Michael Beale's Interview Re Sakho

[King Binny]

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...pools-mamadou-sakho-has-had-at-crystal-palace
[article]How has Liverpool loanee Mamadou Sakho helped transform Crystal Palace? We spoke to former Liverpool U23s coach Michael Beale, who worked with Sakho earlier this season, to get the lowdown on the in-form defender.

The January transfer window can make or break a team's season. Managers of title-chasing clubs notoriously don't delve into the winter market too often, but down at the bottom of the Premier League, where things are a little more desperate, one signing can be the difference between survival and relegation.

Rarely, though, has a player had such an immediate impact as Mamadou Sakho has at Crystal Palace.

Sunderland tore Palace apart in early February, before Stoke condemned the Eagles to a fifth league defeat in seven a week later - it looked like survival specialist Sam Allardyce had bitten off more than he could chew.

However, waiting in the wings was a man with a point to prove after a tumultuous year at Liverpool that included an anti-doping investigation and expulsion from Liverpool's pre-season tour; Palace's turnaround since the introduction of Sakho has been seismic ahead of the visit of Arsenal on Monday, live on Sky Sports.

In the five games since Sakho's inclusion, Palace have conceded four goals, and three of those were in defeat at Southampton in midweek - the only blot on Sakho and Palace's recent copybook.

Sakho's performance in the 2-1 win at Chelsea was the real standout. Despite having three different partners due to injuries, the 27-year-old repelled the Blues time and again, making a game high nine clearances and five interceptions, picking up the man of the match award in the process - Sakho was back at the top of his game.

Cast aside by Liverpool, Sakho was forced to play for the U23s until his January move to Selhurst Park. Then U23s coach Michael Beale gave Sky Sports some insight into Sahko's resurrection. He feels the France international has put the trials and tribulations of the past year behind him, and is reaping the rewards of his hard work and dedication.

"When he first came to us at the U23s, I didn't really know what happened with the manager," Beale tells Sky Sports. "I didn't want to know, and I said to him that as long as he respected me and the U23 players and staff then we wouldn't have a problem. He went well beyond that.

"From that day onwards he was getting changed in a Portakabin. He was never, ever late, and he worked his socks off. He could not have been a better professional. You are seeing the results of that work now at Palace.

"Although we had some good players in that group - Ben Woodburn and Trent Alexander-Arnold - he was playing in front of 1,000 people, and was the target for everyone, being so famous. His attitude was outstanding. I have never seen anything like it.

"We built a really good relationship, and he texted me when he joined Palace, obviously pleased to have made the move.

"For a team like Crystal Palace, he is a god-send. He is not usually someone they could afford, or even pay that sort of salary. He is inspirational to others around him. He is one of those guys who just walks into a dressing room and has a presence, you know they are there.

"He wasn't in great physical condition when he came to us, but I watched the game against Chelsea at the weekend, and he was everywhere - his condition has improved markedly. We worked him hard, and he never once complained.

"Chelsea played quite well but couldn't score, and Sakho was one of the reasons. The ball was like a magnet to him in the box. He also had that look back in his eye."

This resolve Beale eludes to was severely tested by Diego Costa last weekend. The service into him was plentiful as Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas combined almost telepathically at times, but Sakho was there time and again to frustrate the Spain international.

Then, at Southampton, Sakho seemed to take a blow to the head early on, and looked erratic as Saints turned the match around to earn a 3-1 success. Bouncing back will be another test for Sakho to overcome

His chances of resurrecting his Liverpool career seem slim, with his relationship with Jurgen Klopp strained. Beale highlighted the fact that Klopp is unlikely to forgive Sakho's misdemeanours and in fact believes Klopp somewhat blames Sakho for Liverpool's failure to win last season's Europa League.

"It is a shame what happened at Liverpool," Beale adds. "Both parties have lost. Sakho is playing for a club that I think he is too good to play for.

"Everyone is looking for a left-footed centre half. If it is to be that he leaves Liverpool, he won't be short of offers. He will likely move on.

"It will be sad if there cannot be some form of reconciliation, because I think Liverpool still need him. Jurgen felt he could go with other players.

