter or a direct build-up.
Fred certainly has his uses, and Ten Hag has shown that by frequently introducing him from the bench in the second half of matches to inject a bit of energy.
But Wednesday was another reminder of how he really needs a number six behind him rather than to be the player – or one of – expected to provide control as he's like a deer in headlights against teams who press high. In a number eight role with freedom to attack, he could be a reliable option as he's technically better than many give him credit for – he cannot be the one to provide the balance, however, because he just doesn't have the composure.
United took a big step last year by finally addressing the midfield needs that had dogged them ever since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Yet, if they are to push on from what will likely be reflected on as a positive debut campaign for Ten Hag, United cannot stand still. The signings of Casemiro and Eriksen need to be the start.
LeBron James said it felt "surreal" to see his name up in lights as the NBA all-time record points scorer, revealing the heroes who inspired his journey to the top of basketball.
The 38-year-old addressed the crowd at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, telling them how Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had been long-time inspirations, while hailing his mother Gloria and wife Savannah.
With 38 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, James moved to 38,390 in his regular season career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record of 38,387.
Coming up for 20 years as an NBA player, the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat star is in the fifth year of his Lakers stint.
He told of how his journey to the summit of professional sports came against all odds, being founded on his admiration for great men of basketball and the powerful women in his life.
"Growing up in a small town of Akron, Ohio, in an underprivileged single-parent household, only child, you feel like you're never going to make it out," James said.
"You feel like the statistics are built up against you, you feel like the system is built against you to not succeed, you feel like there's no way you're going to have an opportunity for your dreams to become a reality, and I didn't allow those moments to deter me from my dreams.
"I had dreams every day of playing in the NBA, I had dreams every day of being an inspiration to so many people.
"I had dreams of one day being able to throw no-look passes like Magic Johnson, to be able to shoot fadeaways like Michael Jordan, to be able to have a cross-over like Allen Iverson, to be able to have an afro and jump in a dunk contest like Kobe Bryant.
"I looked up to so many athletes and so many people along my journey, and they gave me the inspiration and allowed my dream to not die.
"I always felt it was my job and my responsibility to come out and play the game at a high level and be as great as I can be, because there is a kid in the inner city somewhere that's looking for inspiration and is going to need it and maybe get it from me."
James sat out the Lakers' 115-106 home loss to the high-flying Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, making his speech before the game.
With his mother and wife with him on the court floor, James said: "As I look up at this jumbotron and seeing the 'NBA all-time leading scorer', it's so surreal to me. But the one thing I know for sure is I never cheated a game of basketball and I would never cheat in a game of basketball because it's given so much to myself, given so much to my family.
"My beautiful wife is the real MVP if you want to be completely honest, she's the all-time leading scorer. My family is everything to me, and you guys [in the Lakers crowd] over the last five years have become family to me as well.
"Every night I step on the floor, I understand I truly have a huge responsibility and understand what it means to represent the Los Angeles Lakers when I step on this floor, so thank you so much."
In one sense, Jurgen Klopp can rest easy: his Liverpool legacy won't be defined by this aberration of a season.
He will always be the manager that returned the Reds to the summit of English football as Premier League champions, with a Champions League title cementing his place in club legend.
Last season almost saw Klopp lead Liverpool to a sensational quadruple, but 2022-23 is proving a sorry sop of a campaign.
Seven and a half years into his reign, Klopp might be surviving on goodwill at present. Fortunately for the former Borussia Dortmund boss, that is in abundant supply, but this drifting ship needs to be turned around and he knows it.
Here's the crux: Liverpool have played seven games in 2023 and made a wretched mess of most of them. They have won only once, and now an eight-game run lies ahead of them that looks critical to their hopes of salvaging anything from the season.
Unless Klopp's team perk up their ideas during this run, the manager might consider walking away. Perhaps he might even be pushed. That sounds like wild talk, given all he has achieved, but Liverpool are going backwards at an alarming rate.
Ahead of Monday's derby against Everton, Stats Perform looks at this unfolding crisis.
What's the state of play?
It's grizzly. Liverpool sit 10th in the Premier League after 20 games and have been eliminated from the FA Cup and EFL Cup, knockout competitions they won last season.
They came through the Champions League group stage, but Real Madrid stand in their way of going any further. Madrid, remember, beat Liverpool in last season's final, and while Carlo Ancelotti's team are certainly not firing on all cylinders this season, they sit second in LaLiga.
Klopp's mood has unsurprisingly not been as buoyant as in previous campaigns, and the crotchety way he has dealt with some reasonable questions from reporters of late has pointed to the strain this might all be taking.
He might turn this all around of course, as six months of underachievement does not undo all his previous work, but football is a results business and the FSG owners expect the club to be performing on and off the field.
There is a sense of gloom about Liverpool, defeats to the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolves no longer comes as surprises, and something has to change sharpish.
