The Liverpool Offside - Premier League 2020-21: Newcastle vs. LiverpoolZeppeline, Trinken, & Pink Badeshortshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51345/ltos-fav.png2020-12-30T23:10:00+00:00http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/rss/stream/219701992020-12-30T23:10:00+00:002020-12-30T23:10:00+00:00Digging Deeper Into Liverpool’s 0-0 Draw with Newcastle United
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<img alt="Newcastle United v Liverpool - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fUcoi3vmj19MhQ7fEn3aCv6uTR0=/0x0:2524x1683/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68600563/1293801341.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Peter Powell - Pool/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>We take a closer look at some winner, losers and narratives after a frustrating draw on Tyneside.</p> <p id="DUpLJr">Another frustrating performance, another draw, another two points dropped, and another round of eminently winnable matches instead seeing the Reds’ rivals narrow the gap to the league leaders. Below, we dive into the good and the bad of the current state of the Reds.</p>
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<h2 id="TQVW68">Winners</h2>
<p id="fmVFqN"><strong>Thiago: </strong>The Spanish international made his long-awaited return to the pitch tonight, after Richarlison’s horror tackle in the Merseyside derby sidelined him for over two months, and he immediately improved things. Always in space and showing an impetus to move the ball with much greater speed than his team-mates had done in the preceding 70 minutes, the former Bayern man provided a creative threat from the middle of the park that had been sorely missing.</p>
<p id="Et01MB">When he was signed, Thiago was described by this writer as one of very few players who could immediately improve Liverpool’s starting XI. Hopefully, he can get healthy and fulfill that prediction sooner rather than later.</p>
<p id="zJDKYJ"><strong>Chances:</strong> Unlike against the Baggies at the weekend, and despite the players collectively looking out of sync and individually making a shocking number of mistakes, at least the Reds created some quality chances tonight, and on most matchdays, would have walked off the pitch winners by a goal or two.</p>
<p id="6oHEux">It is entirely reasonable to be frustrated by tonight’s game, but the sleepwalking second-half capitulation against West Bromwich was far more worrying. Hopefully, we’ll see neither in the future, but if we must, this writer prefers the former.</p>
<h2 id="dz5UpA">Losers</h2>
<p id="vSG2t4"><strong>CuJo:</strong> Listen, Curtis Jones has been remarkably good this year. He has produced much more than could reasonably have been expected of a 19-year old who, at the start of the season, had played 122 minutes of Premier League football.</p>
<p id="etapSs">That said, he has been real bad two games in a row now, and probably needs to be sat for a minute. Ponderous in possession, the academy product has shown a proclivity for getting caught on the ball — leading to the goal conceded at Anfield at the weekend — without offering much in the way of creativity at the other end to offset the risk.</p>
<p id="ubaNDO">With Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in contention, Jones could be due a rest, and both he and the club will likely be better for it in the long run.</p>
<p id="xzNwmV"><strong>Trent:</strong> That one bonkers crossfield slicer in the first half notwithstanding, the Reds right-back had another off night. With only 2 accurate crosses and a single key pass from 102 touches, the 22-year old offered shockingly little on the offensive side of the ball, with both open play and set piece delivery uncharacteristically poor.</p>
<p id="Fl2N4f"><strong>Mo:</strong> Rounding out the right-side rejects on the night was the Egyptian King. Despite topping the league’s goalscoring charts, Salah has struggled to get into position for high quality shots this season, racking up only six clear cut chances in 15 appearances. Two of them fell to him tonight, and the two-time Golden Boot winner missed them both.</p>
<p id="gThv5h">The penalties and some exceptional finishing has masked the issue, but the former Roma man has seen both his shot volume and quality drop to unprecedented lows this season, and if he can’t pick things back up, his starting position could be under serious threat from Diogo Jota when the Portuguese returns from injury next month.</p>
