Sports

Klopp Relishing Title Battle With City

Published

4 years ago

February 25, 2022

Jurgen Klopp is trying not to get carried away by Liverpool being in a full-on Premier League title battle with Manchester City.
The only thing is, Jurgen Klopp and staying calm do not go together well.
He let out a fury of celebratory fist pumps at Anfield after Liverpool beat Leeds 6-0 as they have now won six games on the trot and are just three points behind Premier League leaders Man City as they made the most of City losing at home to Tottenham last weekend.
Liverpool faces Man City at the Etihad in early April and many see that game as a straight battle for the Premier League trophy.
Klopp is not so sure, and is trying hard not to focus on whether or not his side is in a battle for the title.
Asked after the game if Liverpool is excited to be in the title race, this was Klopp’s response.
“I am not excited, it is normal after a night like this people get carried away and that is completely fine but Sunday is looming and we have to be 100 percent ready for this,” Klopp said, as he smiled.
“We have 10 days no with no league game and City is probably playing in that time for sure. It is how it is. We have to win our football games and if we do that we will be around and if we don’t there is no title race. But if we do it, then maybe.”
Liverpool has been here before with Manchester City.
This run-in feels very similar to the end of the 2018-19 season, when City finished on 98 points and Liverpool on 97 as the title race went down to the final day of the Premier League season.
Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will assess his future at the troubled club after admitting he does not deserve his salary following Wednesday’s damaging 1-0 defeat against Burnley.
Conte’s side saw their hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League severely damaged by Ben Mee’s second-half winner at Turf Moor.
Just days after their memorable 3-2 win at champions Manchester City, Tottenham returned to the kind of lacklustre display that has marred their dismal season.
It was a fourth league defeat in five games for eighth-placed Tottenham, who are seven points adrift of the top four in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
Conte cut a forlorn figure after the latest loss in a difficult start to his first season with the north Londoners.
The Italian, who replaced the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo in November, appeared to hint he could walk away from Tottenham if there is not an improvement in their results soon.
Suggesting he wanted to talk to the Tottenham board about the team’s predicament, Conte said: “When you lose four out of five it means the club have to make an assessment, also to speak together, and to understand which is the best solution.
“In this situation the players are always the same in this club, the club change coaches, but the players are the same, but the result doesn’t change.
“This is the reality. No one deserves this type of situation, the club, me, the players, the fans, but this is the reality.
“I came here to try to improve the situation in Tottenham but maybe in this moment I’m not so good.
“I’m too honest to close my eyes. It means there will be an assessment about the club, about me.”
Conte was already unhappy with Tottenham’s decision to sell several players during the January transfer window, with only two replacements arriving.
The former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss a title winner in England and Italy, conceded Tottenham’s current form was closer to a side battling relegation.

Sports

Rivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

A veteran Rivers State chess player, Apollos Akomaka, has finished in joint 3rd place at the just-concluded World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship held in Abuja.

Akomaka, who is the director of physiotherapy at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, overcame a shaky start to secure a podium finish in the 11-round rapid event that began on August 2.

The tournament featured top chess players from several countries.

After losing his opening game, the defining moment for Akomaka came between Rounds 7 and 11.

He raised his game and began defeating some of the top-ranked players in the event.

The Rivers-born player ended the championship tied for 3rd place in the U2000 category with 6.5 points out of 11, alongside Cameroon’s national champion, Noumbo Vidal.

His final game was against Vidal, with the Nigerian playing the black pieces.

Vidal opened with a queen’s gambit but quickly transposed into an English opening with a double fianchetto attack.

Akomaka responded sharply with a king’s Indian defense and soon launched a kingside attack from a defensive position.

The pressure paid off, resulting in an immediate material gain, a knight for a rook, and leaving Akomaka with a strong attacking advantage.

Vidal fought hard to avoid mate and managed to steer the game into an endgame, where he found some respect. At that point, the Cameroon champion offered a draw, which Akomaka accepted.

Speaking after the event, Akomaka said that he is resilient and determined after the poor start but happy that he finished on the podium.

He expressed optimism that in subsequent competitions he will make Rivers State proud and Nigeria at large.

Akomaka has won both local and national chess championships in recent times.

He is passionate about chess; besides, he has equally sponsored several national chess tournaments in Nigeria.

The World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship concluded with Akomaka of Rivers State,

Nigeria, battling back from an early loss to end among the top three in his category

Tonye Orabere/Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Team Nigeria Secures Women’s 4x100m, 4x400m Finals at World U20 Championships

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

Team Nigeria continued its impressive showing at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, securing places in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay finals after strong performances in the heats.

The Nigerian quartet of Becky Ebiyadi, Jecinta Lawrence, Tejiri Praise Ugoh and Faith Ezechukwu booked their place in the women’s 4x400m final after clocking a season’s best of 3:35.28.

Nigeria finished third in the heat behind Italy and Great Britain, doing enough to advance to the final and remain firmly in contention for a medal.

In the women’s 4x100m, Ugoh joined Lucy Nwankwo, Chigozie Nwankwo and Oluebube Ezechukwu as Nigeria produced another season’s best, clocking 43.65 seconds to secure an automatic ticket to the women’s 4x100m final.

The qualification was sealed by a sensational anchor leg from Ezechukwu. Receiving the baton nearly 20 metres behind the United States, the Nigerian launched a determined charge down the home straight, rapidly closing the gap before edging the Americans at the line to claim the third automatic qualifying position.

Nigeria stopped the clock at 43.65 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of the United States, who finished in 43.67 seconds.

The performances mean Nigeria will now contest both women’s relay finals, further strengthening the country’s medal prospects at the championships.

In Saturday’s evening phase of the event, Success Uyibo will compete in the 200m women’s final while the 4x100m compete in the women’s final.

Sports

Poor welfare forced me to dump Delta for Enugu, says world – Nwachukwu

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

World Record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, Goodness Nwachukwu, has revealed why she dumped Delta State for Enugu State.

The sudden departure of Nwachukwu, a multiple gold medallist, from Team Delta to the Coal City, Enugu , sparked controversy within the sports family, with officials of Delta State Sports Commission accusing the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, of manipulating the system for the athlete to dump the state.

But Nwachukwu, who broke the World Record to win a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Discus F42 event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has cleared the air on the circumstances that led to her movement to Enugu State.

Speaking with The Tidesports source report, shortly after winning the gold medal, Nwachukwu said: “It is not true that anybody aided my movement from Delta State to Enugu. Rather, it was Delta State that forced me to leave because of poor remuneration.