Premier League
ANKLE INJURY KNOCKS OUT LIVERPOOL’S FABINHO TILL 2020
Jurgen Klopp is confident that Liverpool can cope without influential midfielder Fabinho after ankle ligament damage ruled out the Brazil international until the New Year.
The 26-year-old, who has this season established himself as a first-choice pick for the Premier League leaders, was substituted after just 18 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Champions League opponents Napoli at Anfield on Wednesday.
Liverpool announced on Friday that Fabinho would play no part in their run of 10 games between now and the end of December.
But Klopp believes the options they have means they can absorb his loss, despite Fabinho’s record of never having been on the losing side in all of the 32 Premier League matches he has started.
“Losing a player with the quality of Fabinho is big, massive, really bad. But we are not the only team in the Premier League with injuries,” he said.
“We have solutions for the position, we have to replace him, we can replace him, we have played without him, we have played good without him.
“Will it be exactly like Fabinho? Of course not. Nobody is like the other one. But it will be a good one.”
Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum were mentioned as possible stand-ins, with a reshuffle in the centre likely, but Klopp admitted none represented a perfect like-for-like swap.
“Fab couldn’t have played all the games from now until March, that was clear anyway,” Klopp said at his press conference on Friday.
“It’s not cool. We think a lot about it, but not in the case now ‘oh my God, how can we deal with it?’.
“It’s just ‘let’s do the right thing for Fab, let’s do the right thing for the team’ and let’s carry on.”
Fabinho would not have been able to play against Saturday’s opponents Brighton anyway as he was serving a one-match suspension.
-AFP
Manchester City are at risk of missing out on next season’s Champions League due to their recent dip in form, manager Pep Guardiola said.
City, who are looking to qualify for Europe’s top club competition for a 15th straight season, have won just one of their last eight Premier League games and are seventh, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Guardiola’s side are four points behind Nottingham Forest, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification berth.
“When I said before, people laughed. They said, ‘qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success’. But I know it because it happens with clubs in this country,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of their home match against Everton.
“They were dominant for many years and after they were many years not qualifying for the Champions League. The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past years has been Manchester City. Now we are at risk, of course we are.”
After hosting Everton later on Thursday City travel to face Leicester City on Dec. 29.
-Reuters
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Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” after suffering a hamstring injury in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, manager Mikel Arteta said Monday.
Asked at a press conference about the 23-year-old England international’s condition, Arteta said: “It is not looking good. He will be out for many weeks.”
Saka was filmed leaving Selhurst Park on crutches on Saturday, souring what had been a comprehensive second win over the Eagles in four days.
Arteta said after the match: “He felt something in his hamstring. He couldn’t continue. He will have to be assessed, so I’m pretty worried about that one.”
He also revealed on Monday that Raheem Sterling had injured his knee and would be out for many weeks.
Arteta was asked if there was a fear Saka would not return before the end of the season.
“No (there’s no fear),” he said. “I’m very optimistic he’ll be back before the end of the season.”
The Spaniard said it was part of the “development of a player”.
“It could have been much worse. It could have been something else that can take you out for a year,” he said.
“It’s how you react to that, how you overcome that situation and it’s a great learning process for him as well.
“It is what it is. He’s injured, we cannot change it. We’re going to use this time now to help him.”
Saka is crucial cog in Arsenal’s attack, scoring five Premier League goals and providing 10 assists this season, and his absence will be keenly felt.
Arteta said he was “putting some ideas together” about how to cope in the winger’s absence.
“We went through the period with Martin (Odegaard) and the period with five, six defenders missing,” he said. “We’re taking it with positive energy.”
Arsenal, who have finished as Premier League runners-up over the past two seasons, host relegation-threatened Ipswich on Friday.
The Gunners are third in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.
-AFP
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Premier League
Ola Aina spearheads Nottingham Forest’s continued push for Europe with an impressive win at Brentford
Ola Aina was in his best element as he propelled Nottingham Forest to hand Brentford their first home defeat of the season.
Aina opened scoring in an eventual 2-0 defeat of Brentford who were unbeaten at home in 10 games in all competitions, which included nine victories, but the loss leaves them 12th in the standings with 23 points.
With Aina’s goal and an additional one by Anthony Elanga, Nottingham Forest will celebrate Christmas in the Premier League’s top four.
They are provisionally up to third position with 31 points.
“Most of the players were on the floor at the end. It’s difficult to come here,” Elanga said.
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