<p id="sJVQ0R"><strong>Centre-Backs:</strong> The Reds need one. Stat. Nat Phillips is a big unit and probably a nice guy, but he’s not a Premier League defender, and certainly not up to the tasks required of him at Liverpool, specifically. Fabinho is decent enough short-term cover — even though his lack of pace and tendency to sit down on his tackles causes some issues — but he is one of the world’s premier defensive midfielders, and Liverpool would be much better served using him there.</p>
<p id="t6pZ7c">Somebody else can check the records, but it is unlikely that any team has ever won the Premier League without any healthy senior centre-backs. If Liverpool wish to repeat on last season’s success, they desperately need to fill the void in the centre of their defense by the time January ends.</p>
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<h2 id="qa6sd8">What Happens Next</h2>
<p id="690D9i">The calendar is a bit of a mess in the coming month, as the Reds now have five days off before traveling to <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a> on Monday, then take on <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com">Aston Villa</a> in a meaningless <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> match the subsequent Friday, before there’s a nine day gap until the top-of-the-table clash with <a href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com">Manchester United</a>. In theory, this should mean nearly a full two weeks for the first team squad to train, recover, and perhaps even get healthy. </p>
<p id="yXwoHH">Whether that is how it ends up playing out — spoilers: we doubt it — remains to be seen, but on paper, at least, there is some surprising respite to be had in the near future.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2020/12/30/22207074/digging-deeper-match-recap-liverpool-0-0-disappointing-draw-newcastle-united-epl-2020Audun Manum2020-12-30T22:00:00+00:002020-12-30T22:00:00+00:00Newcastle 0, Liverpool 0: Man of the Match
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<img alt="Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4IJnhUH9nuDRTdYXAy_Pv4l_ggA=/0x45:2790x1905/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68600260/1293365961.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>After the Reds drop another two points against relegation candidates, we want you to rate your man of the match.</p> <p id="FgP6nK">Altogether an incredibly frustrating affair at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night, as Liverpool failed to capitalise on a number of great chances, drawing for the fourth time in six games and allowing the teams behind them in the table to close the gap.</p>
<p id="i7p9Co">Now tell us how you saw it! With our favoured polling tool out of service, we’re instead giving you a choice between a few of the players we thought looked best today for the Reds, so make your choice below and vote for who you think should be the man of the match—or take to the comments to let us know that we got it wrong by leaving the real man of the match off the list entirely.</p>
<p id="etfFNw">As always, anyone visiting on Apple or Google AMP who wish to vote and can’t see the poll can make it visible by navigating to the front page of The <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/"><strong>Liverpool</strong></a> Offside and re-entering the story.</p>
<div id="tW9t3g"><div data-anthem-component="poll:10259684"></div></div>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2020/12/30/22207026/newcastle-0-liverpool-0-epl-2020-votes-best-worst-performances-motm-mane-firmino-alisson-robertsonAudun Manum2020-12-30T16:30:00+00:002020-12-30T16:30:00+00:00Newcastle vs. Liverpool Live Updates: Lineups, TV Listings, and How to Watch Online
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<img alt="Liverpool FC v Newcastle United - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A0jlJS7fZEkcIBozrFgI0xS9LpQ=/0x0:2906x1937/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68598145/1168070561.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Lineups, television and streaming options, and live Premier League coverage as Liverpool face off against Newcastle.</p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="0AVlEV">
<h2 id="xx5rRD"><strong>NEWCASTLE VS LIVERPOOL</strong></h2>
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<strong>| Wednesday, December 30th |</strong><br><strong>Premier League | St. James’ Park</strong><br><strong>8PM GMT/3PM EST</strong>
