There has been plenty to catch the eye on and off the pitch for Liverpool as the Reds continue to chase down a quadruple in Jurgen Klopp’s final season as manager
As Liverpool prepare to take on Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday, there’s plenty happening off the pitch as well as on it.
Questions continue to be asked of Jurgen Klopp’s successor after the manager brings his reign to an end at the end of the season.
Xabi Alonso is one of the men in the mix, and his Bayer Leverkusen side have been kept apart from Liverpool in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Europa League.
On the pitch, that cup trip to Old Trafford is a chance for Klopp’s team to ensure a quadruple is still possible as their players prepare to set off for the international break. Klopp’s team have already won the Carabao Cup, and remain very much in contention for Premier League and Europa League glory.
There are potential changes afoot off the pitch, and not just on the managerial front. Here, Mirror Football brings you the latest lines from around Anfield.
Ex-City coach on Reds’ radar
Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are eyeing up Pedro Marques, once of City Football Group, as they continue to prepare for the return of transfer chief Michael Edwards, it has been claimed. Marques is currently technical director at Benfica, who could end up facing the Reds in the latter rounds of the Europa League.
Edwards is due to return to Anfield as FSG’s new chief executive officer of football. Part of that role will involve exploring options for a multi-club model, something Marques has experience off from his days with CFG.
“One of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation,” Edwards said of his new role. “I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.”
Klopp explains success at overcoming injuries
Jurgen Klopp has continued to secure results for Liverpool despite a worrying injury list, including in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Southampton. Youngsters Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns were on target in that game, and Klopp has spoken about the culture of the club running through the first team to those on the fringes.
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Jayden Danns is among the Liverpool players to have stepped up (
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“Of course, it’s the (experienced) dressing room but it is also the structure we set out on the pitch,” Klopp said of the Reds’ ability yo overcome injuries while rivals have struggled to do the same. “It has developed a lot during the season. You can see we don’t change the way we play and so the boys know what they have to do.
“If they don’t play they at least train in the same way so that when they step out onto the pitch they know exactly what to do. It is not always something different. The players have changed but we haven’t. We play the way we want to play.”
Thierry Henry’s Gerrard stance explained
Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry faced off against Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes plenty of times in his playing career, but chose the Manchester United man over the ex-Liverpool skipper when pressed on the matter. The Frenchman’s comments from 2020 have resurfaced, outlining his stance.
“The next one would have been, right behind, very close, Stevie G,” Henry said. “But I have to go with Paul Scholes. He was just ahead in his head.
“He made Manchester United tick. Every time we were playing them we needed to find a way to stop him. It’s true. I think Stevie G comes really close to him. But Paul Scholes would have to win. You guys in England had, on paper, the best midfield in the world.”