Timmermans accepts lunch date to discuss Commission work programme
EU ministers meeting in Brussels are expected to discuss ways to oblige the Commission to consult the European Council when preparing its annual work programme.
The European Union’s General Affairs Council (GAC) has extended a lunch invitation to Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s first vice-president, in the hope of starting a discussion about ways to formalise the GAC’s input into the Commission’s annual work programme.
The Commission has confirmed that Timmermans will join the European affairs ministers of the 28 EU member states next Tuesday (17 March), at what will be an otherwise routine monthly meeting.
EU officials say the purpose of the lunch is to discuss the prospect of establishing an inter-institutional agreement regulating the preparation of the work programme – a key moment of the Commission’s planning schedule. The 2015 work programme put forward by Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, was prepared in the midst of confirmation hearings for newly-appointed commissioners, and while the Commission says it did consult the GAC on that occasion, member states would like the process to be formalised with an agreement involving both the GAC and the European Parliament.
Although the GAC has a year to put this agreement in place, it wants to avoid being sidelined when, at the end of the year, the Commission’s 2016 programme is being prepared.
The discussion may provide ministers with some relief ahead of the scheduled afternoon discussion on the 2015 European Semester, the first phase of the EU annual cycle of economic policy in which the European Commission analyses the fiscal and structural reform policies of member states. The second phase of the cycle, known as the National Semester, is when member states implement the policies they have agreed. The morning has been earmarked for last-minute drafting of resolutions which leaders attending the European Council summit on 19-20 March will sign up to.
David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom, with European Parliament President Martin Schulz | EPA
Cameron’s hard sell
The U.K. prime minister is expected to give hints on his referendum strategy at the European Council summit, although discussions aren’t likely to go beyond procedural issues.
LONDON — David Cameron has been playing the expectation game about Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
Ahead of the two-day European Council summit starting Thursday in Brussels, the U.K. prime minister is talking out of one side of his mouth to restive members of the British Parliament, while out of the other he is downplaying the importance of the summit.
Instead of formal demands, Cameron and British diplomats are expected to detail a series of ideas on sovereignty, competitiveness, fairness, and migration and welfare, which will leave them space to maneuver on the renegotiation.
“This is about opening the door to the process,” said Raoul Ruparel, co-director of the think-tank Open Europe. His predecessor, Mats Persson, is now Cameron’s special advisor on Europe.
EU officials have equally bland hopes.
The matter will be discussed over dinner Thursday “to decide what the timeframe and how the process should be organized in the few months to come,” said one official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. “We will not have a big debate on this. Cameron has contacted everyone.”
POLITICO understands that European Council President Donald Tusk and his team will play a direct role in the negotiations from the start. They will work alongside the Commission, which announced Wednesday that Jonathan Faull, a British eurocrat respected across borders and party lines, will take on a new director-general position leading the Commission’s efforts on the U.K. renegotiations as of September 1.
So, with Britain’s PM deliberately giving himself as flexible a negotiating position as possible, what do his aides really want? And how likely are they to get it?
Cameron is widely expected to ask for safeguards for countries that don’t use the common euro currency.
“Cameron will also push on competiveness, which is what the Commission is already doing,” Ruparel said.
Britain, on the flipside, is also expected to endorse what Brussels is already working on: the push for a digital single market, new investment vehicles and an EU-wide energy union.
Cameron is also expected to call for accelerating EU free-trade negotiations, especially the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the U.S.
There is confidence in London that the message and approach will go down well, and optimism that — with the recent elections won by the center-right in Finland, Denmark and Poland — the Brits have new allies.
But not all is working so well.
London is also expected to ask for changes curbing EU migrants’ access to benefits in the U.K., a seemingly humble policy demand that hits at a core EU principle of free movement. Cameron’s demand might require treaty change.
“Its’ proving a hard sell,” Ruparel said.
Poland, a leading exporter of EU migrants to the U.K., is fiercely opposed.
This means there is a yawning gap between the promise the prime minister is making — “a renegotiation” of the EU relationship — and the modest reforms he seems likely to get out of it.
