Liverpool FC Thread #158:- We are Liverpool. This means more.

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UEFA prepare big rule change around Champions League and Europa League - and Liverpool will hope it doesn't affect them

UEFA could be set to reform their club competitions in Europe - with a third competition given the green light.

The governing body are set to roll out their plans from 2021/22, pending the final approval from the executive committee.

UEFA have held two major tournaments - the Champions League and Europa League - since the dissolution of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1999.

The move is thought to help maximise the commercial potential of its top sides in its main competition, the Champions League, while also giving more clubs an opportunity to compete in European competition.

The changes would see the overall number of clubs expand to 96.



Juventus chief and European Club Association chairman Andrea Agnelli outlined more details on the proposal.

"Pending approval of the Uefa executive committee, the 'green light' has been given to introduce a third competition," he said.

"This would bring the overall number of clubs in European competition to 96, as of the 2021/22 season."

The European Clubs Association a group that represents the interests of the continent's biggest teams, of which Liverpool are part of.

The proposals are expected to leave the Champions League largely unchanged, although the Europa League could be reduced to a 32-team competition, with the third trophy offering clubs further down the pecking order a chance of glory.

Liverpool, having qualified for the Champions League in consecutive seasons, hope that will be of little consequence to them.

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Fabinho may still be waiting for an appearance for his new club – but Liverpool have been hailed for making the Brazilian one of the best-value signings of the summer.

The Reds splashed out an initial £39.3million to sign Fabinho from Monaco in May, a fee that could eventually rise to £44.5m depending on add-ons.

And that has been calculated as one of the canniest pieces of business during the recent transfer market.

The boffins at the CIES Football Observatory, who specialise in the scientific estimation of a player’s transfer value, have crunched the numbers and compared the reported transfer fee of players with their own algorithm.

Fabinho is estimated to be worth 73.8m euros, which is 18.8m more than the 55m euros they have suggested Liverpool paid for the player.

Only three other players are said to have been better value, with Thibaut Courtois top following his 40m euros move from Chelsea to Real Madrid.



However, with Liverpool having actually agreed a deal worth a maximum of 50m for Fabinho, the difference between that amount and the player's estimated value would in fact make the Brazilian the best value signing of the summer.

Two other Liverpool arrivals, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson Becker, are in the top 13 of canniest buys, with Reds said to have paid under the odds by a combined 14.3m euros.

The sales of Danny Ward and Danny Ings are ranked among the best business by a selling club, although Liverpool are calculated to have overpaid by 8.7m euros for Naby Keita.

That, however, was on the basis the Reds paid 70m euros, when instead it was nearer 64m.

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Oliver in Charge

Michael Oliver will referee Liverpool’s clash with Spurs this weekend.

The Reds have won just one of the last six league matches Oliver has presided over but do have a good overall record, losing four of his 27 games overall.

He last took charge of Liverpool in the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace last month in which he sent off the Eagles’ Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Kevin Friend

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Andy Robertson’s style of football is perfectly suited to the way Liverpool take games to their opponents, according to a man who knows all about operating at left-back for the Reds.

The newly appointed Scotland captain has become a firm favourite with supporters following his transfer from Hull City in the summer of 2017 due to his ability to seamlessly combine defensive duties with attacking forays.

And ex-Anfield defender Stephen Warnock isn’t surprised by how Robertson has been received by fans, given he believes the No.26 has ‘everything’ to his game.

Warnock told Goal.com: “He’s such a good player and he’s been brilliant since he arrived.

“He has made himself indispensable. He’s got everything, he’s good at defending, his delivery is one of the best in the league, he’s quick, aggressive and he suits the way Liverpool play completely. I’m made up for him.

“It’s very difficult to become a crowd favourite as a full-back, but he’s got that. He has won everyone over so quickly. He’s the Scotland captain now, which is great for him. He’s proven he can do it at the highest level.”

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Andy Robertson became the newest name on the growing list of Liverpool players who have captained their country when he led out Scotland during the international break.

Appointed skipper by national team boss Alex McLeish on Monday last week, the Reds left-back helped guide the Scots to victory in his first competitive match with the armband, following a friendly defeat to Belgium a few days earlier.

Robertson's Scotland bounced back from Friday's home defeat against the World Cup 2018 semi-finalists to beat Albania 2-0 at Hampden Park on Monday in their inaugural match of UEFA's new Nations League competition.

The 24-year-old is the sixth Liverpool player to captain Scotland, following in the footsteps of Sir Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alex Raisbeck, Jimmy McDougall and Tommy Younger.

But he's not the only player in the current Liverpool squad to don the armband on the international stage.

Robertson can compare notes with six of his first-team colleagues at Anfield.



Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was appointed Netherlands captain by Dutch boss Ronald Koeman, whom he worked under during his time at Southampton, in March 2018.

In his first outing as skipper, the LFC No.4 lined up against a very familiar face at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena.

The Oranje lost 1-0 to an England team led by Van Dijk's club captain, Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool midfielder Henderson had been handed the armband for the first time by Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate four months earlier, for a World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in Ljubljana.



The Reds No.14 has led out his nation on six occasions to date, including England's final World Cup 2018 warm-up match against Costa Rica, although Harry Kane assumed the role full-time for the tournament in Russia.

Henderson's fellow Liverpool midfielder James Milner has also captained the Three Lions.

The LFC No.7 skippered Roy Hodgson's England for a friendly against the Netherlands at Wembley in March 2016. He announced his retirement from international football in August of that year after winning 61 caps.

Current Reds starlet Joe Gomez was named skipper of Aidy Boothroyd's Young Lions for their 2019 UEFA European U21 Championship qualification campaign.

"He's just one of those blokes who you think 'I could be in the trenches with you'," Boothroyd said after handing Gomez the armband in August last year.

The Liverpool defender, 21, led the England U21 side to two wins and a draw in Group 4 before being called up to Southgate's senior squad.



After half-a-century of games for the Senegal national team, Sadio Mane was handed the armband by head coach Aliou Cisse in June 2018 for a World Cup warm-up match against Croatia in Osijek.

The Liverpool forward retained the captaincy for the first two matches of the finals in Russia, leading the Lions of Teranga to a 2-1 win over Poland and scoring in a 2-2 draw with Japan.

Mane's close friend and Liverpool teammate Naby Keita has enjoyed a similar honour with Guinea.

The Reds No.8 first captained his home nation in the penultimate match of their already unsuccessful World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign and it proved to be an eventful match for the 23-year-old midfielder.

Keita, who in August, had agreed a deal to join Liverpool ahead of the 2018-19 season, scored the opening goal in the October clash with Tunisia but was sent off in the 94th minute of a 4-1 defeat.

Suspended for the final qualifier against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he returned to action under new manager Paul Put on Sunday and was named skipper for Guinea's first competitive match under the Belgian.

Playing in an advanced midfield role, Keita led the Syli Nationale to a 1-0 win over the Central Africa Republic in their first match of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign.

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Liverpool receive triple boost ahead of Tottenham clash - but also fired Neymar warning

Liverpool's Brazilian trio will return to Merseyside later today fully refreshed, after national team coach Tite left all three as unused substitutes in Brazil's 5-0 win over El Salvador.

Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino all started in the South American side's first friendly, against United States, but remained on the bench for the duration of their victory in Washington.

Former Reds star Philippe Coutinho was amongst the goals, with Everton man Richarlison grabbing the headlines with two goals on his first start.

Neymar, who will come up against Liverpool in the Champions League next week, also notched from the penalty spot to open the scoring.

He was also shown a yellow card for simulation in the second half.

With Alisson and Firmino expected to start against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, their absences throughout the 90 minutes will be welcomed by Jurgen Klopp.



Those two, alongside Fabinho, have now flown back for club duties and will only have a few training sessions at Melwood before the crucial clash with Spurs.

Fabinho is yet to feature for Liverpool since his £39.3million move from Monaco in the summer but started Brazil's 2-0 victory over United States at right back.

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Liverpool's Champions League showdown with Napoli will go ahead as scheduled at the Stadio San Paolo next month.

The Serie A club's president Aurelio De Laurentiis sparked concern among travelling Reds fans on Monday when he claimed that he had submitted a request to UEFA for the fixture on October 3 to be moved to Bari – some 160 miles away from Naples.

De Laurentiis bemoaned the state of the facilities at the Stadio San Paolo, which is owned by the local council, after a planned upgrade this summer failed to take place.

However, UEFA insisted on Tuesday that no request to move the game had been lodged and there had been no dialogue with either club about a potential switch.

The ECHO understands that despite seating in the 60,000-capacity San Paolo not meeting UEFA standards, the governing body has given the green light for the stadium to host Champions League football again this season. In recent years Napoli have been granted an exemption and that remains the case for 2018/19.

That will be a source of relief for Liverpool fans who have already booked travel arrangements for the Group C clash.



De Laurentiis, who has been locked in an ongoing battle with the authorities in Naples, said: “Such a bad stadium limits the status of Napoli at an international level.

“We can't go on like this any more. In the meantime I've asked UEFA to authorise us to play Champions League matches at Bari.

“I say enough: I don't want any more controversy, so I'll build my own stadium. Nobody can tell you to do anything if you put in your own money and have the land to build a stadium.”