"If Sakho was able to play against Sevilla in the Europa League final, Liverpool would have won. I am sure of that. That would have changed the whole course of things at Liverpool; they would have been in the Champions League, extra revenue, attract better players etc. Maybe Klopp cannot forget that. I don't know the ins and outs."

All Sakho can do for now is continue to be the figurehead of the Palace renaissance. Next up are the Gunners and star forward Alexis Sanchez. With Sakho in this form, however, another of the Premier League's leading lights could be in for a difficult evening in south London.[/article]

 

[King Binny]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Mamadou-Sakho-happy-play-Liverpool-again.html

Meanwhile, Sakho in a French interview:
[article]Mamadou Sakho would be 'happy' to play for Liverpool again after rejuvenating his Premier League career at Crystal Palace.

He was frozen out at Anfield by Jurgen Klopp in the first half of the season after clashing with the Liverpool manager last summer.

The French defender has been in impressive form for the Eagles since joining them on loan on January deadline day

Sakho was fined for turning up late to a training session and sent home from the club's pre-season tour of the US. He failed to make a single appearance for Liverpool before sent on loan to Palace in January.

The Reds value Sakho at £30million and might have a market for his signature given his form in the second half of the season. However, the player himself is desperate to slot back into the Reds first team.

'I still have a contract for three more years,' Sakho told French broadcaster Telefoot.

'If I were to wear the Liverpool jersey again, I would be happy to do so.

'I was late for training, something that happens everywhere. I paid a fine and I do not know what else I can do.

'It is up to the boss. He makes the decisions and I can only accept that. And we will see what happens if my future is elsewhere.'[/article]

 

[keniget]

Am I right in thinking that his time with us has been fairly disrupted by injury?

We just need to capitalize on his showing at Palace and get a good fee.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Any fee updwards of 20 million + plus would be a real bonus. I can see few other clubs intrested in him

 

[Hansern]

Am I right in thinking that his time with us has been fairly disrupted by injury?

We just need to capitalize on his showing at Palace and get a good fee.

80 games in 3 years. 18, 16 and 22 league games during those 3 seasons. Thats not much to build on.

 

[HC]

I don't really think whatever fee we get from him now would be different to that we would get were he still here, so er yeah, great if we get £20m.

Each time, ive seen him at Palace, he's done his Bambi on ice routine, including his much lauded Chelsea performance where he had a few lucky escape's , he could've just as easily been a villain..

just Like when he was with us, he'd regularly have moments that could go either way

 

[Silver Sean]

I like him. Klopp doesn't.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Not good enough

Sell

 

[Rosco]

If we get top 4 without him and sell him for a decent fee then its win/win.

If we don't get top 4 then questions will be asked - he's clearly better than some people that have been playing for us.

 

[manwithnoname]

If we get top 4 without him and sell him for a decent fee then its win/win.

If we don't get top 4 then questions will be asked - he's clearly better than some people that have been playing for us.

I don't think anyone would deny that he's a better central defender than Lucas or The Binman, but that's not much of an ask.

 

[Best Believe It]

None of our centre-backs look particularly good when one-on-one with an attacker, Sakho included. Matip and Lovren have on occasion looked ok but not consistently. They all have a tendency to dive in. As Brendan says he's better than Klavan or Lucas but Sakho's not the sort of centre-back we need, unless he's made dramatic changes to his game.

EDIT: we need a centre back who can dominate space as much as anything else. Rio Ferdinand, for all his ugly duck faced cuntery, could do that really well. Matip looks like he might be able to do that. We also need a GK who can dominate space, and midfielders who can do the same.

 

[rurikbird]

I like Sakho, I think in terms of pure talent he's the best CB we have alongside Matip. Beale is right – a left-footed CB is a sought-after commodity and especially one who can pass the ball from the back like Sakho. Let's not forget that Sakho was the starting CB for France at the time of his suspension.