Britain’s restive Tory MPs understand this, and this is why Number 10 is understood to have been downplaying expectations of the summit, even suggesting that it may ask for more fundamental things further alone the line. One such policy might be an opt-out from the EU’s social chapter. Yet, promises have been purposefully vague.
Britain’s biggest problem is likely to be France.
The French economy minister has fired warning shots against a “Europe a-la-carte” as that would mean “dismantling a mansion.”
What to watch?
One idea tentatively reported in the press, has been the PR-fix of “rebranding” the U.K.’s membership status as an “associate” or “trading” member, as a slogan to slap on the top of whatever Cameron gets. Look carefully at Britain’s summit rhetoric for clues.
The Norwegian striker joined Borussia Dortmund in the winter transfer window, but has suggested that he wants to experience other countries
Erling Haaland has offered hope to Manchester United and Real Madrid by hinting that he would like to emulate Zlatan Ibrahimovic by experiencing life in many different countries.
The exciting teenage frontman has already spent time in his native Norway with Molde and Austria with Red Bull Salzburg.
He is now starring for German giants Borussia Dortmund, having completed a switch to the Bundesliga during the January transfer window.
More teams
Haaland is tied to a long-term contract, but talk of future switches to England or Spain refuse to go away and the 19-year-old admits that he may be tempted to follow the lead of iconic globe trekker Ibrahimovic – who has spent time with Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy and AC Milan.
“I like his mentality and how he sees different things,” Haaland told FourFourTwo of a legendary Swede.
“I think I’ve always had that confidence, too – that’s just me.
“I also like how he moves from one club to another, in another country – which isn’t easy – but he always comes in and just bangs in goals, from the first second. I liked seeing that.
“We’re both strikers and we’re both tall. But we have a different game. It’s hard to compare us. I am who I am.”
Pressed on the interest which has been shown in him from Old Trafford and Santiago Bernabeu, Haaland added: “It’s always nice when clubs are interested. It means you’ve done something right.”
A move to Manchester over the winter would have seen Haaland reunited with fellow countryman Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – the man currently calling the shots at the Theatre of Dreams.
“I arrived at Molde as a young kid, and he helped me a lot,” Haaland said of the Red Devils boss.
“He was a good finisher, and helped me with striking skills and different finishing methods. He’s been important in my career.”
Those words of wisdom have helped to turn Haaland into one of the most fearsome strikers in European football, with 12 goals for Dortmund added to the 28 he managed for Salzburg this season.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” said the confident youngster.
“It’s what I wanted to do when I was older. It’s what I do. I always knew I’d be a good player, but things have been going fast. I like that speed!”
Activists demonstrate in front of a banner reading “toxic warning” outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels | Georges Gobet/AFP via Getty Images
How grassroots lobbying push blindsided Monsanto
Big EU capitals get cold feet on approving widely used weedkiller, nudge Commission to take political hit.
American agricultural giant Monsanto thought it was on a glide path to EU renewal of its controversial weedkiller Roundup.
It was wrong.
Advocacy groups seized on a routine World Health Organization report from last year, which connected the active ingredient in Roundup to cancer, to inflame politicians. They generated enough outcry to prompt key players, including Germany and France, to publicly back away from what the industry and the European Commission thought would be a no-hassle vote after food safety officials declared in November that the pesticide is safe to use across Europe, as it has been for decades.
Those NGOs and their backers are declaring victory this week following a vote on the chemical’s future that ended in a deadlock. The Commission is scrambling to figure out how to keep Europe’s most widely used herbicide on the market to make a June 30 license expiration. It could face a raft of lawsuits from agriculture heavyweights if it fails to pass an extension.
“Less than six months ago, the member states and the Commission still thought it would be a piece of cake to reauthorize glyphosate in the EU,” French Green MEP Michèle Rivasi said. “We proved them wrong.”
