Month: September 2019

The academy director has been lauded on several occasions by Blues boss Frank Lampard for the role he’s played in developing so many young stars

After Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount provided the goals in Chelsea’s first win of the season, manager Frank Lampard quipped, “We had a couple of pints with Neil Bath!”

Lampard has been frequently hailed for putting his faith in youth this season, after a host of managers, from Jose Mourinho to Maurizio Sarri, failed or refused to integrate academy stars into the first-team squad.

However, the former midfielder has made no secret of his gratitude to Bath for providing him with so many talented players to call upon a time when Chelsea are prohibited from buying players.

Indeed, as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said ahead of his side’s trip to Stamford Bridge last weekend, there is arguably no club better equipped than Chelsea to deal with a transfer ban – and that is thanks in no small part to work done by academy director Bath and his colleagues.

Since 2014, Chelsea have won five FA Youth Cups, two Under-18s Premier League titles, an U21 Premier League title and two UEFA Youth Leagues.

This season, we have already seen senior debuts for Mount, Reece James, Billy Gilmour, Tino Anjorin and Ian Maatsen. There have also been loan recalls for Abraham and Fikayo Tomori, while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will play prominent roles once fully fit.

Lampard is giving chances that others didn’t, but he doesn’t want to be considered ‘The saviour of the academy’. He feels that he is simply using the best players available to him and that it’s just a very happy coincidence that many of those players have come off Bath’s production line.

Lampard has been insistent that the likes Abraham, Mount and Tomori would have got their chances regardless of the transfer ban.

There’s also the fact that the Blues boss has been hiring coaching staff who have also been produced at the club. His assistant, Jody Morris, was an academy graduate who won an unprecedented quadruple managing the Under-18s before following Lampard to Derby County last season.

Joe Edwards has occupied almost every role in the academy building and is now working alongside Lampard, Morris and Chris Jones, who has gone from a fitness coach to a full-fledged member of the backroom team.

Eddie Newton, meanwhile, has also moved from the loan programme to Lampard’s staff and often sits back, taking a more considered view of what is going on around the team.

Three more former Blues, Joe Cole, Petr Cech and Claude Makelele, have also been brought on board in a reshuffle masterminded by director Marina Granovskaia. The return of so many fan favourites has, unsurprisingly, gone down well supporters frustrated by many turbulent seasons.

However, it is Bath’s diligent work over decades that is reaping rewards at the moment.

He joined the club as a part-time schoolboy coach in 1992 but he was promoted to Assistant Academy Director in 2002 before taking full control in 2004.

In his notes in the FA Youth Cup-winning programme special last year, he detailed how Chelsea are producing so much talent.

“When discussing the trophy success we have achieved in the Academy in recent seasons, I will always say it is a wider effort from everybody involved,” he wrote.

“There is a particular focus around scouting and coaching, and the coaches won’t succeed if the talent is not of the right level. That is why the likes of Jim Fraser, Darren Grace and their recruitment team deserve credit for bringing in such talented players from a very young age.

“That is a huge part of our development programme. On the other hand, you need the right coaches, he continues before ending on.

“Fundamentally, it is about having good staff in all areas who work as a team.”

Fraser is certainly a key figure for Chelsea, the man responsible for scouting the best young talent across England and beyond. He works perfectly in tandem with Bath, who acts as an overseer, while Fraser operates as a decision-maker on promising players.

They combine to regularly beat the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Crystal Palace in a hugely competitive battle for talent for players in London and its surrounding areas.

For example, Mount turned down Portsmouth, the team he supported as a boy, because he was convinced that the standard of coaching and facilities at Chelsea was higher.

Nathan Baxter, meanwhile, is one of England’s brightest goalkeepers and the Ross County loanee was more than happy to travel from Kent to play for Chelsea as a teenager because he was so enamoured with the youth set-up.

“I loved growing up at Chelsea,” Baxter told Goal in 2018. “It is a wonderful academy. The support I received growing up through the age groups was absolutely unbelievable.

“The way they support me while I am on loan is great. They are in constant contact with the staff at Chelsea.