But... I can also understand Klopp. You want your CB to be a bastion of stability and reliability – Sakho is the opposite of that due to constant injuries followed by long recovery times, general inconsistency and disciplinary problems. Even his playing style is all about his individual qualities – he can go into the "beast mode" and repel all the attacks for 90 minutes almost by himself, at other times he can create problems for his team also all by himself. From what I can see, Klopp thinks of defense in terms of organization, teamwork and consistency, he has no use for the dramatic and unpredictable. I think we'll get good money for Sakho and I wish him all the best in his further career. I actually think he would improve Man City's defense the way it is at the moment.

 

[Oncy]

None of our centre-backs look particularly good when one-on-one with an attacker, Sakho included. Matip and Lovren have on occasion looked ok but not consistently. They all have a tendency to dive in. As Brendan says he's better than Klavan or Lucas but Sakho's not the sort of centre-back we need, unless he's made dramatic changes to his game.

EDIT: we need a centre back who can dominate space as much as anything else. Rio Ferdinand, for all his ugly duck faced cuntery, could do that really well. Matip looks like he might be able to do that. We also need a GK who can dominate space, and midfielders who can do the same.

I dont agree with the first bit. Lovren looks very composed in a one on one and almost always wins the ball.
Its positionally hes sometimes found lacking (walters goal a great example)

When a player is in a one on one with him I always fancy him to win the ball. There was a great example of that vs Stoke too

 

[mom]

I think lovren is boss when alongside a top partner. When he's asked to run the show with a weaker partner I don't think he can carry a defence. We need an absolutely top class CB. One with a bloody good injury record

 

[Oncy]

I dont care how good his attitude is after fucking up. I care that he isnt a very good defender.

Better than Klavan and Lucas maybe but thats hardly a fucking advocation.

Sell for whatever. Sell Klavan too and buy a quality CB.

Michael Keane?

 

[Hansern]

Is Michael Keane a quality CB? Havent seen enough of him in all honesty.

 

[Oncy]

I dont know to be honest. Hence the question mark. I know we are interested so it was more to your Ruriks and Pesams who watch a load of footie.
Ive seen him a couple of times and hes certainly good. His England performance was excellent

 

[blert boy]

No where near good enough, watched him a few times in the u23's and he didn't stand out in the slightest, in fact he looked just as dodgy playing at that level as he did in the first team, ,

 

[dantes]

That is pretty consistent with him being a decent guy outside of football. A different cunt would have done nothing during their loan, collected a salary and waited for their lucrative free-transfer to happen. But just because someone is a decent guy, shouldn't ever stop you from despatching them when it suits you.

 

[Hansern]

I dont know to be honest. Hence the question mark. I know we are interested so it was more to your Ruriks and Pesams who watch a load of footie.
Ive seen him a couple of times and hes certainly good. His England performance was excellent

Yeah, his England performance was very good. I like the fact that he's 6"3 and a no nonsense defender who looks like he can play a pass aswell. The 25 mill quoted fee is a bit much mind.

 

[King Binny]

Uefa slams Wada over incorrect handling of Mamadou Sakho’s drug test
[article]Uefa has heavily criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency for wrongly flagging up a positive drug test by the Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho after he took a fat-burner without the club’s knowledge last year.

Sakho, who is now on loan at Crystal Palace, was suspended at the end of April 2016 after testing positive for higenamine following the second leg of Liverpool’s Europa League last-16 tie against Manchester United the previous month. However, in early June Uefa’s disciplinary body absolved Sakho of taking a performance-enhancing drug and on Thursday European football’s governing body went further still, releasing a damning report pointing out that higenamine is not specifically listed on Wada’s prohibited list.

The report also suggested there are significant doubts among experts about whether higenamine is among a group known as B2–agonists, all of which are banned by Wada – and pointed out that Wada’s laboratories do not routinely test for the substance and that if Sakho’s sample had been handled by the Lausanne laboratory and not Cologne’s then it would not have been tested for higenamine.

The Uefa report added: “Higenamine is not expressly mentioned by name on Wada’s prohibited list. The fact that the Cologne laboratory tested for higenamine but had to check with Wada before making a determination indicates a problem, as does the fact that the Lausanne laboratory does not test for higenamine at all.

