JURGEN KLOPP EXPLAINS WHY HE AVOIDED THE SIDELINES DURING THE PENALTY SHOOTOUT

The second leg of Sunday’s Capital One Cup semi-final match ended in a thriller 6-5 penalty shootut, which saw Liverpool FC cruise past Stoke City FC after the latter’s goal at Anfield drew them on aggregate.

Although Liverpool FC successfully paved their way to Wembley, there was one thing amiss during the penalty shootout. The new boss at Anfield is in a habit of running along the sidelines all along the match, but what was strange was that Klopp decided to stick to his seat during the penalty.

In his post-match press conference, Jurgen Klopp said, “No. Not superstition, it was a mixture. Usually, I want to see but with the first row of the stands, [the fans] couldn’t see anything. I can’t be on my knees for 50 minutes – I had an ACL 20 years ago and it’s still not 100 percent! That’s why I sat on a chair and you could see nothing. And it felt good, to be honest, only watching the crowd. In the end, we won without me watching and that’s good.”

Superstition? Or Not

He first showcased this particular attribute of his during the match against Bordeaux in November, when James Milner stepped up on the spot to strike the equalising penalty and he stayed glued to his seat rather than being on the sidelines where we’re more used to seeing him.

Milner equalised, Benteke gave them the lead and Liverpool entered the round of 32 of the Europa League where they face FC Augsburg. Although Jurgen Klopp denied having stuck to his seat out of superstition, even if it was so, it seems to be working for his side.

Liverpool FC have also reached the finals of the English Cup and will be competing for the title against Manchester City FC, who ascended to the finals after a 3-1 (4-3 on aggregate) win over Everton. The final match of the Capital One Cup is scheduled for 28th February.

They don’t enjoy a very comfortable league position sitting in the 7th spot — 8 points behind Tottenham Hotspur who are 4th on the table, and 13 points behind the league leaders Leicester City, with 15 games to go.

Kevin De Bruyne’s agent fears Manchester City forward could miss Euro 2016

Belgium midfielder tore ankle and knee ligaments against Everton
• ‘All Kevin can do now is concentrate on getting better and we will see’

Kevin De Bruyne’s agent fears the Manchester City forward could miss the European Championships after scans revealed the Belgium international tore ligaments in his knee and ankle in the Capital One Cup semi-final victory over Everton on Wednesday.

De Bruyne, who came on as a late substitute for Yaya Touré in City’s 3-1 win, appeared to catch his studs in the turf and twist his knee as he challenged Ramiro Funes Mori in injury time and was carried off on a stretcher.

But despite initial confidence that his client would not face a prolonged spell on the sidelines, the 24-year-old’s representative Patrick De Koster admitted that De Bruyne will be out for a minimum of six weeks, adding that it is too early to judge whether he would play again this season.

“Kevin will be out for at least six weeks but it is too early to know more at this stage,” De Koster told the Guardian.

“He’s confident. Of course he is a bit sad that he will miss so many important games like the Capital One Cup Final and Champions League but Kevin would not be Kevin if wasn’t already thinking about playing again for City.”

Asked whether the injuries – understood to be tears to the lateral ligament in his right knee and another to one of his ankle ligaments – could mean De Bruyne misses out on playing for Belgium at Euro 2016, De Koster added: “You never know. I’m not going to discuss that at the moment. All Kevin can do now is concentrate on getting better and we will see.”

In what had been an eventful game for the player signed from Wolfsburg in August for a club record £54m in August – he scored in the 70th minute after the officials missed the ball going into touch in the buildup and then delivered the cross for Sergio Agüero to make it 3-1 on the night – City progressed 4-3 on aggregate and will meet Liverpool in the final at the end of February.

The prognosis will be a bitter blow for manager Manuel Pellegrini with City still battling for trophies on four fronts. As well as missing the Capital One Cup Final against Liverpool on 28 February, De Bruyne, who has had 12 assists this season and created more chances than any other City player, will miss the Champions league last-16 tie against Dynamo Kyiv and crucial league matches against league leaders Leicester and fourth-placed Tottenham. If he is fit enough to return after six weeks, that could see him make his comeback in the Manchester derby on 20 March.

It is understood that De Bruyne will remain in Manchester for his recuperation as his girlfriend is expecting their first child shortly and De Koster if hopeful he can make a return before the end of the season.

“He will have more tests over the next couple of days and then we should know more,” he said.

“I’ve known Kevin since he was 15 and he has never had such a bad injury before. But we hope he can come back quickly to help City.”

Louis van Gaal launches attack on ‘awful, horrible’ reports over his future

Van Gaal fails to give direct answer on whether he offered to resign
• Manchester United manager says FA Cup tie at Derby is a must-win game

Louis van Gaal went on the attack at his pre-FA Cup press conference when asked to clarify whether he had offered to resign after last weekend’s home defeat by Southampton.