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<p id="GE2ueO">Liverpool look to get back to their winning ways after their setback on Sunday, and reestablish a little bit of a buffer at the top of the table. However, they have a difficult away test at Newcastle. Although we’d all like to live in a world where fans were safe to return to stadiums, we can be momentarily thankful that we won’t have 50,000 Geordies trying to make the trip to St. James’ Park as bad as possible. </p>
<p id="9k4n9c">The biggest intrigue tonight will surely surround Thiago Alcântara, who appears to be edging ever closer to full fitness. A fully operational Thiago could be absolutely devastating to Premier League defenses in the second half of the season. I, for one, am anxious to see him back at it after the phenomenal performances against Chelsea and <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com">Everton</a>. I’m sure I’m not alone in that desire, but equally there’s no need to rush his return if it will jeopardize his long-term fitness. </p>
<h2 id="NN38Gw"><strong>PREVIEW & VIEWING OPTIONS</strong></h2>
<p id="bmWuWJ"><strong>Full Preview: </strong><a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2020/12/29/22204939/newcastle-vs-liverpool-epl-2020-preview-team-news-predicted-lineups-how-to-watch">Newcastle vs. Liverpool</a> </p>
<p id="oALGp1"><strong>Television:</strong> Amazon Prime Video (UK); NBCSN (USA); Optus Sport (Australia); <a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4uLf/creativeref:1011l39034/adref:LO" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>DAZN</strong></a>* (Canada); Star Sports Select 1 (India); Astro SuperSport 3 (Malaysia); SuperSport Premier League (Nigeria); 102 mio Stadium (Singapore); SuperSport Premier League (South Africa); other listings at <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/"><strong>LiveSoccerTV</strong></a></p>
<p id="EtwY7l"><strong>Online Streaming:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fubo.tv%2Flp%2Fsoccer%2F%3Firad%3D343747%26irmp%3D482924%26sharedid%3DTheLiverpoolOffside&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fliverpooloffside.sbnation.com%2F2020%2F12%2F30%2F22206081%2Fnewcastle-liverpool-epl-2020-goal-highlights-teamsheets-tv-channels-online-streaming" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>NBC via FuboTV</strong></a>* (USA) / <strong>Online Radio:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.liverpoolfc.com%2Fvideo&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fliverpooloffside.sbnation.com%2F2020%2F12%2F30%2F22206081%2Fnewcastle-liverpool-epl-2020-goal-highlights-teamsheets-tv-channels-online-streaming" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>LFCTV GO</strong></a></p>
<h2 id="2eiN5e"><strong>NEWCASTLE</strong></h2>
<p id="oOf9yc"><strong>Starting XI</strong><em> </em>Darlow; Yedlin, Schar, Fernandez, Clark; Ritchie, Hayden, Longstaff, Murphy; Joelinton, Wilson</p>
<p id="Vh9nsn"><strong>Bench</strong> Dubravka, Carroll, Shelvey, Gayle, Lewis, Hendrick, Krafth, Almiron, Longstaff</p>
<h2 id="eAG1m3"><strong>LIVERPOOL</strong></h2>
<p id="7qH4CN"><strong>Starting XI</strong><em> </em>Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Jones, Mané, Salah, Firmino</p>
<p id="gQqyme"><strong>Bench</strong> Kelleher, Wijnaldum, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Shaqiri, Origi, R. Williams, N. Williams</p>
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<h2 id="GLkkHX"><strong>JOIN THE CONVERSATION</strong></h2>
<p id="lheW5w">If you haven’t already, sign up for an SB Nation account and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373"><strong>join the conversation on The Liverpool Offside,</strong></a> where we’ll have full coverage of every Liverpool match this season, breaking news, opinion, and tactical discussion.</p>
<p id="Iq4mJm"><small>*Liverpool Offside has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Liverpool Offside may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.</small></p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2020/12/30/22206081/newcastle-liverpool-epl-2020-goal-highlights-teamsheets-tv-channels-online-streamingZachary Marx2020-12-30T03:20:00+00:002020-12-30T03:20:00+00:00Alexander-Arnold Demands Focus When Liverpool Face Newcastle
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<img alt="Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GTuDDRR2UUE5U_Cijha3ZzDQyKA=/0x0:2095x1397/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68596244/1293338087.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Nick Potts - Pool/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Reds look to brush off a bad result against bottom of the table West Brom when they travel to St. James’ Park.</p> <p id="gR94tC">Football giveth and football taketh away. After a 7-0 goalfest against Crystal Palace and then a bright start at Anfield facing Big Sam’s West Brom, Liverpool ended up sharing the points in a game most thought they’d win. The second half was a disappointing display which included Joel Matip limping off the pitch with a groin injury.</p>