“In this regard, Dr Saugy [giving evidence] explained that he has not received any formal instruction from Wada to test for higenamine and explained that the Lausanne laboratory would not start testing for higenamine until such communication is received.”

It continued: “The onus is clearly on Wada to communicate to its laboratories what is and what is not on the prohibited list. There are clearly gaps in communication with regard to higenamine, something which also tends to support the suggestion that Wada’s own internal procedure and analysis in respect of this substance is incomplete.”

Sakho was suspended by Liverpool when Jürgen Klopp, their manager, and the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, agreed it would be prudent to omit him from games while the investigation commenced, and he was then provisionally suspended by Uefa. Among the games he missed was the Europa League final, which Liverpool lost 3-1 to Sevilla after leading at half-time, and he was also omitted from France’s squad for Euro 2016.

At the time Michele Verroken, director of Sporting Integrity and formerly in charge of anti-doping in the UK, said she advised athletes against using any substances described as fat-burners. “What is causing that fat to burn is that these supplements contain a form of stimulant,” she said. “They are not regulated products. It’s just too big a risk. I warn against any weight-loss products. It’s probably going to be a prohibitive supplement.”

Sakho fell out with Klopp having been sent home from a pre-season tour for reporting late for a series of team meetings during the trip to the United States, after which he was accused of displaying “a lack of respect.” But having missed the early part of the season with an achilles injury he has prospered after joining Palace in January.

However Wada spokesman Ben Nichols insisted that many of Uefa’s criticisms were misplaced. “Higenamine has been considered prohibited ever since the 2004 Prohibited List, however it was expressly named [for the first time] on the 2017 List as an example of a selective and non-selective beta-2-agonist,” he said.

“With regards to the case of Mamadou Sakho, Wada, with the support of its List Expert Group, thoroughly reviewed the full case file along with recently published articles on higenamine. Wada supported the List Expert Group’s unanimous view that higenamine is a beta2-agonist and does indeed fall within the S3 class of the Prohibited List. It was decided, however, after careful review of the specific circumstances of the case, that Wada not lodge an appeal.”

He added: “Whilst higenamine has been considered prohibited since 2004, its prevalence within dietary supplements has surfaced more recently. Therefore, in early August 2016, Wada requested its network of accredited laboratories to implement systematic testing for higenamine; although, it is clear that some laboratories already conducted routine testing for higenamine before this date.”[/article]

 

[King Binny]

Mamadou Sakho: ‘Whatever they say or do, they cannot replace what they took away from me’
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/21/mamadou-sakho-interview-liverpool-crystal-palace
[article]For Mamadou Sakho, there is no satisfaction to be had in vindication. He has known for over a year he had done nothing wrong, and that the fat burner containing higenamine, for which he tested positive after helping Liverpool to Europa League progress beyond Manchester United, was not included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. Uefa had admitted as much last July before, in the first section of a 104-page dossier released this week by its control, ethics and disciplinary body, the blame game over the player’s ban degenerated into petty finger-pointing between the governing body and Wada.

The real victim, the man who had been denied involvement in a cup final and a place in the host nation’s squad at Euro 2016, can only watch as the bickering shames the authorities. “I worked so hard to prepare myself for the European Championship, to help my country, to wear the France shirt in a tournament on home soil,” says Sakho. “Now I’ll never do that. Whatever they say or do, they cannot replace what they took away from me. My lawyer can see what happens next but, for me, I focus on other things. I have learned in life you should never look back over your shoulder, wondering what might have been. That is the past. Always look forward, at the next challenge. It’s life. Good and bad things happen, but my mentality is always to try and find a positive. It is the only way to be and, today, I am really happy.”

The last 13 months have tested that admirable mindset but, while his circumstances have shifted dramatically, Sakho is not one for changing. He is sitting in a backroom at The Hoxton, a hotel in east London’s trendy Shoreditch, a Crystal Palace loanee whose impact at Selhurst Park has helped wrest five wins from seven matches to ease Sam Allardyce’s team away from the condemned. A player more used to competing at the top end of a division has been a colossus – a leader and organiser, a warrior and inspiration – delivering everything Palace hoped he might. He has already achieved cult status among his adopted supporters, just as he had back at his parent club. On Sunday at Anfield, where he will be ineligible, he will watch on from the stands with both teams potentially, if privately, wishing they had him to plug the Sakho-shaped holes in their respective defences.

