LIVERPOOL, UK: Virgil van Dijk said the news of Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool at the end of the season was “hard to take,” but the Reds’ captain is hoping to send his manager out on a high.
Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and in the running for three more trophies in the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.
Klopp announced his shock decision to step down on Friday, explaining that he no longer has the energy to keep going after nearly nine years in charge at Anfield.
“It’s a hard one to take, because the manager means so much for us, to me, to the club, to the whole Premier League I think,” said Van Dijk, who was brought to Liverpool by Klopp for a then world record £75 million fee for a defender in 2018.
“But he made the decision for him and his family. It was always going to be a tough one and it was definitely the case.”
Liverpool host Norwich in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday at what is sure to be an emotionally-charged Anfield in the first match since the news broke.
Klopp’s men this week also reached the League Cup final, where they will face Chelsea next month, and are the favorites for the Europa League having already qualified for the last 16.
“We have a lot of targets still to achieve this year and why not finish the season on a high and together with celebrations for the boss as well?” Van Dijk said.
“Let’s make the rest of the season a special one so he can have the farewell that he definitely deserves.”
Liverpool are keen to avoid the fate suffered by Manchester United in 2001/02 when the Red Devils struggled after Alex Ferguson announced his intention to retire, only for the Scot to later change his mind and stay on at Old Trafford for another decade.
Klopp insisted there will be no change of heart on his decision and Van Dijk believes it could give his players extra motivation in what remains of the campaign
“It will maybe even give you an extra boost to do that extra (bit) or maybe enjoy it a little bit even more together,” added the Dutchman.
“And make the last part of the season, the last bit of the manager’s time at the club, the best time he’s ever had. That’s what we strive for and that’s why it’s business as usual.”
Van Dijk desperate to give Klopp a fitting finale at Liverpool
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Van Dijk desperate to give Klopp a fitting finale at Liverpool
- “It’s a hard one to take, because the manager means so much for us, to me, to the club, to the whole Premier League I think,” said Van Dijk
- Liverpool host Norwich in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday
PSG sink Man City with stunning Champions League comeback
- This match saw City coach Guardiola, who led his side to Champions League glory in 2023, pit his wits against PSG’s Luis Enrique, his close friend and former team-mate at Barcelona
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain produced a stunning second-half fightback as they recovered from two goals down to beat Manchester City 4-2 in a Champions League thriller on Wednesday, a result which leaves Pep Guardiola’s side still at risk of an early exit.
All the goals came in the second half on a wet night at the Parc des Princes, with Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland scoring to put City firmly in control.
However, Ousmane Dembele pulled one back and Bradley Barcola brought PSG level by the hour mark, before Joao Neves headed the French champions in front and Goncalo Ramos wrapped up the win at the death after a long VAR check.
Both of these powerful clubs came into their penultimate game in the league phase in Paris in trouble, with 24th-placed City occupying the last qualifying spot in the 36-team standings on eight points, and PSG one point behind them in 26th.
City knew a win here would probably guarantee them a spot in next month’s play-offs while landing a damaging blow to PSG, semifinalists last season.
Instead it is PSG who move to 10 points, a tally which may now be enough to progress, while Guardiola’s team drop out of the qualifying spots with just one game to come.
However, a win at home to Club Brugge next Wednesday should suffice as it would take them above the Belgian side in the standings.
This match saw City coach Guardiola, who led his side to Champions League glory in 2023, pit his wits against PSG’s Luis Enrique, his close friend and former team-mate at Barcelona.
The Premier League champions were seeking to continue a recent revival which had seen them win four and draw one of their last five matches after a run of one victory in 13 at the end of 2024.
City played with Matheus Nunes at right-back up against Bradley Barcola, the PSG left-winger who has found form again at the right time following the signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli to threaten his position in the team.
Ineligible for this game, the Georgian winger was in the stands along with City’s injured Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, as well as the likes of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and French NBA star Victor Wembanyama.
They saw PSG, sporting a brand new fourth kit, enjoy most of the possession and chances in the first half without being able to capitalize.
That has been a familiar failing for them in this season’s Champions League, in which they had already lost to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
However, they were especially unlucky to see an Achraf Hakimi goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time for a tight offside decision against Nuno Mendes in the build-up.
Everything changed after the restart, though, as PSG sent on Dembele, and City made a double substitution including the introduction of Grealish for Savinho on the left wing.