<p id="60LHAg">Still, the Reds remain at the top of the table, and they’ll look to strengthen their position when they head to St. James’ Park on Wednesday for a match against <a href="https://cominghomenewcastle.sbnation.com">Newcastle United</a>.</p>
<p id="8gsNFB">Trent Alexander-Arnold played all 90 minutes of that West Brom stinker, and he said that it’s up to the players to learn from that experience going into the Newcastle game.</p>
<p id="WYMWJc">“I think we kind of know that it’s going to be a similar sort of game,” <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liverpoolfc.com%2Fnews%2Ffirst-team%2F421544-trent-our-mentality-needs-to-be-right-for-90-minutes-at-newcastle&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fliverpooloffside.sbnation.com%2Fliverpool-fc-news-coverage%2F2020%2F12%2F30%2F22205741%2Ftrent-alexander-arnold-demands-focus-when-liverpool-face-newcastle" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">he said</a>, referring to the very defensive and obstructionist style of football on display from West Brom. “They’ll probably have the idea of wanting to stop us from doing what we want to do and then counter really. But it’s the Premier League, so anything can happen – we saw that [against West Brom]. We know that if we’re not at 100 per cent then we don’t deserve the three points. </p>
<p id="R6hvdU">“That’s something we’ll be looking at and making sure that our mindset and mentality is right throughout the whole 90 minutes because [against West Brom] it wasn’t and we got punished for that.”</p>
<p id="OYhziT">It’s not often lately that the Reds put in two poor performances in a row. Hopefully that trend continues and they head back with three points tomorrow evening.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2020/12/30/22205741/trent-alexander-arnold-demands-focus-when-liverpool-face-newcastleepicskyline2020-12-29T19:22:43+00:002020-12-29T19:22:43+00:00Preview: Newcastle vs. Liverpool
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<img alt="Newcastle United v Liverpool - Premier League - St James’ Park" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kf0OC4a93ipOYS3LalpGjzX7d6A=/0x0:3234x2156/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68594321/1227788189.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Reds look to bounce back after a dour draw at the weekend.</p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="qm9v04">
<h2 id="BqgYiQ">Newcastle vs Liverpool</h2>
<h5 id="gH6SAI">| Wednesday, December 30th |<br>Premier League | St. James’ Park<br>8PM BST /3PM EST</h5>
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<p id="hReIJW">After failing to capitalise on their rivals’s stumbles with a dismal home draw with Sam Allardyce’s West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, Liverpool will look to make things right on their trip to Tyneside tomorrow night to take on Newcastle.</p>
<p id="5FWGRT">Despite producing some of the least inspiring football in the league, the Magpies’ points haul hasn’t been as disastrous as many expected when they replaced Rafa Benitez with the excessive-headed Steve Bruce last season. A 13th-place finish has been followed up with similar results this year, and although they currently sit 15th, the Geordies are on pace to finish with more points than they did last year.</p>
<p id="NXvc2B">Investing in his club for once, Mike Ashley brought in Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser from relegated Bournemouth, as well as former Liverpool target Jamal Lewis from Norwich, and the end result has been, if not particularly exciting — Wilson is the club’s top scorer with eight, accounting for half their goals — somewhat more robust defensively. </p>
<p id="PlPkbg">Entertainer Allan Saint-Maximin sadly misses out with an injury suffered back in November, while captain Jamaal Lascelles is recovering from Covid-19. Fraser, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, and former Liverpool man Jonjo Shelvey are also unavailable.</p>
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<h5 id="unXFb5"><strong>Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)</strong></h5>
<p id="Yyzs1U">Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Williams, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wijnaldum; Mané, Firmino, Salah</p>