He admits to finding that scenario “awkward”, as if uncertain where his loyalties should lie, but it is just the latest twist to an unconventional year. Some of his setbacks have been self-inflicted – perceived tardiness on Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, for which he apologised and was fined, helped fracture his relationship with Jürgen Klopp – but it was that routine drug test and the assessment of his urine sample undertaken at a Wada-accredited laboratory in Cologne which had nudged his career on its unexpected course. Sakho has never denied taking the product which contained higenamine and, after liaising with Liverpool, voluntarily made himself unavailable once Wada flagged up the positive test. Uefa would ban him for 30 days pending its own investigations, inquiries which ultimately saw it query whether higenamine should even be considered a prohibited beta2-agonist.

The centre-half’s last appearance for Liverpool had been as a goalscorer in a 4-0 victory over Everton. Less than a week earlier he had scored his side’s equaliser in that staggering Europa League quarter-final comeback over Borussia Dortmund. Sitting out what followed fuelled frustration and anger, born of a feeling of helplessness.

“But for me, the hardest moment was when I saw my Mum, my sister, my brother, my wife in tears … they didn’t understand the situation,” says Sakho. “That was difficult, seeing them upset. They were devastated, but I was there trying to explain to them I had done nothing wrong, and that everything would be alright. It would all be fixed. I was actually quite calm, quite peaceful, and just trying to reassure them. It was a time for me to be strong, and those who are close to me had faith. We knew that, eventually, I would be proved right.”

He would be, but not before he had sat out the Europa League final, where Sevilla eventually overran Liverpool, and been overlooked for France’s squad for the summer’s championships. Missing out on a home tournament, whose showpiece would be staged just across the Parisian péripherique from where he grew up in Goutte d’Or, was cruel. Uefa’s disciplinary body would absolve him of any fault just 48 hours before the final. “I knew the ban meant I could not be picked, so I spoke with the manager Didier Deschamps and promised I would come to France’s first game, and to their last game too, and that I hoped that would be the final. It was. I visited the team hotel in Paris the day before the final to show my support. My ambition is still to play for my country at the World Cup in 2018, and regain my place.

“During that whole period I spent time with my family, and with my charity [AMSAK] in Senegal and Ivory Coast. I know I have been lucky in my life and can give something back. We visited an orphanage, a school for deaf and dumb children, and a juvenile jail, speaking to the kids there, giving them advice because everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing is to learn, to share knowledge. Doing that does feel like a release, a chance to put out a positive message and show that everyone can do something to help in his own way. I am lucky I can use my status in a positive way and give something back. You have to help people find a better level, always. The world can be better as a result.”

Life at Liverpool was always a game of catch-up after the suspension, with the issues over the summer confirming the team had moved on. An August switch never materialised and he went into the final hours of the January transfer window uncertain where his future lay. Palace, 19th and defensively fragile, won at Bournemouth on the night of the deadline with Allardyce unsure whether he would end the game having secured Sakho or the Everton striker Arouna Koné as his second top-flight loanee. There were frantic post-match telephone calls conducted by the chairman, Steve Parish, and the manager in a corridor at the Vitality stadium as the clock ticked down, with Sakho waiting in the club’s office up in Soho. It was only after midnight that the Premier League ratified the defender’s arrival on a five-month deal.

“I’d only heard good things about the manager, and his being here helped make my decision easier,” says Sakho. “I spoke with [the Rubin Kazan midfielder] Yann M’Vila, who had worked with him at Sunderland last season, and he spoke so highly of the coach. He knows what he is doing, a top manager. Then there were people like Yohan Cabaye and Christian Benteke who told me this was a good team, a good club, and reassured me the move would work for everyone. Then there was the chairman. When he spoke to me on the telephone, he sold me his club. The passion with which he spoke about Palace … it really touched me. He transmitted that emotion to me in the telephone call. He’s a man of his word. He made me want to fight for his club.