The Manchester United manager claimed he was being questioned about his future in a disrespectful way and complained his treatment by the media had been “awful and horrible”, but perhaps significantly he did not offer a direct answer. “I don’t think that I have ever mentioned it,” he said. “You make your own stories and I am concerned that people believe what you write,” Van Gaal said. “This is the third time I am sacked and I am still sitting here. You write all these stories and then I have to answer questions about them. I am not doing that, it is awful and horrible.”

That may be how the Dutch manager feels, though there is a distinction between offering to resign and being sacked, one that Van Gaal seems to be trying to blur. And it remains true that the first person to mention the possibility of resigning, or walking away before waiting to be sacked, was Van Gaal himself at the Britannia Stadium following the Boxing Day defeat by Stoke. A slight upturn in results in the New Year put the matter on hold, but a manager of Van Gaal’s immense experience ought to know that if you place such a comment on public record it will naturally resurface should resukts take a turn for the worse.

Van Gaal did then concede that Friday’s fourth-round Cup tie at Derby County had become a must-win game. “We cannot lose to a Championship club,” he said. “Maybe then you will have written the truth [about him being sacked] because sometimes it happens.”

Mark Hughes in Chelsea’s sights after Stoke transformation

Chelsea hierarchy have discussed Mark Hughes in talks on new manager
• Diego Simeone and Massimiliano Allegri may prove difficult to enlist

Chelsea’s initial discussions aimed at securing a permanent successor to José Mourinho have led them to consider the credentials of Mark Hughes as manager, along with those of more established targets such as Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri.

The champions will complete this season with Guus Hiddink in interim charge after Mourinho was sacked in December, just a few months into a four-year contract, with his team’s title defence in tatters. The Dutchman has helped extend the team’s unbeaten run to eight matches but was never viewed as a long-term appointment, leaving Chelsea exploring their options for the summer despite being unsure if they will be able to offer Champions League football.

Although Simeone, whose intense style of management has drawn comparisons to that of Mourinho, has long been mooted as the preferred candidate given the anticipated unavailability of Pep Guardiola, prising the Argentinian from Atlético Madrid could prove problematic. Simeone, a Europa League and La Liga winner with Atlético, is contracted to 2020 and the club hope their iconic manager will still be in charge to lead them into a new stadium next year, even if they fail to overturn a Fifa transfer embargo set to extend for two windows.

Hughes’s candidacy would constitute something of a surprise despite the relative success he has enjoyed with four clubs – Queens Park Rangers being the exception – over a nine-year spell in club management. The 52-year-old had excelled with Wales before that, and played a significant part in Manchester City’s development under Abu Dhabi United before being sacked in December 2009 and replaced by Roberto Mancini.

The former Chelsea player has overseen impressive progress at Stoke City in recent seasons, taking the club to the Capital One Cup semi-finals as well as implementing a transformation in the team’s style of play, and was rewarded with a contract extension to 2019 last March.

Hughes’s name had been discussed by Chelsea for a potential role as far back as 2007 when Mourinho’s first spell in charge was unravelling, though, with greater and more varied experience, his candidacy would arguably be stronger now despite the lack of silverware accrued on his coaching CV.

Allegri, who led Juventus to a domestic double and the Champions League final last season, is contracted until 2017. Conte guided that club to three consecutive Serie A titles this decade. He is overseeing the Italy national side but is expected to review his position after Euro 2016 and is thought to be attracted by the idea of coaching in England.

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The Gunners are on the hunt for Ben Chilwell

On the back of absolutely no Premier League evidence, Arsenal are keen to make young Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell a late January addition.

The defender has only made three senior appearances for the Foxes in his career, all of them coming in domestic cup competitions this season, but the displays have been enough to convince the Gunners that he’s worth a bid.

The London Evening Standard report that the Emirates outfit had a bid for Chilwell knocked back in the summer and are returning during the winter’s shopping season to test Leicester’s resolve once again.

There is, however, competition for the 19-year-old’s signature. Spurs, according to the same publication, are also on the trail of the left-back having watched him at close quarters during the recent two FA Cup ties against the Foxes in the third round.

Chilwell impressed in both of those games against Mauricio Pochettino’s men but it is thought that Arsenal remain in the driving seat for any potential deal.

Both of the north Londoners have two established options in Chilwell’s position, so first-team opportunities are likely to be scant for the Milton Keynes native should he move to the capital.

Considering the England youth international hasn’t been quite able to crack Claudio Ranieri’s Premier League lineup, it would be ludicrous to suggest that the youngster will be an immediate option for either Pochettino or Arsene Wenger.

A £3m fee suggests that both pursuers see Chilwell as a player for the future and would likely loan him out upon his arrival.

A better career plan would be to stay at Leicester, who remain on course for a Champions League spot at odds of4/11, and work to overthrow either Jeffrey Schlupp or Christian Fuchs in the Italian’s left-back pecking order.

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