Sports
UCL: We Must Write Our Own Liverpool History -Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has challenged Liverpool to write a new chapter in the club’s illustrious history as they prepare to face Manchester City in the Champions League.
The two domestic rivals meet at Anfield in the first leg of their quarter-final tie tonight, with the return fixture taking place at the Etihad Stadium next Tuesday.
On the brink of securing the Premier League title and having already won the EFL Cup, City has the chance to complete a famous treble if they go on to conquer Europe this season.
However, Liverpool remains the only side to beat the champions-elect in the league, recording a thrilling 4-3 triumph over Pep Guardiola’s side back in January.
“This club is already so full of history – we must now write our own history,” Klopp told the media ahead of the mouth-watering tie.
“This team, we need to be proud of the club’s history but also create our own.
“I’ve done that a lot in the past with my teams. [Borussia] Dortmund had a lot of history of course, but at some stage, you need to do your own thing.
“The boys are ready – you could see it immediately after the last game.”
Klopp confirmed Joel Matip, now ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury, and Ragnar Klavan will not be available for the home fixture, meaning Dejan Lovren is likely to start next to Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
Emre Can is also set to miss the first leg, the midfielder yet to fully recover from the back injury he sustained during the league win over Watford last month.
“He has a training session this afternoon, but even when we could need him really, we cannot rush it. That’s how it is. There is no chance,” Klopp revealed about Can.
“I’m always open to wait for better news but I don’t expect it, to be 100 per cent honest. It could be not enough time [to face City], but maybe then Everton or Tuesday.”
The German coach has a solid record against Guardiola, winning six of their 12 meetings, but insists past results will not be a factor in deciding the outcome of the tie.
“I never beat Pep – that was my teams [who beat him]. The record is not important. Pep is not worried about that record and I’m not proud of it,” he added.
“Things like this are possible, that’s why I love this game so much. If you can beat the best, that’s enough on that day. We can beat the best, but only if we work hard and are smart.”
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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