“Neil Bath, in particular, has been really supportive of all my loans. I am grateful to be at the club.”

Lampard is modest about his role in giving the youth a chance but he has undeniably created a sense of harmony at Chelsea.

“I think it is important that the club is joined up,” Lampard said after the recent Premier League win at Norwich. “It doesn’t mean that young players are going to start every week, but there must be a connection.

“Given the academy coaches work for hours and hours with these young players, it is nice for them to see them play for the first team.”

‘Connection’ is the key word in all of this. By fielding a team full of Bath’s top talent, Lampard is showing there is now, at long last, a strong connection between the academy and the first team.

The atmosphere in the stands, meanwhile, proves that the connection between the fans and their club is also as strong as it has been for years.

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The club’s former centre-back Gary Pallister believes the Foxes creator would be a key recruit in the bid to restore their flagging fortunes

Former Manchester United title winner Gary Pallister believes James Maddison is the player that can take the club to the next level.

Stuttering recent displays against West Ham United and Rochdale have heaped more pressure on the club and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Talking to  BonusCodeBets about what needs to change at Old Trafford in order to make them a force again, Pallister highlighted the widely-admired Leicester midfielder Maddison as a potential key recruit.

“There was a lot of talk about him in the press,” commented the former United centre-back.

“He stood out in the game against Tottenham, he’s got a lot of quality and energy – and he obviously scored the winner.

“He’s the type of player who can take Man United to the next level. However, Ole needs to try his best for now to squeeze the best out of the squad he has for the next few months.”

One definite highlight so far for Pallister has been the form of Maddison’s former Foxes’ teammate Harry Maguire and his early impact at the club.

“Harry Maguire is a class act and you’re looking at a future captain of the club; a leader that the club have lacked,” he added.

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“I was fortunate to play under so many leaders, we had four or five who were that figure. I had Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Peter Schmeichel; there’s perhaps not the same number of a lot of them in the current dressing room. I think Harry can be that.

“You can see he’s got the leadership qualities. He’s one of the best centre halves in the Premier League.

“The three signings have been good, [Daniel] James has scored a couple of great goals and his pace is incredible, he has space to move into – it’s been a really good start for him.

“[Aaron] Wan-Bissaka – it almost looks like he’s got spider legs that can nick the ball away from people.”

United’s lack of striking options has been criticised in some quarters but Pallister feels Solskjaer will see how youngster Mason Greenwood develops before making any moves in the transfer market.

“It all depends on how Mason Greenwood develops,” said Pallister. “I think you’d want a bit more experience in that front line. Liverpool and Man City seem to be attracting better players, and it’s becoming a tougher market for United.

“Playing Marcus [Rashford] on Thursday [Europa League] was a funny one with a game on Sunday, he’s played every game and it was a case of needs must.

“The injury problems have taken their toll. United looked at a couple of options in the forward line but they couldn’t happen, which puts the pressure on young forwards like Rashford who is 22 and Mason who is 17, [Anthony] Martial who is 24.

“It’s not a great deal of experience and I think that is a position in the team that Ole would’ve liked a bit more experience. 

“Martial has been out a few weeks and Jesse [Lingard] has had injuries, it’s been a struggle to keep everyone fit and he will have been frustrated by that.

“You need a different mentality away from home, and Ole be disappointed with some of the performances especially away from home.”

Sir Alex Ferguson picked makeshift teams against the Gunners and still won – but there’s no such confidence in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s struggling side

Manchester United face Arsenal on Monday with what may be the worst side they have ever picked to face the Gunners in the Premier League era.

Since the inception of ‘modern’ football, United have managed to defeat their old rivals even when their team appeared starkly depleted or vastly inferior – or both.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, in particular, being shorn of key players was not necessarily an impediment on the way to victory. In a 2011 FA Cup game against Arsenal, the Scot picked a famously esoteric side.

Edwin van der Sar lined up in goal, behind a back four of Wes Brown, Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, with Fabio, Rafael, John O’Shea and Darron Gibson in midfield, and Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez up front.

