Watford FC up next as Reds stars return from international duty
Liverpool FC’s players will return to the club this week following the international break, with both Sadio Mané and Diogo Jota celebrating qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The most important period of the season beckons for Liverpool FC, as the club’s players return from international duty to chase glory both domestically and in Europe.
Ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime clash with Watford FC at Anfield, both Sadio Mané and Diogo Jota will be in particularly jubilant form having helped Senegal and Portugal respectively earn places at next winter’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Mané scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in a play-off penalty shootout to reach the finals, while Jota was part of the Portugal side that overcame North Macedonia in their play-off – the Reds attacker provided an assist for Bruno Fernandes in a 2-0 win.
In South America, both Alisson Becker and Fabinho were involved as Brazil beat Bolivia 4-0 to set a new South American record for points accrued in group stage qualifying – 45 from 17 games.
Luis Diaz helped Colombia to a 1-0 victory over Venezuela, though Diaz’s side missed out on earning a playoff berth by a single point.
Elsewhere, Curtis Jones was on the scoresheet during England U21’s 3-0 qualifying win over Albania, while Takumi Minamino was involved in Japan’s 1-1 draw with Vietnam having already seen his side secure World Cup qualification.
In terms of friendlies, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson captained the Netherlands and Scotland in respective draws against Germany and Austria, Divock Origi came on as a substitute in Belgium’s 3-0 win over Burkina Faso, while Caoimhín Kelleher kept a clean sheet in the Republic of Ireland’s late, late 1-0 win over Lithuania in Dublin.
Now the focus switches back to the Premier League.
Liverpool FC face Roy Hodgson’s Hornets on Saturday just one point behind leaders Manchester City FC, having played the same number of games.
One player itching to get back into action will be Roberto Firmino, who has been
speaking to the official LFC magazine about his time at the club.
The Brazilian forward, who has scored 96 times since joining the club in 2015, recalled meeting manager Jürgen Klopp for the first time.
“I told him how happy I was that he’d come here and here I am today, very happy alongside him,” said Firmino.
“His arrival here changed everything. We really clicked and got on great immediately. I knew him already from playing against him in Germany. I knew him, he knew me. I grew and developed a lot here thanks to him.”
Firmino was also asked about his first nickname, which has echoed down from the Anfield stands for almost seven years.
“Bobby! I was given this nickname here, it’s very affectionate. I ended up embracing it as it’s easy to say and it caught on here. It’s used affectionately, I like it.”
Finally, Firmino’s compatriot Fabinho has been talking about the positional change that turned him into one of the best defensive midfield players in world football.
The 28-year-old discussed how his former manager at AS Monaco – Leonardo Jardim – switched him from full-back to the role that would make Fabinho’s name, despite his initial misgivings.
“My first season with him at Monaco [2014-15], I still mainly played as a full-back, but then in a few games he started pushing me into midfield,”
revealed the Reds’ No.3.
“I remember him asking me during pre-season if I’d ever played in that position and I told him I had, so he played me there in a friendly and I was the best player on the pitch.
“Then, before the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Jardim called me for a chat and told me, ‘Listen, I’ve signed Djibril Sidibe to play in your role – from now on, I want you to play as a defensive midfielder.’
“Considering my situation with the national team, plus the smaller pool of top-quality full-backs, I thought it was a negative change.
“It was tough. Everybody knew me as a full-back and I was a regular for the national team there – my agents, and I suppose me to begin with, weren’t happy at all with the situation. I accepted the challenge because I knew I could adapt.
“Looking back, though, that was a life-changing moment. Jardim helped me a lot, and that season we won the Ligue 1 title and reached the Champions League semi-finals. I was in the form of my life and ended up moving to Liverpool as a midfielder.
“It definitely proved to be the right decision.”
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