Stats Perform AI gives them just a 15.6 per cent chance of finishing in the top four. They are likelier to finish in eighth or ninth place (a combined 16.6 per cent), according to that data modelling.
Can Klopp rise again?
Liverpool are winless in their four Premier League games so far in 2023 (D1 L3), and have scored just once. They have only endured a longer winless run at the start of a calendar year once in the Premier League era – a five-game stretch in 2017 (D3 L2).
They turned it around that time and won nine of their next 14 league games (D3 L2) to secure a fourth-placed finish, but such lofty heights look beyond them this season. Those competing for the Champions League places are all in a healthy state, and Liverpool are spluttering like a sick hound.
Winning the Champions League looks like the only route for Liverpool to get back into UEFA's most lucrative club competition next season. Winning the Champions League also looks a million miles beyond them.
A reset of some sort is needed, and implementing that in the middle of the season is desperately difficult.
Fellow mid-table toilers Chelsea have brought in a mental skills expert from the New Zealand rugby team, in the hope he will coax the best out of a talented group, and Liverpool might also consider a jolt from an outside influence.
Liverpool's next eight games are treacherous. After Everton, they travel to fourth-placed Newcastle United, and then comes the Anfield first leg against Madrid.
Four Premier League games follow, with trips to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth sandwiching home games against Wolves and Manchester United. Then comes the Madrid second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
If Klopp picks up a good handful of Premier League wins and gets past Madrid, it's happy days again. But if not...
If Klopp goes, then who comes in?
Every sturdy operation needs a succession plan in mind, in boom times and bad, so Liverpool will have firm ideas about the type of manager they would be targeting next.
When they hired Klopp in October 2015, he was unmistakably a rising star of the coaching world, a two-time Bundesliga winner and a Champions League runner-up. Many clubs had looked at him, and Liverpool's decision to take the plunge paid off handsomely.
There are certain names that spring to mind when it comes to out-of-work bosses who could fancy Liverpool: Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique. Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone might be seeking a fresh start at the end of this season.
Then there are the Liverpool favourites who have dipped a toe into coaching but would only be contenders on a wing and a prayer: Xabi Alonso and former Reds captain Steven Gerrard.
Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders might enter the conversation, too, if a change happens.
Yet maybe Liverpool will be seeking a figure more in the 2015 Klopp mould, a coach on the rise who can point to experience and success, and precious few scars.
Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton has beaten Liverpool twice this year, while Brentford's Thomas Frank dished out a 3-1 defeat to the Reds, and their respective sides sit sixth and seventh.
Eddie Howe at Newcastle is probably out of reach, and that factor alone puts Liverpool's decline into black and white.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast on multiple fronts for many Premier League teams as European football returns, meaning plenty of tinkering from managers between games.
Add into the mix an array of January signings being eased into the sides, selecting a team of guaranteed starters is becoming increasingly difficult.
But fear not as Stats Perform, using Opta data, has picked out four players who not only look certain to start this weekend but – crucially – also earn plenty of points.
Keylor Navas (Fulham v Nottingham Forest)
Paris Saint-Germain loanee Navas needed no time at all to settle in at Nottingham Forest as he kept a clean sheet on his debut in last week's 1-0 win over Leeds United.
The Costa Rica international made four saves against Leeds – only Hugo Lloris and David Raya (both five) made more while keeping a clean sheet in the last round of games.
Forest have now kept four clean sheets in their past six league matches, while opponents Fulham have failed to score in any of their past three top-flight outings.
Craig Dawson (Southampton v Wolves)
Dawson is another who made a fast start to life at a new club, with the centre-back scoring and keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Liverpool in a 3-0 win for Wolves.
That was Dawson's 20th Premier League goal – always a handy asset for a defender – including at least one in each of his eight top-flight seasons.
Wolves will be hopeful of building on a return of two shutouts in their past three league games when they face bottom side Southampton, who are averaging 0.8 goals per game.
Harvey Barnes (Leicester City v Tottenham)
Leicester midfielder Barnes has scored one and assisted another in his past two Premier League outings, taking his tally to seven goals for the campaign.
The one-cap England international is only two goals short of matching his best tally in a single season in the competition, set in 2020-21 with nine.
Having found their scoring touch with six goals in their past two league games, Leicester appear good value to net against Tottenham, who will have back-up Fraser Forster between the posts.
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City v Aston Villa, and Arsenal v Manchester City)
Whether he starts both games remains to be seen, but the fact City have two league matches in the next week means you have double the chance to score points with Mahrez.
He was unable to make a difference in the loss to Spurs, though he has still been involved in six goals in his past six league games for City (three goals, three assists).
Only Marcus Rashford (eight) and Erling Haaland (seven) have been involved in more Premier League goals since the World Cup than the City winger.
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