Fabio and Rooney netted in what was a surprisingly facile 2-0 victory over Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

It made no difference that Ferguson picked seven (SEVEN!) defenders, three of whom lined up in midfield; every single player carried themselves with the belief they would win regardless of the makeshift nature of the line-up.

After 15 years’ rivalry, Ferguson had located Arsenal’s jugular. Of course, Wenger had, by that stage, rendered Arsenal eminently beatable in any circumstances.

Distilling his beliefs into their purest forms, the Frenchman had assembled a side devoid of physical strength but full of mental weakness. It might have been a pretty terrible United side but they were still too strong for the Gunners.

It is a testament to Ferguson’s mind control that almost any old rabble he put out in his later years believed they could beat almost any domestic opponent.

Conversely, following several years of managerial upheaval and varied approaches to recruitment, any domestic opponent now believes that they can beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

With United weakened by poor investment, injuries and dreadful form, they could line up on Monday evening with a particularly lopsided selection.

David de Gea was at the heart of a ruthless, smash-and-grab victory against Arsenal at the Emirates in 2017, but this is a different De Gea.

He has signed a contract extension but perhaps only because he has conceded Real Madrid will not move for him any time soon. Vulnerable to unforced errors and unable to command his area physically, United’s problems now start at the goalline.

Ahead of him, Victor Lindelof has shown a propensity to flounder when exposed to high balls, and Ashley Young has been pressed into action again by yet another Luke Shaw fitness problem.

It is the front six, though, where the problems become almost intractable.

Paul Pogba returned to the starting line-up against Rochdale in the Carabao Cup in midweek, but is doubtful to face Arsenal after aggravating his ankle injury.

If the World Cup winner fails to recover in time, then Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay may both start. Fred looks like he cares, to his credit, but has not yet impressed in over a year for the club, so it is staggering that United did not buy a central midfielder to either make the most of Pogba’s talents or to inject some greater energy.

United are even shorter on quality up front after failing to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.

Marcus Rashford, who is set to miss the visit of Arsenal through injury, has long been confident of his ability to play as a central striker, but is struggling to consistently demonstrate his suitability for the role.

From a debut season full of technical talent and instinctive finishing, which included a brace in a 3-2 win over Arsenal on his first Premier League start, just three days after his first-team debut, he now appears to need to relearn the basics.

Anthony Martial is a superior option, but his fitness and contribution are not guaranteed either.

Lukaku and Sanchez were correctly shown the door but it is risible that United may have to give Mason Greenwood the chance to lead the attack by default rather than because his talent demands it.

Startlingly, it is not through the middle that United are likely to struggle most against Arsenal, but the wings.

Daniel James has been arguably the one shining light at an otherwise gloomy Old Trafford so far this season, but with Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard the other options out wide, there is a distinct lack of end product.

Wenger’s influence at Arsenal was so profound that his DNA remains embedded at the Emirates, with new manager Unai Emery having changed little in terms of the erratic nature of the Gunners’ displays, so it would be no surprise if United again ended up winning.

However, the situation at Old Trafford is now so desperate that it is more likely that Solskjaer will suffer further embarrassment.

If that happens, the Norwegian could lose the remaining support of both his players and the fans, who will need only to look at the teamsheet on Monday night to fully appreciate just how poor United now are.

The Brazilian has urged the Catalans to resist any temptation to bring back their star player prematurely

Barcelona have been warned against rushing Lionel Messi back from injury by club legend Rivaldo.

The Catalan star has struggled for fitness this season and lasted just 45 minutes in the club’s midweek win over Villarreal.

Rivaldo, who spent five seasons at Camp Nou and enjoyed a playing career spanning over two decades, is adamant Messi must be given the time to fully recover from any lingering injuries.  

“As the Argentinian returns from injury, the club need to be careful about not rushing him back,” Rivaldo wrote in his column for Betfair. 

“He’s 32 years old and has been playing at the highest level for a while without any rest, so it’s normal to see him starting to feel some pain at times.

