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Klopp took exception with Keane’s description of the Reds’ game against Arsenal.
Liverpool fans won twice on Monday: once when the Reds beat Arsenal to conclude a perfect September, and then again post-match when Klopp casually issued a smackdown to pundit and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane.
The clip of Klopp appearing on the large screen in the studio and wasting no time calling out Keane’s previous statement immediately appeared online. Of course, because of this, reports began to over-exaggerate the seriousness of what went down.
When asked about the moment later, Klopp waved away the spat.
“I was not harsh (on Keane). I came to the mic and I couldn’t see them talking, I only heard them through a speaker,” Klopp explained.
“I heard ‘sloppy’ something and at that moment I misunderstood it properly. So no problem. I just asked, ‘did he say…?’, and obviously he didn’t say it. So it’s all fine. I said I would have seen a different game (if Keane had said Liverpool were sloppy).”
Nah, boss, don’t back down! That was the most fun we’ve had with a post-match show since Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry’s famous leg grab when Brendan Rodgers was sacked.
US Monastir forward Anthony Okpotu said he could be playing his football elsewhere next season.
Okpotu helped US Monastir to win the Tunisian FA Cup when they thrashed league champions Esperance 2 – 0.
Okpotu also finished as the highest goalscorer with 13 goals in just concluded 2019-2020 Tunisian Ligue one season with the modest club.
However the striker has less than one year on his current contract with the club, and he revealed after the Sunday’s final that he could be playing his football elsewhere next season.
“It is true I finished as the top scorer in the league with 13 goals, I’ll decide where I’ll play next season this week but 80 percent I’m moving,” he said after the game.
The former Lobi Stars striker scored 13 goals in 25 appearances last term and was awarded the most valuable player award for the season.
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The first midweek round of the 2020/21 LaLiga Santander takes place this week, with some crunch fixtures on the schedule as September turns to October. There are 18 teams in action this Matchday Four, which begins on Tuesday, September 29th, and ends on Thursday, October 1st.
The first match of the round is a classic of Spanish football: Real Sociedad hosting Valencia CF. This will be the 139th time these sides meet in Spain’s top tier and Valencia will be seeking revenge after losing 3-0 when they visited the Reale Arena last term. It’ll be a tough ask, though. Los Che have several injury concerns and are going up against one of the most impressive sides of the 2019/20 season, a side that strengthened in the summer by signing former Valencia playmaker David Silva.
That match between those two classic LaLiga Santander teams takes place on Tuesday evening, before Getafe CF and Real Betis do battle in the second of the two Tuesday night fixtures. It’s a fixture between two teams with two of the most impressive coaches in the division. Getafe boss José Bordalás has made a name for himself over the past few seasons after leading the Azulones into the Europa League knockouts and will be taking on the veteran Manuel Pellegrini, who has made a strong start after returning to LaLiga Santander this year to take over at Real Betis.
Wednesday night brings four fixtures to the table, with SD Huesca matching up with Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal CF facing Alavés at 19:00 CEST. All eyes will be on Luis Suárez when Atleti make the trip to the LaLiga SmartBank champions, especially after the capital city side’s star summer signing scored two and assisted one as his new club thrashed Granada CF 6-1 this past weekend. Villarreal CF vs Alavés, meanwhile, is a battle of two new coaches, with Unai Emery and Pablo Machín still trying to work out the best schemes and systems at their new clubs.
Later that night, SD Eibar host Elche CF in a match-up that has more history than you might expect. In 2014/15, SD Eibar finished in the relegation spots but were handed a reprieve as Elche were administratively demoted. Now, Elche have completely turned their finances around and are on the up, led by general director Patricia Rodríguez – who, incidentally, used to hold the same position at Eibar. Elche lost their first match back in the top tier against Real Sociedad 3-0 and will now be hoping for a better result against another team from the Basque Country.
Real Madrid, the reigning champions, are also in action on Wednesday night hosting Real Valladolid at the Alfredo Di Stefano. They’ve not lost to Valladolid since 2008, but the side from Spain’s central Castilla y Leon region did cause Zinedine Zidane and co. problems last season. Real Madrid’s first home match of the 2019/20 season was also against Real Valladolid, who held them to a 1-1 draw. This week’s encounter promises to be an intriguing matchup, especially considering some of the exciting signings made by Real Valladolid in the summer, among them Austrian Bundesliga top scorer Shon Weissman.