The left-leaning groups’ ability to mobilize political opposition to an industrial giant fits a pattern. They are gaining strength in public debates as well as national politics, with their work also evident in the Commission’s flagging effort to secure a mammoth free trade deal with the U.S. The fight underscores a challenge facing big institutions and their ability to adapt quickly to deal with insurgent campaigns fueled by social media and savvy NGOs.
The Commission could issue the renewal without public support — and wind up bolstering the image of top-down governance that doesn’t consider populist views.
Its next attempt to extend glyphosate’s use is slated for the same day as the U.K. referendum on EU membership, June 23, or the next day. Stubborn opposition from many countries that has stalled renewal three times is not expected to change, and glyphosate could very well inch closer to its EU death.
Under Commission rules, the majority of member countries representing at least 65 percent of the population need to sign on, a benchmark it failed to reach this week.
“We hope that this situation of the glyphosate will be a type of learning case of the Commission,” European Crop Protection Association Director General Jean-Charles Bocquet said. “This one is the type of precedent on which we need to really build to avoid that in the future.”
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has been pushing countries to be more accountable for EU actions and avoid hiding behind the Commission on politically unpopular decisions. Juncker could override member countries and reauthorize glyphosate without their backing, but thus far that is something he hasn’t wanted to do.
“Member states should take their own responsibilities and not try to hide behind the Commission,” one Commission official said earlier this week, echoing the recent exasperation.
Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told his fellow 27 commissioners Tuesday that he had been privately contacted by the governments of France, Germany and Italy ahead of the vote urging the Commission to move forward with the reauthorization without their support.
According to sources familiar with the meeting, he blamed the three for silently supporting the pesticide but publicly blaming the Commission.
Gift from WHO
The Commission’s predicament in large part stems from a March 2015 report from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, released as the EU was nearing the end of a standard review of the chemical, which happens every 15 years.
German authorities had said in January 2014 that the pesticide was safe when used as intended, and the European Food Safety Agency was reviewing those findings to make a recommendation to the Commission.
The WHO agency report proved caustic. The March paper handed opponents of pesticides in agriculture a gift with its conclusion that the weedkiller is a probable cause of cancer in humans. Those findings were tucked into a larger report with four other pesticides — just another regular release for the agency.
Environmentalists seized upon the findings to fuel their push for a ban with regulators in the EU and United States, where the pesticide is also under review. Advocacy groups Avaaz and Green 10 met with Andriukaitis’ staff on glyphosate in June 2015, according to meeting logs.
The loud and instantaneous response took the WHO agency by surprise.
A spokeswoman said reports on cancer can attract attention but “the level of interest in the evaluation of glyphosate has been exceptionally high, probably because of the reauthorization process underway in the EU and the USA.”
But the report didn’t appear to sway the European Food Safety Authority. In November, it concluded glyphosate is safe at the level at which Europeans are exposed to it. The agency called for reauthorization and the Commission issued a proposal for a full 15-year renewal.
Monsanto and the other companies that sell glyphosate in Europe thought they were in the homestretch. They assumed the Commission would rely on this analysis, which included reviews of scientific and industry-backed reports, according to an industry source familiar with the process.
Advocacy groups turned to their members to lobby lawmakers in national capitals and Brussels to reject the proposal, arguing that EFSA’s work was too influenced by the industry, said Bert Wander, campaign director for Avaaz, a member-funded group with roots in MoveOn.org and which works to launch online petitions.
Protesters dressed as bottles of Roundup and called for officials in Paris, Berlin and Brussels to ban the chemical at rallies this spring. Avaaz also launched a petition urging the EU to “immediately suspend approval of glyphosate.” More than 2 million people signed on.
Their efforts have been effective but inexpensive. Wander said that the Avaaz campaign consisted mostly of member outreach as well as some advertising, including on POLITICO.eu. One ad touts the group’s petition and other public opinion surveys on glyphosate, with an image of a skull and crossbones carved into an apple and the catchphrase “We are not lab rats.”
“The campaigns did have a lot of influence over left-wing parties who are currently under pressure from populist parties within their countries,” said an EU diplomat.