“The club needs to let him fully recover so that he doesn’t suffer a recurrence of his injuries right after returning to the team. It doesn’t matter if he misses two, three weeks or a month. When I was in my early-thirties, I thought I would never get injured, or feel pain, but it wasn’t the truth and those kinds of problems started to come.

“Being 32 is not the same as being 25, so you need to manage your fitness better.

“I don’t see this as a sign of decline in Messi, though, as he will come back and have a few more years at the highest level.” 

Aside from his start against Villarreal, Messi’s only other minutes this season have come via two substitute appearances, with Barca revealing he’s now battling an adductor injury in his left thigh. 

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While barely featuring so far this season, the Argentine did star across the 2018-19 campaign and recently picked up The Best award for his performances. 

Though debate has raged over whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Virgil van Dijk deserved the award more, Rivaldo is convinced Messi was a worthy winner. 

“Despite being a tight voting, I believe Lionel Messi deserved this award for everything he has done last season,” he wrote.

“Yep, he only won La Liga, but he scored more than 50 goals and assisted 20, playing almost 60 matches of high demand.

“Sometimes it could be debatable what to value more: the team titles or the individual performances. For me, though, this is an individual award, so Messi was the best in 2019 even though his teams didn’t win as many titles as they wished.” 

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The 22-year-old defender has been tipped as a Three Lions regular but will have to find a way into Jurgen Klopp’s team before he gets the chance

Joe Gomez has admitted to being frustrated at his lack of playing time at Liverpool this season, but says he has no complaints over Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the England team as a result.

While the 22-year-old added he can’t argue with Jurgen Klopp’s decision to rely on Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip as his first-choice centre-back pairing, he will do his utmost to dislodge one of them from the Reds’ starting line-up.

Gomez played 90 minutes on the opening day win over Norwich but has made just one fleeting appearance from the bench since in the Premier League, and he was relieved to be involved on Wednesday as Liverpool beat MK Dons in the Carabao Cup.

He has been tipped as a future starter for England, but says he doesn’t hold a grudge against Southgate for not choosing him over the last international break.

“I cannot blame him,” he said. “He speaks to me and is a great manager but I have to understand that I have to play for my clubs like other players are. If you meet up with England you are expected to be playing so I have to keep working hard.

“Every footballer wants to be playing. It’s frustrating for me. At the same time I understand we are the European champions and the lads are doing well at the minute. Credit to them. All I can do is keep my head down and keep working hard.”

Gomez started alongside Dejan Lovren at MK Dons, with a number of the club’s young prospects also being given the chance to impress.

While he might not have envisioned his second start of the season coming in the Carabao Cup in late September, Gomez felt he had to treat the game as an opportunity to impress like any other.

He will be hoping to feature before the next round in October but with the draw pitting Liverpool against Arsenal, a sterner challenge could well present him with a pathway back into the first team.

“The further we go, it’s self-explanatory, the more we will play so we have to treat it like that and our hopeful our hunger can replicate that,” he added.

“You have got to be there every day in training and keep positive because you want to do yourself justice when the time comes.

“If you don’t put in the same practice every day in training with the same attitude, you are only doing yourself harm when it comes to your time to play so I have just got to keep doing that every day, keep working. I’ve got a great set of lads to learn from.

“Obviously Virgil and Joel, me and Dej [Lovren] keep pushing each other as well, it is part of being at Liverpool. I think that was the attitude of everyone [against MK Dons], it’s not just another game and all the lads are at home resting. It’s a serious competition, we want to go as far as we can.”

Roberto Firmino may have been missing but the Reds rediscovered their goalscoring touch in a thumping 5-0 win over Watford at Anfield

Nerves? What nerves?

If Liverpool are feeling the pressure of leading the Premier League as Spring looms into view, it didn’t show here.

Underwhelming at Old Trafford on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp’s side were inspired at Anfield three days later. If a reaction was required, Klopp got precisely the one he craved. “It was exactly the game we wanted,” the Reds boss admitted afterwards.

Watford, who arrived as a team in form, were simply swept away as Liverpool, to the delight of their supporters, rediscovered the attacking spark which makes them one of the most dangerous sides around.

