The English Football Thread

[Stats 7,230]

Didn't know where to post this, however really sad. RIP George Baldock.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c99v5px2nd1o

[Vesper 31,181]

Uncapped Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento called up to England squad

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5830624/2024/10/09/curtis-jones-tino-livramento-england/

The uncapped Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento have been called up to the England senior squad ahead of October’s Nations League fixtures against Greece and Finland.

The additions bring Lee Carsley’s squad up to 24 players following Monday’s withdrawals of Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ezri Konsa due to injury.

Liverpool midfielder Jones and Newcastle United full-back Livramento both reported to St George’s Park on Tuesday evening, with Livramento moving across to the senior team from the under-21 squad.

Both players have received senior call-ups before. Jones, 23, was first selected by Gareth Southgate for the 33-man preliminary squad ahead of the 2024 European Championship, while Livramento, 21, earned his first call-up from Carsley last month. However, neither has yet made their senior debut.

The pair have worked with England’s interim head coach Carsley in his previous role with the under-21s, and Jones was part of England’s 2023 Under-21 Euro-winning squad.

Ahead of Thursday’s fixture against Greece, captain Harry Kane has continued working on an individualised programme after having tests on a knock he picked up in Bayern Munich’s 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Manchester City’s Jack Grealish also sat out of training with a minor knock.

Carsley’s team will then travel to Helsinki to face Finland on Sunday. England started the group stage with victories over both the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month.

GO DEEPER

Palmer, Kane, Watkins, Saka, Bellingham, Foden... who starts in England's attack?

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Angel Gomes (Lille), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

[Vesper 31,181]

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to become head of global soccer at Red Bull

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5830469/2024/10/09/jurgen-klopp-red-bull/

Jurgen Klopp is to become the new head of global soccer at Red Bull.

The 57-year-old will start his new position on January 1, 2025 and will oversee Red Bull’s international football network, marking his first appointment since stepping down as manager of Liverpool at the end of last season.

Klopp will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of Red Bull’s clubs but will provide strategic guidance. His focus will be on supporting individual sporting directors, alongside global scouting and the development of coaches.

“After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this,” Klopp said. “The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.

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Klopp's move to Red Bull seems surprising - but it shouldn't be

“By joining Red Bull at a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent that we have at our disposal. There are many ways that we can do this from using the elite knowledge and experience that Red Bull possesses to learning from other sports and other industries.

“Together we can discover what is possible. I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs but ultimately I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking. As I said, this could not excite me more.”

Red Bull’s chief executive of corporate projects and investments, Oliver Mintzlaff, added: “We are very proud of this outstanding and certainly the strongest signing in Red Bull’s soccer history.

“Jurgen Klopp is one of the greatest and most influential figures in world soccer, with extraordinary skills and charisma.

“In his role as head of soccer, he will be a game changer for our involvement in international soccer and its continued development. We are hoping for valuable and decisive impulses in key areas to make the clubs even better, both collectively and individually.”

 

Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Red Bull have a number of clubs worldwide, which include RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls. Klopp is expected to play a key role at all of these sides.

Klopp has been one of the most sought-after figures in football since his eight-and-a-half-year tenure at Liverpool ended at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Athletic reported in July that Klopp rebuffed an approach from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) to take over as the men’s national team head coach following the dismissal of Gregg Berhalter. Mauricio Pochettino has since been appointed.

During his time at Anfield, Klopp guided Liverpool to the Champions League in 2018-19, the Premier League in 2019-20, and the FA Cup in 2021-22. He also added two League Cups, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup to their trophy cabinet. His side also reached the Champions League final twice and were runners-up in the Europa League.

Before his success in Merseyside, Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and secured a domestic double by winning the DFB Pokal in 2012. He also steered Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2013.

Klopp is set to be officially unveiled in his new role at a press conference next year.

GO DEEPER

The Real Jurgen Klopp: An Athletic special series

Is this a surprise?