The French government needed little convincing. Socialist Environment Minister Ségolène Royal has long expressed concern about glyphosate and called for pulling mixtures and certain other chemicals from the market due to health concerns in February.
And once Royal went public, it soon became clear France was going to vote against, or abstain with the same effect. France’s objection swayed Italy — which typically takes Paris’ lead — into siding against renewal, an EU official said.
Advocacy groups celebrated when the Commission wound up scrapping a planned March vote of member states for reauthorization.
“Rushing to grant a new licence now, without waiting for an evaluation by Europe’s chemical agency, would be like skydiving without checking your equipment first,” Franziska Achterberg, Greenpeace’s director for EU food policy, said in a statement at the time. “As long as there is conflicting scientific advice, glyphosate should not be approved for use in the EU. And countries would be better advised to do without it.”
The Commission had not lost hope, tweaking the proposal to appease different countries, including one for Germany calling for greater biodiversity protections.
Public opinion was not in Roundup’s favor. In April, a YouGov poll of 7,000 people concluded that two-thirds of Europeans supported a ban.
The weedkiller has become a victim of its own success. Residues of the chemical are everywhere, in food and rivers, in human blood and even, as some advocacy groups claim, in breast milk. To emphasize that point, 48 Green MEPs had their urine tested following an April vote calling on the Commission to reauthorize the chemical for only seven years instead of 15. All of the tests came back positive.
“I really am peed off,’” said MEP Keith Taylor, a member of the Greens on the environment and health committee, in a statement following the release of the results. “Our urine test might seem like an attention-grabbing stunt, but it has proved our worst fears about glyphosate, which is that it really is everywhere.”
Nein!
Meanwhile the industry was quietly lobbying its way with commission officials.
Representatives from the industry have met twice with Andriukaitis’ staff this year. In January, the industry-funded Glyphosate Task Force’s lobbyists from Hume Brophy, paid his office a visit, while representatives from Monsanto and Syngenta went in late May, according to meeting records.
Monsanto declined to comment on the record for this article. In a statement Monday, the company called for the Commission to follow the recommendations of the European Food Safety Agency, arguing that “regulatory decisions should be based on the best available science.”
When the Commission finally scheduled a vote in late May on a new proposal for a nine-year extension, with recommendations for restrictions on the pesticide’s use in residential areas and public parks, it was confident that Germany would be on board and other countries would fall in line. They didn’t.
Hours before member countries had to submit a response to the Commission’s plan, Germany’s environment minister issued a statement making her position clear.
“NEIN,” began a long statement issued from Barbara Hendricks, a member of the Social Democratic Party, adding that her entire party, the junior partner in the German governing coalition, would not back renewal.
When the vote was finally held this week on a short-term extension until the end of 2017, the measure failed after Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Portugal and Luxembourg abstained. Only Malta voted against.
“I don’t think they expected this,” Avaaz’s Wander said of the Commission. Support for his NGO’s petition proves that people “want their decision-makers to make decisions that err on the side of caution,” he added.
“I think that for the industry in particular, this is their worst nightmare,” Wander continued. “This has gone from being a fringe issue to a mainstream issue. People across Europe are writing to their governments … and saying we are very, very worried.”
Natalie Huet contributed reporting.
CORRECTION: An earlier version included a quote from Greenpeace’s EU food policy director from the wrong month. In addition, an earlier version may have overstated the presence of glyphosate in breast milk.
The Reds defender says cup final heartache and runner-up finishes in the Premier League made Jurgen Klopp’s side even more determined to succeed
Joe Gomez claims the pain suffered by Liverpool before they got back on the trophy trail felt more like a fire being lit under the club than “a kick in the balls”.
Jurgen Klopp arrived at Anfield in October 2015 and was charged with the task of delivering tangible success.
It took the German a while to get over that line, with heartache endured in domestic and European cup finals.
Liverpool also fell agonisingly short in their bid to land the Premier League title in 2018-19, with Manchester City pipping them to the post by a solitary point.