“A pure opportunity,” Klopp had called this on Tuesday, urging his players to “use it on the front foot” if they could.

They could. Gone was the lethargy, sloppiness and indecision which had infected their performance against Manchester United. Instead, we got the archetypal Klopp team; energetic, forward-thinking, deadly.

They looked, dare we say, like a team with the title in their sights, one which believes it can win it. Their dominance was total, their 5-0 victory could have been even more convincing.

Ben Foster, the Watford goalkeeper, summed it up as he walked through the Anfield mixed zone. “That,” he grimaced, “was no fun at all!”

The transformation from last weekend was remarkable, and nowhere was it more evident than in the performance of Liverpool’s No.10.

Sadio Mane had been abject on Sunday, but he came to the party in a big way here. Pressed into action as a central striker in the absence of Roberto Firmino, the Senegalese star delivered for his manager, who got all of his big selection calls spot on. This was a good night for the manager, as well as his players.

Mane’s two first-half goals – both wonderfully taken, one with his head and one with a sublime backheel – settled any residual nerves among the home fans. His performance – aggressive, confident, direct – was that of a man with a point to prove.

Prove it he did. He has six goals in his last seven appearances now, Mane, and 15 for the season. With 14 league strikes, this is now his most productive Premier League scoring campaign, and it isn’t finished yet.

Anfield was appreciative of his efforts. The standing ovation he got when replaced late on by Adam Lallana was richly deserved.

He was ably assisted though. Trent Alexander-Arnold, restored at right-back, produced his best performance of the season. The England man provided two pin-point assists for Mane’s goals, another for Virgil van Dijk’s first, and defended like a veteran throughout. Having scored in the reverse fixture back in November, the 20-year-old clearly enjoys playing against Watford.

Everyone did here, to be fair. Divock Origi, given his first league start since December, repaid Klopp’s faith with a second-half goal. The Belgian’s work on the left wing should not go unnoticed when analysing his side’s victory. He did everything that was asked of him.

So too did Fabinho, whose muscle and poise in midfield enabled Liverpool to dominate, and James Milner, who looked more at home as a scuttling No.8 than he ever will as a full-back. Milner, captain for the night, drove Liverpool forward in the first half particularly.

Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, should not be allowed within 50 feet of Adam Masina in future, such was the way in which he tormented the shell-shocked Watford full-back,

Masina was barely that close to Salah here, to be fair. The mismatch was horrific. The Egyptian couldn’t decorate his performance with a goal of his own, but he was back on song, no doubt. He hit the post, he dribbled and he ran and he terrorised his marker. His work rate was faultless.

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Van Dijk provided the crowning glory with a pair of headers buried emphatically at the Kop End. It added a deserved gloss to the scoreline, and chopped Manchester City’s goal difference advantage to six in the process. Come May, such details may count for everything.

For now, though, this was a night simply to savour for Liverpudlians, who can park their doubts and their fears and their worries for a few days at least.

Before kick-off here, the sound of Nirvana could be heard wafting across Anfield.

“Here we are now, entertain us.”

Job done, you’d say!

The Argentina ace is Barcelona’s go-to penalty-taker, but following a recent miss in La Liga, should he really be taking spot-kick duties?

Lionel Messi missed a penalty against Real Valladoid in La Liga in mid-February, a blemish in the Argentine’s usually reliable record of converting spot-kicks on club duty.

The miss didn’t prove too be too consequential, but what Messi’s penalty record for Barcelona – especially compared to that of his greatest rival? Goal takes a look.

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Messi is Barcelona’s go-to penalty-taker, having taken to the spot 90 times in both La Liga and the Champions League. He’s converting 68 to earn a 75.56% success rate.

He’s not one to miss very many from the spot (at least with club duty), having missed just four (with two hitting the post and 10 saved) during his entire career for both competitions. His penalty miss against Real Valladolid in February didn’t have too much of a consequence, as he already scored a penalty in the first half with the game ultimately finishing 1-0.

Despite the Argentine’s miss, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde dismissed the notion that he was anxious about Messi’s form on penalties.