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<p id="mxPLHr">With Joël Matip forced off against the Baggies at the weekend, all eyes will be on Liverpool’s centre-backs tomorrow, as Fabinho is likely to be joined by one of Rhys Williams, Nat Phillips, or Billy Koumetio, with the former likely the preferred option, despite a sub-par showing displaying his lack of pace last time out.</p>
<p id="wuhnOR">As the trip to <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com">Southampton</a> is five days away, and will be followed by a meaningless <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> match against <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com">Aston Villa</a> the subsequent Thursday, tomorrow’s clash is unlikely to see much in the way of rotation. As such, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are probable to start again.</p>
<p id="mWpDau">In midfield, Naby Keïta has once again suffered a muscle injury, but James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri are back in contention, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was on the pitch at the weekend, and any one of the three featuring against Newcastle would not come as a surprise. Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum are almost certain to start, with Curtis Jones likely to miss out.</p>
<p id="qvU6NN">Up top, Diogo Jota remains unavailable, but Takumi Minamino could be recalled if one of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mané should be adjudged as less than 100% after 90 minutes at the weekend.</p>
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<h5 id="Ye0nud">What the Managers Said</h5>
<p id="5JZGmE"><strong>Jürgen Klopp:</strong> “.I cannot go into detail for the Newcastle game, but it will be another tough challenge, like all Newcastle games have always been”</p>
<p id="ecf35p"><strong>Steve Bruce: </strong>“The criticism hurts but I hope to keep working hard to shut a few people up. The only way to do that is through results.”</p>
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<h5 id="789Puw">The Officials</h5>
<p id="KSNBKh"><strong>Referee: </strong>Paul Tierney<br><strong>Assistant referees:</strong> Harry Lennard, Adrian Holmes<br><strong>Fourth official: </strong>Lee Mason<br><strong>VAR:</strong> Stuart Attwell, Stephen Child</p>
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<p id="b8UBoe">Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3756991/newcastle-united-vs-liverpool/">LiveSoccerTV</a>.</p>
<p id="gMrAwU">In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.</p>
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https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2020/12/29/22204939/newcastle-vs-liverpool-epl-2020-preview-team-news-predicted-lineups-how-to-watchAudun Manum2020-12-29T16:30:00+00:002020-12-29T16:30:00+00:00Klopp Talk: “We Should Have Done More”
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<img alt="Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L28ar5RhCN-04vcipnoAKY1nMns=/142x114:2484x1675/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68593280/1293338333.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>After a disappointing draw, the Liverpool manager knows his side need a better performance against Newcastle.</p> <p id="WhHfng">Victories over Tottenham and Crystal Palace had Liverpool in a buoyant mood for their match against West Bromwich Albion. The result, though, a 1-1 draw against the relegation-threatened side, was disappointing.</p>
<p id="KTg4Ec">Now Jürgen Klopp’s side will have to bounce back from Sunday’s disappointment when they take on Newcastle on Wednesday—though the Liverpool manager seemed calm about things at his pre-match press conference.</p>
<p id="abiTxv">“I want to win more than anything else but I had to learn early in my life that it doesn’t happen all the time,” Klopp noted. “For deserving to win, I thought we should have done more. That’s what I told the boys.</p>
<p id="r8U7MA">“I’m not angry with them, just sometimes it can happen. But we will learn off of that again and then we will play football again. We can only make sure that in the same situation it doesn’t happen the same way again.”</p>
<p id="N8JTGb">After a pair of victories against Crystal Palace and West Brom a month ago, Newcastle have struggled, losing three and drawing one in all competitions—including a League Cup loss to Championship side Brentford.</p>