Analysis by Liverpool correspondent James Pearce

When an emotional Klopp waved goodbye to Anfield in May, he was adamant he would be taking a full year off to recharge his batteries.

Klopp brought the curtain down on his eight-and-a-half-year reign at Liverpool because he was “running out of energy” after more than two decades in management.

The German coach has spent the past five months recharging his batteries at his house on the Spanish island of Mallorca, playing his beloved padel, and attending major sporting events like the European Championship in his homeland and the Paralympics in Paris.

Given his passion for football and the number of job offers he’s received, it’s little surprise that the 57-year-old has decided to cut short his sabbatical.

It is  a major coup for Red Bull to secure his services and the attraction for Klopp is clear.

As their head of global soccer, he will oversee their international network of clubs, giving support and advice to sporting directors and helping to develop coaches. There will also be an input in recruitment without the pressure and strain of day-to-day management.

Klopp will be reunited with his Liverpool No 2 Pep Lijnders, who is head coach at Red Bull Salzburg. Vitor Matos and Andreas Kornmayer, who were part of Klopp’s staff at Anfield, also work alongside Lijnders at the Austrian club.

How will this appointment be perceived in Germany?

Analysis by Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

This will be incredibly divisive in Germany, where no footballing personality comes close to challenging Klopp’s popularity. Nine years after leaving Borussia Dortmund, he still enjoys a celebrity title that transcends the sport, with an appeal described by advertising deals across German television — for beer, for fitness equipment, even for financial planning. Klopp is inescapable during advert breaks.

Conversely, nobody is less popular in German football than RB Leipzig and, more broadly, the Red Bull network. Leipzig were founded in 2009 and were artificially constructed in a way that allowed them to conform to the Bundesliga 50+1 rule, which mandates that ultimate control of a club remains in the hands of its members.

As a result, many supporters find Red Bull’s influence in Germany not just to be an affront to a culture which prizes authenticity and fan-influence above all else, but also an unwelcome vision of a future that they do not want — one where commercial interest drives the game, not fan democracy. The strength of feeling around this issue is intense; on any given weekend, there will be banners in stadiums protesting Red Bull’s presence — regardless of whether Leipzig are playing or not.

 

Klopp was successful during his time at Dortmund (Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

So, the culture clash is obvious. Beyond the success of his football teams at Mainz, Dortmund and latterly at Liverpool, Klopp has always enjoyed an unvarnished like-ability and, more importantly, has often shown himself to be aware of the role of supporters and a protector of their agency. At Dortmund, before he brought success and helped to create a new image for the club, one of his first steps was to engage with supporter groups. At Liverpool, he always seemed keenly aware of local issues well beyond the scope of his job.

To British fans who likely see Red Bull’s influence in Germany as trifling in comparison to the challenges of state ownership and sportswashing, this must seem like melodrama. But locally, it will be different. Many fans will feel let down. Many will see this as Klopp swapping sides and, in the abstract sense, taking a role that will put him in direct opposition to fan interest. That will obviously be the case in Dortmund, where this will be felt acutely, but well beyond the Ruhr Valley, too.

Klopp’s popularity was presumably a factor in his hiring, with Red Bull perhaps seeing the value of infusing their brand with his personality. Given his lack of experience in his new role — Klopp has never worked beyond a coaching level — that seems especially likely. That will also not make this move any more popular.

Edited October 9, 2024 by Vesper

[Vesper 31,181]

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson out until after November international break with hamstring injury

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5824726/2024/10/09/alisson-hamstring-injury-liverpool/

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has been ruled out until after the November international break.

The Brazil international, 32, suffered a hamstring injury in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League and scan results have since confirmed the worst fears of head coach Arne Slot.

Alisson will miss at least the next seven matches in all competitions, with Caoimhin Kelleher set to deputise.