“No, no, I’m not particularly nervous. I was convinced he was going to score both,” Valverde replied when asked if he was nervous about Messi taking penalties.

“Leo is a safe bet. He could have scored more goals as well.”

His penalty record with Argentina is a bit more problematic, the most notable of his penalty misses occurring during the 2016 Copa America final against Chile. Messi missed his penalty in the shootout after a 0-0 draw which meant that he suffered his third consecutive defeat in the final of a major international tournament.

The striker was so traumatised by his penalty miss and his inability to deliver for his national team that he made the decision to retire from Argentina, though reversed his decision a few weeks later after fans came out in support of him.

Penalties	Number
Successful penalties*	68
Post	2
Saved	16
Missed	4
TOTAL	90
% scored	75.56%

* La Liga and Champions League only. Correct as of Feb 18, 2019.

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Messi is a prolific spot-kicker, but not  quite  as reliable as his former rival Cristiano Ronaldo. During the Portuguese forward’s time at Real Madrid, he took 92 penalties, scoring 79 and missing just two for a conversion rate of 85.87% – significantly better than the Argentine’s.

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Ronaldo has taken more penalties than Messi and has missed fewer spot-kicks, with 10 of his being saved by the opposition goalkeeper. 

Though he is dubbed ‘Penaldo’ due to the fact that the perception that a majority of his goals are penalties, it can be argued that he has won the right to that title due to his solid spot-kick abilities. Like Messi, Ronaldo is Portugal’s chosen penalty-taker on national team duty as well, scoring a memorable penalty against Spain the 2018 World Cup.

Penalties	Number
Successful penalties*	79
Post	1
Saved	10
Missed	2
TOTAL	92
% scored	85.87%

*La Liga and Champions League only. 

The Blues legend is now assistant head coach at Championship side Aston Villa after hanging up his boots at the end of last season

Former Chelsea captain John Terry insists he does not miss his playing days after moving into coaching and admits he put himself under pressure late in his career.

Terry left the Blues in 2017 to spend a season as club captain at Aston Villa, leading them to a 1-0 play-off final defeat to Fulham, and announced his retirement last October shortly before rejoining Villa as head coach Dean Smith’s assistant.

Since replacing Steve Bruce, Smith has improved the Villains’ league position by two places to 13th but has struggled to maintain consistent results, with Villa remaining eight points off the top six. 

When asked if he has missed playing, Terry told  Sky Sports:   “Do you know what? I haven’t. Missing the Monday to Friday, I get that, but the pressures of games…

“It’s funny because you watch games like the League Cup final, you want to still be playing, but the pressures that surround it, and the pressures I put myself under later on in my career, I probably didn’t enjoy, and that’s why I’m enjoying retirement.”

Chelsea’s poor form in 2019, which has caused them to lose away fixtures to Arsenal, Bournemouth and Manchester City, has led to speculation linking Terry as a replacement for current head coach Maurizio Sarri.

The stand-off between Sarri and Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final last Sunday has fueled rumours of the Italian’s imminent departure, and Terry certainly has a wealth of experience under big-name managers at Stamford Bridge.

He played under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte at Chelsea, and said he tried to learn something from each of them.

“I always took an interest in what was going on; with certain managers there were things I liked, and a lot of things I didn’t like, and why I would do it, why I wouldn’t, and what I think the players want and need,” the 38-year-old added. 

“I had a lot of notes from sessions I’d seen previously from really good managers, and some sessions from managers that didn’t work and the players didn’t enjoy.”

Terry supports Smith alongside co-assistant head coach Richard O’Kelly, who worked with the Villa boss at his previous club Brentford, in the West Midlands.

And the former centre-back says he is still developing as a coach. 

“It forms day-by-day,” Terry says of his coaching style. “Sometimes I walk in from a training session and I’m disappointed in myself that, whether it be a passing or possession session, it doesn’t go as well as you think.

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“Like you always do, as a player and a coach, you always have to walk in from a training session and say: ‘How can I improve, what did I do right, what did I do wrong?’ Very much the same as a player. Sometimes you come in and say: ‘I’ve nailed it,’ but you have to write it down.