<p id="ODnAhw">Hopefully, though, Liverpool’s second-half complacency and dropped points on the weekend will be enough to steel them to the task at hand and ensure they end 2020 first in the Premier League table.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2020/12/29/22204601/jurgen-klopp-liverpool-must-do-more-better-performance-newcastle-react-west-brom-drawNoel Chomyn2020-12-29T11:30:00+00:002020-12-29T11:30:00+00:00Thiago Alcantara Could Return This Week
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<img alt="Liverpool Training Session" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8Vix06Rg8kqfFpc7gP2IkqoMLpU=/442x214:2478x1571/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68592038/1292743799.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This is great news for the injury-ridden Reds.</p> <p id="KsjVPY">While Klopp’s center-back choices get slimmer by the day, there is some good injury news on the horizon. Recently, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri returned to the squad after significant lay-offs. </p>
<p id="c2IW6K">And now, it looks like summer acquisition Thiago Alcantara could be available as early as Wednesday when Liverpool play against <a href="https://cominghomenewcastle.sbnation.com">Newcastle United</a> for the their final game of 2020.</p>
<p id="UB4Bdv">Since he arrived on Merseyside, Thiago had just enough time to thoroughly impress before falling ill with COVID-19 and then sustaining an injury. If he truly is fit to play, that will be a huge boost for the team.</p>
<p id="6KqjHi">After an incredible performance against Crystal Palace, they lacked spark in the following post-Christmas match. They only managed to earn a point at Anfield against West Brom, which was a huge disappointment. Thiago showed, in his brief, early outings, how much style and creativity he brings to the side. Seeing him play alongside the front three again will be a very welcome sight for any Reds fan. </p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2020/12/29/22204194/thiago-alcantara-could-return-this-week-newcastle-liverpool-fc-injury-updateepicskyline2020-12-28T11:30:00+00:002020-12-28T11:30:00+00:00Klopp Talk: “We Have to Work for It”
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<img alt="Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7FwXHSzK9pwbk1B6I2UBGjEo99E=/0x245:2101x1646/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68587121/1293338339.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Here, have some classic Kloppisms to make you feel better.</p> <p id="xIxxT6">I mean, what do we even say at this point? Liverpool had the lead in an incredibly well-played first half. Then some stuff happened (that is in fact as much analysis as that second half deserves) and West Brom left Anfield with a point and Liverpool are only three points ahead of <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com">Everton</a> at the top of the table. Oh, and Joel Matip sustained an injury. </p>
<p id="8CJHSa">So there’s not a lot for us to say, but at least we can rely on the ever-present and ever-helpful balm of post-game Kloppisms to get us through the pain. </p>
<p id="yneiIB">“We should have won the game, or we wanted to win the game and we didn’t, and now we are all ‘depressed’ or whatever,” the boss said after the match, presumably while all of us were feeling ‘depressed’ or whatever. “The boys are more angry than anything else because they know that it was not perfect but that’s it and now, of course, we have to play the next game in three days.” </p>
<p id="mJZ2eW">“We don’t live in dream-land and just win football matches because we want to win them: we have to work for it and we have to play for it and we have to finish the situations off and we have to pass in the right moments,” Klopp added, with a motivational quote fit for a cross-stitch.</p>
<p id="gubHcO">“In the end, we just drew a Premier League game, that can happen. It can happen against West Brom, they had a new manager and they played in the first half a system I didn’t see a lot in my life, a 6-4 or whatever. That’s completely fine, they have challenges to stay this kind of disciplined for the rest of the season.”</p>
<p id="9BU39w">“We have to be disciplined as well, in a different way,” he added. “We have to do both, being offensive, active, creative and defend. That’s what we have to do and we could have done that better tonight. That’s it.”</p>
<p id="3lcSfA">That’s it, indeed. Here’s hoping we do a lot better against Newcastle in three days. </p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2020/12/28/22202244/klopp-talk-we-have-to-work-for-it-west-brom-liverpool-premier-league-sam-allardycerbhasker