The Reds were, however, to counter that disappointment by savouring Champions League success and have been able to build on that triumph this season.
A first top-flight crown in 30 years is well within reach, having already lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
FA Cup and further Champions League honours also remain up for grabs in 2020, with Gomez happy to see patience and perseverance being rewarded.
The Reds defender told The Athletic: “Having a young team that probably hasn’t had as much exposure to [winning titles] helps.
“There’s only the odd one – Millie (James Milner) has won the Premier League – so that hunger is not really going to go away.
“If it happened a few times (finishing runners up with so many points), maybe people would try and part ways and think we’re not going to succeed here. But if anything that probably ignited the fire rather than feeling like a kick in the balls.”
Gomez has figured prominently for Liverpool this season, taking in 31 appearances, and is eager to get his hands on more silverware before the campaign comes to a close.
He added: “I’m enjoying it. But I’m hungry for more.
“I’ve enjoyed the run of games, but I know I can’t dwell. And that’s the same for the team, now more than ever. So I can’t sit here and feel, ‘Yeah, I’ve had a decent run.’
“Until we are in the summer, and there is a little break, and then some focus on whatever happened… I just don’t feel in a reflective mood right now.”
The 22-year-old is also looking to reward the faith that Liverpool boss Klopp has shown in him, with the England international having been snapped up from Charlton shortly before a change in the dugout was made on Merseyside in 2015.
“I feel like I owe him a great deal, not just as a manager but as a person,” Gomez said.
“We’re blessed to have someone that’s a good human being, aside from being a good man-manager and the passionate, knowledgeable person that everyone else sees.”
Klopp will be calling the shots again on Tuesday night when Liverpool take in an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard has dismissed any suggestion that he tried to alter the playing styles of two Ballon d’Or winners during his time at Real Madrid
Rafael Benitez insists it is not true he tried to teach Cristiano Ronaldo how to take free-kicks while serving as head coach of Real Madrid.
Benitez was in charge at Santiago Bernabeu for an ill-fated seven months between June 2015 and January 2016 before he was replaced by Zinedine Zidane.
The former Liverpool manager struggled to win over the fans and reportedly had a difficult relationship with some of Madrid’s first-team stars, most notably Ronaldo – who now plies his trade in Italy with Juventus.
Benitez is said to have encouraged the Portugal star to review footage of his own past performances in order to improve and, according to some reports, even attempted to instruct Madrid’s record goalscorer on how best to shoot from dead-ball situations.
However, Benitez, now coach of Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, has now offered his side of the story.
“That’s a lie. At no time did I tell him how he had to take them,” Benitez told Marca.
“The only conversation I had with Cristiano about free-kicks was in Australia, during pre-season. I told him we had analysed, together with my goalkeeper coach, the free-kicks he took when he was at Manchester United and the trajectory of the ball in relation to the position of the wall.
“Our idea then, as Liverpool coaches, was to try to counter their [United’s] free-kicks. But that’s it. At no time, as coach of Madrid, did I tell CR7 how free-kicks should be taken.”
Benitez also denied trying to persuade Luka Modric to stop passing the ball with the outside of his right foot, insisting he merely encouraged the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner to use his instep for short, simple passes.
“I only told him that, of course, when you have a simple pass, you have to hit it with the inside [of your foot] because then it’s easier for your team-mate,” Benitez said. “When I played, I also used the outside, but in 10-15-metre passes.
“Anyone who knows me knows this is a lie [that I told Modric to stop]. However, it’s very easy to release lies and make them appear true.”
Benitez remains reluctant to talk publicly about his short-lived spell in charge of Madrid, which ended with a 2-2 draw against Valencia at Mestalla.
“I went a long time without talking about the club. In one moment, it occurred to me to say something… and it seemed as though I couldn’t say what I thought,” Benitez said.
“Therefore, what I do is not talk about Madrid. I focus on the future, which is Dalian.
“We were able to sign Lucas [Vazquez], Casemiro and [Mateo] Kovacic. Two of them are still there, and at a good level, but I don’t want to talk about that.