On Thursday, three more fixtures take place. Athletic Club host Cádiz CF in one of the earlier fixtures, with the Basque side welcoming the newly promoted outfit to San Mamés for a match that’ll be packed with colour and passion. Sevilla FC, meanwhile, are back in action on Thursday, taking on Levante UD. When these two teams met towards the end of last season, Levante ended a four-match losing run against the Andalusians with a dramatic late equaliser. More drama is to be expected when these two attack-minded clubs clash once again.
Finally, the last match of Matchday Four sees FC Barcelona travel to RC Celta, a second match in charge for new Barça coach Ronald Koeman after they hit four past Villarreal this weekend. It promises to be a difficult one since the Catalan club have often struggled when they’ve travelled to Vigo; Barça haven’t won at Abanca Balaídos since 2015, losing three times and drawing three times since then.
That’ll be a perfect way to cap off Matchday Four, a round that also includes the Granada CF vs CA Osasuna match that will be played at a later date due to the former’s Europe League commitments. They’ll be taking on Swedish side Malmö in search of a place in the continental competition’s group stages.
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Super Eagles and Udinese defender William Troost-Ekong is edging closer to a move to the English Championship with Watford.
The center half is few details away from joining the Italian Serie A Udinese side and he has said goodbye to his teammates and fans on the club on Monday.
The Observer reported that Ekong is a prime target for Udinese and they see as one of the players who can lead them back to the premier league.
“I know him as a quality player and he will be one of the players who will help us in the future if he will come if he will join us.” Watford manager Vladimir Ivic said ahead of the move.
The 27-year-old will be returning to England years after playing for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at the youth level.
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Nigeria and US Monastir striker, Anthony Okpotu, has been named the most valuable player in the Tunisian Ligue one for the 2019-2020 season.
Okpotu scored 13 goals in the league to take the golden boot and he also helped US Monastir to their first-ever silverware last weekend.
The former Lobi Stars played all the minutes as US Monastir beat Esperance 2 – 0 to claim the Tunisian FA Cup on Sunday.
His performances for the club earned him the Most Valuable Player award, just months after signing for the club.
US Monastir will be banking on Okpotu next season as they look set to compete on the continent for the first time on their history.
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Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu continued his incredible form in Belgium as he scored twice in KRC Genk 2-2 draw by KV OOstende in the Jupiler league clash at the Luminus Arena on Monday.
The lanky forward has now scored six goals in six appearances for Genk so far this season, also with goal involvement in every 69 minutes.
The forward is the joint highest goalscorer in the Belgian Jupiler League this season and he is also just 3 goals away from equalling his last season’s tally of nine.
OOstende scored the opener in the 3rd minutes through Cameron Mcgeehan, but the lead lasted only for six minutes as Onuachu restored parity for Genk.
Onuachu scored his second of the game in the 52nd minute, Senegal forward Makhtar Gueye pegged Genk back with the equaliser seven minutes from time.
Onuachu’s compatriot Cyriel Dessers was an unused substitute for Genk in the game.
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Sadiq Umar was on target for Partizan Belgrade in their 2 – 1 victory over Backa Backa Palanka in Monday’s Serbian pro league game.
After a goalless first half, the Nigerian forward put his side ahead in the 50th minutes when he scored from close range.
Partizan Belgrade were lucky to double their lead in the 62nd minutes, and it was Backa Backa Palanka defender Dimitrije Tomovic who diverted a cross into his own net.
Backa Backa Palanka reduced the deficit with 18 minutes left when Krsta Djordjevic slotted a low drive into the bottom corner to make it 2 – 1.
Sodiq and his teammates however held on for the maximum points and also for their seventh win of the season from nine matches.
Umar Sodiq who scored 12 goals in the league last season also has 2 assists this season.
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Frank Lampard insists Victor Moses will not be part of his squad for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspurs.
Moses who spent last season on loan at Fenerbahce and Inter Milan respectively is back at the club, but he is not training with the first team.
The former Wigan Athletic has not been selected by the Blue boss this season, except for a friendly against Wimbledon, where he also scored.
While speaking ahead of his side trip to North London, Lampard made it clear in the news conference that he is not counting on the former Super Eagles forward for the season, despite injuries to Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.
“At the moment, Victor isn’t in that moment with us. He isn’t in the bubble with us at the training ground but I know him well and trained with him,” Lampard told a news conference on Monday.
Moses has just a year left on his contract with Chelsea and the former Premier League champions will gladly consider any bid for him.
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