Liverpool open their Group C campaign against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield next Tuesday night.

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Lucas Impressing

It’s all going well on the field for Liverpool at the moment - and one of their most popular former sons isn’t doing too badly for himself, either!

Lucas Leiva penned a two-year deal with Lazio after departing the Reds in 2017 with his heart set on a final career move to first club Gremio at the expiration of his deal in Italy.

Now, however, Lucas is expected to sign an extension with the Serie A outfit after impressing so much that the club handed him the captaincy.

Il Messaggero claim that the 31-year-old has also been told by Lazio president Claudio Lotito that he is welcome to remain at the Stadio Olimpico for as long as he desires - while also offering a future coaching role.

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Virgil van Dijk has today been crowned as the first Standard Chartered Player of the Month for 2018-19 in recognition of his imperious form for Liverpool in August.

The Netherlands captain helped ensure the Reds made an unblemished start to the new Premier League campaign as they recorded wins over West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion without conceding a goal.

Van Dijk pipped Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to the award, with the forward pair finishing in second and third position in the voting respectively.

The No.4 was presented with the trophy at Melwood on Wednesday and told Liverpoolfc.com: “Firstly, I want to say thank you very much to everyone who voted. It was a great month for all of us, so a big thanks to everyone who voted for me.

“It’s my first one and I am very pleased to have won it, but almost everyone in the team deserved it this month; everyone has been outstanding, giving their all, and you could see that in the results.

“I’m very happy we’re doing so well at the moment and we need to keep going.

“I am enjoying every bit of it, but that’s all credit to everyone in the team – all of the players involved. It’s not only me and I would never take credit on my own. We do it all together and it starts on the training pitch.”

Liverpool were required to demonstrate different facets of their game in gaining maximum points throughout the month, with stylish attacking play blended with defensive resilience in each of the three fixtures.

“We had games we needed to grind out and make sure we gave our everything, but we also showed our quality,” Van Dijk added.

“Crystal Palace away, for example, was a very tough game on a Monday night when their fans were really going for it and making it hard for us. It was a tough one to go to, but we did it and we were very happy.

“We did very well overall and had our moments in games which we were very pleased with. There are things we need to improve as well, but it’s always good to have things to work on.”

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Mauricio Pochettino should consider resting Harry Kane for Tottenham's clash with Liverpool after fresh claims of the England international suffering fatigue.

And Mohamed Salah's goalscoring feats from last season have partly been blamed for the Spurs striker's recent troubles.

Kane was a second half substitute in the friendly win over Switzerland on Tuesday, after playing 90 minutes in the UEFA Nations League defeat to Spain.

After a sluggish start to the campaign following his World Cup heroics - albeit scoring in August for the first time, and notching two goals so far - debate has raged over whether Kane is at peak fitness following a heavy workload.

The 25-year-old injured his ankle in March but missed little playing time for his club as he tried to chase down Salah at the top of the goalscoring charts, and looked visibly tired in Russia, despite winning the Golden Boot with six goals.

Salah would triumph in their Premier League battle with a record 32 goals - two more than Kane - and former Liverpool man Craig Bellamy believes the Egyptian's efforts have seen Kane push his body to the limit.

"One thing I love about Harry Kane is his hunger and his motivation," he said. "He was after top goalscorer, he wanted to beat Salah. He would have rushed his injury back, he seems like that type of kid. He wants the goals.

"He would have had little time off (after the World Cup), but in his own head, believes: I've got to go in and hit the ground running. I've got to sort this August out because that might have cost me the golden boot last year, I have to make sure I'm playing first couple of games of the season."



Kane will go head-to-head with Salah once more at Wembley on Saturday as the Reds look to avenge last season's 4-1 defeat.

Bellamy, however, thinks Kane should have been rested at the start of the season - and wouldn't rule out doing so now.

"It's difficult for Mauricio Pochettino," he added, speaking on Sky Sports' The Debate. "I love him as a manager, but he should have said 'I am not using you, you need time off to rest, I am not going to use you for the next two or three games, so go on holiday, freshen up, because I want you for the rest of the season.'

"But he has had a couple of weeks off after the World Cup, come back into training and then straight into games. He's gone straight into Premier League games with high intensity, and he is nowhere near that level with his lack of training and conditioning.

"Something has to give because nature will take its course and Kane will get injured. If he carries on at this rate, with his lack of freshness - which makes him more high risk and vulnerable to injury - the decision will get made for Spurs and England where he could miss a couple of months with injury.

"He will get his rest then but it will be the wrong rest. He needs time off, he needs to stay away for a couple of weeks."