“Look, it was still a big challenge, and a very different kind of challenge. But I’m so glad I did it. I get a kick out of being out on the pitch, playing football again. I am playing in front of big crowds, fans who appreciate my style of play. Ten months is a long time, but there’s no secret to hitting the ground running. No magic formula. I never stopped training and working really hard – at Liverpool, over the summer – and I’m proud of the effort I put in. It is paying off. It comes from my parents. They came to France 30 years ago from Senegal and it was so hard for them. They had to fight for everything, and they transferred this mentality to me. It is in my football, and it comes from the upbringing my parents gave me.”

His seven matches to date have yielded 16 points, four clean sheets, a win at Chelsea, a first home success over Arsenal since 1979 and, most surreal of all, a celebratory jig of appreciation on the pitch from Sasa Curcic. Allardyce and Palace would be eager to retain his services if they retain their Premier League status, even with his asking price spiralling closer to £30m with each eye-catching display. “But you know, to talk about my future now is almost... égoïste. Yes, selfish. It is not the time. My only goal is the mission I have accepted at Crystal Palace, and I’m trying to help them succeed in what they need to do. I’m part of a team, and it’s the team that matters. Not my future. Not my contract. Not what happens next.

“It’s all about seeing Palace safe, and we’re not there yet. If I wear the Liverpool shirt again I will gladly. I have three more years of contract there. But if I have to stay at Palace, I would do that gladly too. I’m happy, I feel good here. I’m also someone who is ambitious, so I will let my agent deal with that in the summer and we’ll see where we are. If my future proves to be somewhere else … well, so be it. I’ll leave everything on my mother’s prayers.

“Sunday will be strange. I will be there with the Palace squad but, for this game, I’m in an awkward position. I have a foot in each camp. I still belong to Liverpool, a great team with a great manager, a club I really appreciate. I had this great relationship with the Liverpool fans and the players. But I now have that same relationship with Palace and their fans. The team as well. Everything has gone so well in the last few months … maybe this should be a case of ‘may the best team win’.”

Liverpool will always mean something to Sakho, as was demonstrated by his recent post on Instagram on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. “But, today, I am with Crystal Palace,” he adds, “and we need those three points.”[/article]

 

[tombrown]

Get dantes on the case

 

[gkmacca]

Well, he DID do something wrong, but, as I said before, the whole thing was horribly fecked up. I really like him as a person and quite like him as a player and I don't agree with Klopp if there's nowhere back. We're not that spoiled for choice (duh!) and there's not a great set of options out there that we could sign.

 

[Modo]

He wasn't good enough to play for a ball playing team. That's fucking it. If he goes on to play for another top team in Europe, then well done to him.

 

[Esoteric]

I'm sure there is only one rule for Liverpool players wishing to take supplements; don't take anything unless it's given by the club doctor. Breaking this rule, Sakho may very well have cost us a trophy and quite rightly Klopp was livid. Unprofessional, naive or just plain stupid, Sakho should have got his head down, at that point, and worked hard to show how sorry he was. I really hope he didn't try to justify himself to Klopp with that wanting-to-be-fit-for-France story. But, whatever, instead of showing the boss that he can be mature and professional, he turns up late for a flight and then decides it's appropriate to act the clown while away on tour. Sakho seems a bit thick but I think Klopp's bloody-mindedness in the matter may well have cost us points over the length of this season.

 

[hmmmmm1]

rather clumsy with the ball and a strange passing technique. Seemed like a nice guy, big personality, which may have been a threat to the discipline klopp desires

 

[Zlate]

If we had played him ahead of Klavan, top 4 would've been secured already imo

 

[dmishra]

Have to say that he's a very likeable fellow. Not a bad word to say about us, despite the way we've treated him over the last year.

 

[dantes]

Get dantes on the case

This one isn't for me. Even if I win, I'd have helped uefa get away with it, or else helped wada get away with it. There's no way here to destroy them both, and there's no way I could live with myself if I went into a case and allowed one of my opponents to walk away unharmed.