Within five minutes Grealish had scored, lashing in after a Bernardo Silva shot had been parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the stadium was silenced as the visitors — who had won four of their last five meetings with PSG — scored again.
Nunes drove forward and found Grealish, whose cutback was diverted by the hapless Neves into the path of Haaland, leaving the Norwegian with a tap-in for his 23rd goal this season.
PSG were stunned, but their response was stunning, especially for a team that has struggled so badly to score goals in the competition this season.
They got one back on 56 minutes, Barcola powering forward and setting up Dembele to sweep a shot past Ederson.
The equalizer arrived shortly after and this time Barcola was the scorer, turning in the rebound after Desire Doue’s shot hit the bar.
All the momentum was with the home side, and Dembele struck the bar before they went ahead on 78 minutes, the diminutive Neves finding himself completely free of any defender to head in Vitinha’s free-kick at the back post.
The scoring was wrapped up in injury time when substitute Ramos netted with the last kick of the game, the celebrations being put on hold until a lengthy VAR check was completed.
Benzema strikes again as Al-Ittihad go level with Al-Hilal
- Jeddah giants have 43 points after 16 games
- Benzema made no mistake three minutes into added time
JEDDAH: In-form Karim Benzema fired Al-Ittihad to a 2-1 win over Al-Shabab on Wednesday that puts the hosts back level with Al-Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
The Jeddah giants have 43 points after 16 games, behind Al-Hilal, who defeated Al-Wehda 4-1 on Tuesday, on goal difference. Al-Qadsia are nine points behind in third.
It was a hard-fought win against the visitors from the capital. Al-Ittihad thought they had taken the lead just before the half-hour but Hassan Kadesh’s goal was disallowed for offside.
Fans at King Abdullah Sports City were soon celebrating for real. Benzema had his close-range effort bounce off the goalkeeper but Abdulrahman Al-Oboud was on hand to bundle the ball into the net.
Three minutes into added time, Benzema made no mistake. Hamed Al-Ghamdi had possession on the right side of the area and the oncoming French striker demanded and received the pass, to sweep a first-time shot inside the far post.
It was a fine strike and Benzema’s 12th league goal of the season, to put him level in second place in the scoring rankings along with Aleksandar Mitrovic and just one behind Cristiano Ronaldo. With six assists to his name, the former Real Madrid man already has more goal contributions in his second season in Saudi Arabia, which is one game away from the halfway stage, than he managed in the entirety of his first campaign.
Coach Laurent Blanc was furious two minutes later, however, as the nine-time champions lost concentration with half-time approaching. Daniel Podence had space on the left and the Portuguese star’s low cross found Haroune Camara, who had got in front of his marker inside the six-yard box to reduce the arrears.
The second half saw the Tigers have more of the ball and the chances, but Al-Shabab, with former Ittihad star Abderrazak Hamdallah — who received a warm welcome from fans — leading the line, always carried an air of danger. They were not able to get the all-important equalizer as the hosts took the points to make them level at the top of the league.
Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’
- “If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said
- Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday
MANCHESTER: Ruben Amorim has acknowledged he might have made a mistake when he went public in describing his team as “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”
Just don’t expect him to hold back his opinions going forward.
“If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said Wednesday at his first news conference since his remark that captured headlines and widespread attention.
“I say it as I saw it. I said it to the players and I said to you,” he told reporters. “I think it’s a good thing to be honest. If you want me to say different things — you saw one thing, I saw one thing — I can start to do that. It’s easier for me. But what I’m seeing, they know. If you are in the stadium, you can understand. Let’s face it and work on it.”
Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.
It was a fourth loss in United’s last five home games in the league, and a seventh defeat in 15 games in all competitions since Amorim took charge in November as the replacement for Erik ten Hag.
United, the record 20-time English champion, are 13th in the 20-team Premier League and closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification spots after 22 of 38 games.
Amorim denied that he was shifting blame toward his players. The 39-year-old Portuguese coach said: “I am (most) responsible for the performances and the results.
“I am a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake. This time I needed to talk. Maybe it was a mistake and I get more nervous and go to the (media) conference really nervous, and then you say things you shouldn’t say … I won’t promise I won’t do it again but I will try to improve.”
Amorim was speaking ahead of United’s Europa League game against Scottish rival Rangers at Old Trafford on Thursday. He said his players were “more nervous” and “anxious” playing at home and that was making it harder for the team to pick up results.
“If you have a little inexperience when you fall into this type of context, it’s hard to go up — especially when you are in a massive club,” Amorim said.