“In six months, they let me do what they let me do. For whatever reason, there wasn’t interest to do more. And that’s it. I don’t want to say more.”
Benitez was a far more popular figure during his three years in charge of Newcastle United before he moved to China.
The 59-year-old says he turned down several offers from other lucrative leagues before taking the Dalian role, as he felt the other clubs did not represent the same meaningful challenge, although he is not discounting a return to Europe.
“I’m not thinking of coming back now,” he said. “We want to develop this Chinese project. Before coming here, I had offers from different places, but they didn’t meet the conditions we were looking for.”
The legendary former Red Devils goalkeeper believes an exciting future lies in store for a youthful side at Old Trafford looking to build long-term
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is right to avoid making bold Champions League predictions at Manchester United, says Peter Schmeichel, with the Red Devils building long-term with a youthful squad.
The intention of those at Old Trafford is to secure a return to elite European club competition for 2020-21.
Two avenues remain open to them in that quest, with a top-four bid in the Premier League being complemented by a run through to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Success down either of those paths would see Solskjaer deliver on one of the challenges he has been presented with at United.
The Norwegian is, however, wary of stating his ambition in public, with his team still very much a work in progress.
Efforts are being made to improve collective standards on the field, with a change in recruitment policy seeing players of potential being targeted – with many of those ticking home-grown boxes.
Schmeichel believes the right approach is being taken, with the legendary former Red Devils goalkeeper telling Premier League Productions: “He’s [Solskjaer] tried to not put it out there that we are chasing Champions League or that he’s setting targets that might be unrealistic.
“He’s saying we take it game by game. He’s said his grand plan is to play a younger team and get a younger team ready for next season.
“He’s doing that. He’s getting players at 18, 19, 20 years of age, he’s giving them game time so that they will be ready and have that experience. Then we will have to see what happens in the summer.
“Of course he wants to be in the Champions League but I don’t think he can go in an interview and say that because it is a big call, there are a lot of teams there.”
United have moved back up into fifth place in the Premier League table, three points adrift of Chelsea in the final Champions League spot.
They still have 10 games left to take in this term, with the first of those set to be a Manchester derby date with arch-rivals City on Sunday, which will come on the back of an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Derby on Thursday and a reunion with all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney.
The Gunners handed a January arrival his bow in a meeting with Portsmouth, and Mikel Arteta’s side breezed past League One Pompey at Fratton Park
David Luiz considers new Arsenal centre-half partner Pablo Mari to be a “great player”, with the January arrival at Emirates Stadium enjoying an “amazing” debut in an FA Cup clash with Portsmouth.
A Spanish defender snapped up on an initial loan agreement with Flamengo during the winter transfer window was handed his bow for the Gunners at Fratton Park on Monday.
Mari put in an assured performance as Mikel Arteta’s side collected a clean sheet from a 2-0 win and edged a step closer to major silverware by booking a place in the quarter-finals of domestic cup competition.
There will be tougher tests for the 26-year-old to come, but Luiz is among those to have been encouraged by the speed in which fresh faces have settled and the maturity being shown by exciting youngsters.
The Brazil international told Arsenal’s official website: “I’m so happy for Pablo, he’s a great guy, a great player and he had an amazing game so we are here to help each other and we are here, 25 players, ready to play, ready to play for Arsenal and ready to give the best job.
“When it’s like that it’s a pleasure to play football as I will say to the guys, especially to these young lads who are starting football. They are starting with a great opportunity at a big club and they are doing great, so it’s a pleasure to play with them.”
Arteta saw his side offer the perfect response against Portsmouth to the disappointing Europa League last-32 exit they had suffered at the hands of Olympiacos in their previous outing.
Luiz claims to have never had any concerns regarding the spirit inside Arsenal’s camp, adding on a team that is chasing down FA Cup glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League: “I think it’s really important to continue what we’re doing every single day.
“We are improving a lot but you have to be humble and we understand we are not there yet.
“We have to do the similar kind of things, in our last game we did amazing things, but we lost. This is football.