“It’s a bit like being at school, constantly learning, and I’m like a sponge at the minute. You have to analyse yourself.”

The Brazilian striker hobbled off against Manchester United but Jurgen Klopp has revealed he is set to make a swift return to action

Roberto Firmino’s injury is not as bad as first feared and he could even be fit enough to feature against Watford, says Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

The Brazil forward hobbled out of the first half of the goalless draw at Manchester United on Sunday with an ankle problem.

But, having had the opportunity to assess Firmino, Liverpool are now positive about his chances of playing against Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, while he could even feature against Watford.

“He looks good. We were obviously lucky,” Klopp told a news conference. “It is not as serious as we thought at first.

“If Bobby goes down and has to leave the pitch, it’s a bad sign because he’s a pretty hard boy.

“For tomorrow, it will be very close, but [he has] a big chance for the derby. Because it’s Bobby, I would say yes [he has a chance for Watford] but I don’t know if I would use that chance because we play on Wednesday after playing on Sunday.

“But writing Bobby off is a big mistake, because he recovers pretty quick.”

Firmino has been an ever-present for Klopp this season, with the Brazilian having made 27 league appearances thus in 2018-19, scoring nine goals.

Asked how he would cope if Firmino isn’t fit, Klopp added: “Somebody else will play!

“That’s the nature of playing for a club like Liverpool. You have a few players that don’t have 500,000 minutes before they start the next game, but they still have a lot of quality.

“If we have to change a few things, we will change. We changed a couple of things during the season, but obviously Bobby was pretty much always involved.

“That’s not the case this time, but we have the options which we will choose for the start, one of them, and maybe during the game a second one.

“If there’s anything good in [the situation] it’s that Watford have no clue what we will do, so we will not talk about that.”

The Reds were able to move a point ahead of Manchester City over the weekend, with their goalless draw at Old Trafford moving them onto 66 points.

City, meanwhile, face West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday fresh from their Carabao Cup final win.

Last season’s Coppa Italia runners-up put in a below-par attacking performance at the Stadio Olimpico according to their manager

Gennaro Gattuso felt AC Milan made too many mistakes in attack but praised his team’s defensive work after a 0-0 Coppa Italia draw with Lazio on Tuesday.

The Rossoneri arrived at the Stadio Olimpico on a three-match winning run yet struggled to make an impact in the first leg of the semi-final, leaving striker Krzysztof Piatek an isolated figure up front.

Lazio made sure Tiemoue Bakayoko was shackled by consistently pressing the deep-lying midfielder when Milan had possession, though Gattuso criticised his side for not finding alternative ways to build attacks from deep.

However, the stalemate leaves Milan in a strong position to progress to the final at the expense of their opponents for a second straight year.

They needed penalties to prevail in Rome after two scoreless games between the clubs last season but have home advantage for the second leg this time around, with the fixture taking place in late April.

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“It was a step back in terms of quality from recent games, but we knew it would be decided over 180 minutes,” Gattuso told Rai Sport.

“We were up against a physical side in Lazio who always push four or five men up, so we did very well in defence. Unfortunately, we made a lot of mistakes in the final third and gave Piatek no service at all.

“[Joaquin] Correa was marking Bakayoko and we should have tried to play through the other midfielders, but we kept trying that central channel.

“We didn’t pass it properly, we allowed five or six dangerous counter-attacks. I don’t agree with those who said Lazio weren’t in good shape either, as they have a way of acting sleepy and lowering the tempo, then hurting you.”

Lazio had 16 shots in the contest but too often made life easy for visiting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, managing to hit the target only four times.

Yet despite the result leaving them with work to do at San Siro, boss Simone Inzaghi was pleased with the home side’s performance, particularly as they nullified opponents who have been in such excellent form.

“We were only missing a goal, but the lads put in a great performance, were always very focused against Milan, the form team in Serie A right now,” Inzaghi said in his post-match interview with Rai Sport. 

“We allowed Milan nothing, not even a save for a corner, but the regrets are that we didn’t manage to score. At least if we were to draw at home, 0-0 was the best result.”