“That was my only point in saying it after that loss. The way I do it? Maybe not but it is what it is. I am like that all the time.”
Struggling Dortmund sack coach Sahin after four-game losing run in 2025
- “Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect,” said the club
- Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund have fired coach Nuri Sahin, the German soccer club said on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s shock 2-1 loss to Bologna in the Champions League that stretched their losing run to four games across all competitions.
“Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect following an internal analysis of recent sporting developments,” said the club in a statement.
The Ruhr valley club, last year’s Champions League finalists, conceded two goals in two minutes in the second half against the Italians after taking a 15th minute lead.
They have also lost all three league matches in 2025, dropping down to 10th place in the Bundesliga and putting their participation next season in Europe’s premier club competition at risk.
“After four defeats in a row and only one win from the last nine games ... we have unfortunately lost faith in being able to achieve our sporting goals in the current constellation,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said in the statement.
“This decision also hurts me personally, but it was no longer avoidable after the game in Bologna.”
Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge for their league game against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Sahin, 36, leaves the club just a little over half a year after being appointed to replace Edin Terzic as the new coach.
The German-born former Türkiye international was a former youth and senior player at the club. He became an assistant coach at Dortmund in 2024 after a two-year coaching spell at Türkiye’s Antalyaspor. He had signed a contract to 2027.
Alvarez sends Atletico past Leverkusen late as both sides see red
- The last-gasp victory sends Atletico third in the Champions League table, with the top eight sides all avoiding an extra knockout round
MADRID: Julian Alvarez scored a second-half brace as a 10-man Atletico Madrid came from a goal down to beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at home on Tuesday, and take a major step toward a top-eight finish.
Barrios was sent off for a nasty, studs-up challenge after 23 minutes and Leverkusen took advantage as Piero Hincapie put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time.
Buoyed on by a fiery 70,000-strong home crowd, Atletico lifted in the second, Alvarez finishing off a length-of-the-field counter to equalize after 52 minutes.
Goalscorer Hincapie picked up a second yellow with 14 minutes remaining and Atletico smelt blood, Alvarez taking advantage of some sloppy Leverkusen defending to score in the 90th minute.
“Things looked bleak,” Alvarez said after the match, adding “but by playing our game and staying humble, we got the equalizer.
“Then with 10 against 10, we saw the chance to win.”
The last-gasp victory sends Atletico third in the Champions League table, with the top eight sides all avoiding an extra knockout round.
The win means Atletico have already secured last 16 qualification and who travel to Red Bull Salzburg in their final match.
“These are three very important points and they show us to keep believing in what we do,” Alvarez said.
German champions Leverkusen, who host lowly Sparta Prague next week, finish the night in sixth.
“We didn’t close out the game maturely enough,” Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah lamented to DAZN, saying Atletico lured his side into a “fight.”
“The stadium pushed them and lifted them high... To lose a difficult away game like that, it hurts extremely badly.”
Both sides came into the match in red-hot form. Leverkusen had chalked up 12 straight victories in all competitions while Atletico had 15 wins in a row before Saturday’s surprise La Liga loss at lowly Leganes.
Pre-match, both coaches lavished praise on each other.
Atletico’s Diego Simeone, who coached his side against Alonso when the Leverkusen boss was playing at Real and Bayern, lauded his opposite number for turning side into an “extraordinary team.”
Alonso, who missed Real’s 2014 Champions League final win over Atletico with suspension, praised Simeone’s “intense and perfect relationship” with his club.
On the pitch however there was no love lost, with the referee handing out four yellow cards and a red in the first half.
Leverkusen were in control before referee Davide Massa changed Barrios’ yellow to red after a VAR intervention with 23 minutes gone.
The man advantage supercharged the Germans, who pinned Atletico inside their own area
Leverkusen broke through in first-half stoppage time, Nordi Mukiele lofting a cross for Hincapie to head past Atletico goalie Jan Oblak.
In the second-half, the early control evaporated as both sides played end-to-end, with Atletico using the chaos to equalize.
With Leverkusen on the attack, Antoine Griezmann punted a long pass goalwards, Alvarez forced Tah into a poor clearance, before regathering and guiding a shot into the bottom right.
Leverkusen lost goalscorer Hincapie to a second yellow in the final 15 minutes, prompting Atletico to push higher.
With the visitors failing to deal with a bouncing cross, Alvarez collected the ball and rounded the keeper before converting from a tight angle to snatch a famous comeback victory for the undermanned hosts.