“Of course, we have to understand why we lost and [against Portsmouth] I am so pleased for the team, with everybody, with the young boys because they are improving a lot, every single day.
“They have a great mentality, and they understand what is high level, and in high level you have to bounce back every single week. You have to be ready to react and you have to be ready to understand the importance.”
The former Reds captain believes the current skipper is vital to Jurgen Klopp’s side as he has the ability to assist and inspire those around him
Jordan Henderson’s leadership skills are proving to be a big miss for Liverpool, says Phil Thompson, with “complacency” allowed to set in during the 3-0 defeat at Watford.
The Reds saw a 44-game unbeaten run brought to an abrupt halt at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
A rare setback for the Reds came on the back of a number of unconvincing displays since Jurgen Klopp’s side returned to action after their winter break.
There is enough quality within the ranks at Anfield to keep grinding results out, with one hand still on the Premier League title, but the injury-enforced absence of captain Henderson is considered to have contributed to a slight dip in collective standards.
Former Reds skipper Thompson told Sky Sports: “The last two games have shown the importance of Jordan Henderson to this side.
“Not only what he brings as a midfield player, but he would have been demanding a lot more from the players on the pitch, talking to them controlling them, and asking more from their performances. He is the leader and has the presence on the pitch so Liverpool are missing him at the minute.
“I think everybody who watched the game [at Watford] could see Liverpool were not at it, and it was complacency.
“It is not having a go – it is just saying that all of these top teams go into these games and are a bit blasé about it, especially at this time of year when these clubs at the bottom of the league are fighting for their lives.
“Since the winter break, Liverpool have not been great at all. The words on the lips of a lot of Liverpool fans was that they have been waiting for this to happen.
“Against Norwich, it was not great, but they won. The game against West Ham was not good, but they just won again.
“Maybe a lot of fans felt they got away with it in those games, but then you revert to the fact that this is how teams win the league, winning when you are not playing well. You are always worried that there is one of those results around the corner.”
Having got a Premier League loss out of their system, to go with the 1-0 reversal suffered against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter, Liverpool will be looking to establish momentum again when they face Chelsea in an FA Cup fifth-round tie on Tuesday.
Italian football has been thrown into disarray by the outbreak of the virus in the country, and the Nerazzurri supremo has not been impressed
Inter president Steven Zhang has launched an impassioned criticism of Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
A number of Serie A fixtures, including Inter’s title shoot-out with Juventus, had initially been scheduled to be played behind closed doors before being postponed until later in the season.
Now, Inter’s game with Juve is set to be played on the evening of Monday, March 9, with an extra round of midweek matches over May 12-14 – a decision Inter aren’t happy with.
Zhang wrote on his Instagram story: “Playing around the calendar and always putting the public health as secondary consideration.
“You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen. 24 hours? 48 hours? 7 days? And what else? What’s your next step?
“And now you speak about sportsmanship and fair competition?
“How about we don’t protect our players or coaches and ask them to play for you 24/7 non-stop?
“Yes, I’m speaking to you. Our Lega President Paolo Dal Pino. Shame on you. It’s time to stand up and take your responsibility! This is what we do in 2020!
“Everybody around the world, doesn’t matter if you are Inter fan or Juve fan or no fan at all. Please be safe!
“This is the most important thing for you, your family, and our society.”
On Sunday, a government decree extended the suspension of all sporting events in regions affected by coronavirus until March 8.
Serie A announced an emergency assembly to “examine the consequences the governmental measures related to coronavirus have had on the fixture list”.
Inter chief executive Beppe Marotta has been critical of the league’s handling of the disruption, suggesting the league season might not be completed as “the balance of the championship has been altered” with some teams seeing games postponed and others seeing theirs going ahead.
Aside from concerns directly related to the virus outbreak, there are worries over the physical and psychological effects on players if fixtures stack up before the end of the season.
All elite football competitions in the 2019-20 season must be completed by May 24 due to Euro 2020 coming at the end of the campaign.