Kelleher sat out the trip to Selhurst Park due to illness, with third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros coming off the bench to make his Premier League debut after Alisson was forced off with 11 minutes remaining. However, the Republic of Ireland international has now recovered and is away on international duty.

Alisson is set to miss a crucial stretch of fixtures for Slot’s side, including a home clash against Chelsea, away games at RB Leipzig in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League, a Carabao Cup tie at Brighton, followed by matches at home against Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa.

GO DEEPER

Jaros steps up as Alisson injury means another twist in Liverpool's goalkeeper situation

Whether the game against Southampton at Anfield on November 24 after the next international break is a realistic target for his comeback will depend on how his recovery goes. That clash is followed two huge home matches against Real Madrid in the Champions League and Manchester City in the English top-flight.

It’s a painful setback for Alisson, who missed 10 league matches last season due to muscle problems.

However, it represents another extended opportunity for Kelleher to showcase his talent. He had sought a move this summer but Liverpool turned down interest from Nottingham Forest as they wanted him to stay put as high-quality back-up.

Liverpool agreed a £29million ($37.9m) deal for Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili but the Georgian shot-stopper won’t arrive at Anfield until next summer.

[OneMoSalah 9,123]

On 07/10/2024 at 13:16, Vesper said:

So which CF do YOU want?

Here is every other remotely (and a couple are basically impossible) available CF valid (IMHO) option who is valued at or over the ones (Nico, Samu, Duran) you already mentioned.

in order of valuation:

  
Lautaro Martínez (very very unliekly Inter would sell him)
Victor Osimhen 
Alexander Isak 
Viktor Gyökeres
Dušan Vlahović 
Ollie Watkins 
Loïs Openda 
Benjamin Sesko
João Pedro  
Jonathan David   
Evan Ferguson
Mikel Oyarzabal  
Victor Boniface
Santiago Gimenez 
Brian Brobbey 
Elye Wahi  

Omar Marmoush is another option perhaps.

Oshimen or Jonathan David to a much much lesser extent were the most logical ones. More proven and experienced. Even Ollie Watkins would’ve been a half decent move.

Rushing around last minute trying to convince Oshimen to take a shite salary when we could had made such an offer weeks beforehand and then tried to compromise, was just sheer incompetence from the usual folk involved with footballing decisions.

Wait and see in January or next summer we will 90% likely sign him. Which again will make folk wonder, why didn’t we do it beforehand?

[Vesper 31,181]

1 hour ago, OneMoSalah said:

Oshimen or Jonathan David to a much much lesser extent were the most logical ones. More proven and experienced. Even Ollie Watkins would’ve been a half decent move.

Rushing around last minute trying to convince Oshimen to take a shite salary when we could had made such an offer weeks beforehand and then tried to compromise, was just sheer incompetence from the usual folk involved with footballing decisions.

Wait and see in January or next summer we will 90% likely sign him. Which again will make folk wonder, why didn’t we do it beforehand?

sounds like we are now really looking at Liam Delap and Marmoush

[Vesper 31,181]

UEFA Nations League.

Еnglаnd ЕNG vs Grеесе GRС

10 October 2024 at 19:45.

 

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[Vesper 31,181]

https://next.soccerstreams100.io/event/uefa-nations/greece-vs-england-live-soccer-stats/698935

[ZAPHOD2319 4,976]

Interesting to see where Palmer will play

[Vesper 31,181]

https://www.vipleague.pm/uefa-nations-league/england-vs-greece-1-live-streaming

https://www.vipleague.pm/uefa-nations-league/england-vs-greece-2-live-streaming

[Vesper 31,181]

[ZAPHOD2319 4,976]

Colwill saves Pickford’s ass

[OneMoSalah 9,123]

England are fucking awful wow 😂

Really thought Southgate was the problem but Carsley not much better and arguably England look so much worse off defensively.

Colwill and Lewis absolutely shocking there…. 

Edited October 10, 2024 by OneMoSalah

[LAM09 7,100]

32 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

England are fucking awful wow 😂

Really thought Southgate was the problem but Carsley not much better and arguably England look so much worse off defensively.

Colwill and Lewis absolutely shocking there…. 

His selection was  insulting to the opponents (or foolish). When I saw that midfield, I knew it was going to be a long night, expecting Rice to be this all-conquering midfield general.

Greece should have sealed up the game long before Bellingham scored. Regardless, they completed the task and most likely put an end to Carsley's prospects of landing the position permanently. 

[Vesper 31,181]

In terms of the next England manager, these are the most prolific European Cup/Champions League-winning managers

Pep would be the only multiple winner who is still active, still in his prime, and who would possibly take the job (as Mou is rinsed, Ancelotti is retiring after Real Madrid, and Zidane only would take the French NT job I wager, OR perhaps go back to Real Madrid after King Carlo retires)

 

The only other managers still active who have even won the CL once are

Thomas Tuchel  (The only manager to reach the final in consecutive seasons with two clubs (Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and Chelsea in 2021). He is a good England candidate.

Louis van Gaal pass
Rafael Benítez pass
Roberto Di Matteo  pass (and has not managed in years)
Luis Enrique   pass
Jürgen Klopp (likely would not take the job)
Hansi Flick  (but likely would not take the job)

the only other ones still alive who have won the CL are all retired

Giovanni Trapattoni 
Emerich Jenei  
Guus Hiddink 
Arrigo Sacchi
Ljupko Petrović 
Fabio Capello
Marcello Lippi  
Ottmar Hitzfeld     
Jupp Heynckes
Alex Ferguson
Vicente del Bosque    
Frank Rijkaard (only 62, but in December 2016, he announced he would no longer pursue a position as manager)

[KEVINAA 130]

 

First round fa cup draw live

[Vesper 31,181]

Manchester City target Rúben Amorim as next manager if Pep Guardiola leaves

• Sporting coach has been on the radar of top clubs
• Portuguese is close to incoming direcor of football Viana

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/15/manchester-city-target-ruben-amorim-as-next-manager-if-pep-guardiola-leaves

Manchester City are strongly considering the Sporting head coach, Rúben Amorim, as their next manager if Pep Guardiola leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Guardiola said last weekend that “anything can happen” in terms of his future. The importance of City having a succession plan is clear and the link with Amorim, regarded as one of the best young managers in Europe, is understandable. The 39-year-old is a close ally of Hugo Viana, who will take over from Txiki Begiristain as City’s director of football next summer.

The desire for a smooth transition means Viana, who has been at Sporting since 2018, will collaborate with Begiristain before the 60-year-old retires at the end of the season. There is the prospect of an immediate recruitment challenge given that Guardiola is yet to make a decision on whether to extend his deal. He has not ruled out staying at City, who are keen not to lose the best manager in the world.

There have been indications that Amorim will be a leading contender if a vacancy at City arises. The Portuguese has been on the radar of top clubs for a while and was in the running to replace Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool last summer. Amorim, who ended up missing out on the Liverpool job to Arne Slot, has also had discussions with Chelsea in recent years.

Most recently he was in West Ham’s thoughts when they were planning to replace David Moyes. Amorim flew to London for talks, only to return to Portugal without an agreement being reached. Amorim, who won his second Portuguese title with Sporting last season, would later apologise for showing disrespect to his employers by speaking to West Ham.

There was some scepticism at the time that Amorim would seriously consider moving to West Ham, who ended up appointing Julen Lopetegui. The former Braga manager has been content to stay at Sporting and wait for a top job. He has showcased his talent to Premier League sides in European competition, particularly by beating Tottenham in the Champions League in 2022 and knocking Arsenal out of the Europa League a year later.

[Fulham Broadway 17,810]

New England Manager 1st presser

 

[Vesper 31,181]

a big fuck off to Harry Redknapp btw

and other xenophobic cunts like him

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