Oxlade-Chamberlain to miss FIFA World Cup

What a sad day it has been for new signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after finding out that his dreams of playing in a major international tournament will not come true once more. The midfielder joined Liverpool from Arsenal last summer and slowly found his rhythm before claiming a place in the starting XI for Liverpool. He dispatched the indispensable Dutchman, Wijnaldum, who had been the heart of the Liverpool side since joining from Newcastle. Chamberlain had proved his worth in some of the biggest matches that Liverpool played e.g. the UEFA Champions League clashes against Manchester City where the club was victorious on both occasions. Tuesday night was like any other working day for Chamberlain and little did he know that it was going to be the last time he would kick the ball this season. The player picked up an injury in an attempted challenge on the 18th minute and he went down in tears. He left the pitch on a stretcher and the club had to replace him Wjinaldum.

Chamberlain has been disappointed by this injury and had this to say, “Absolutely devastated to have picked up that injury at such a crucial time in the season. Gutted I won't be able to play any further part now in our Champions League run for Liverpool, and also the World Cup with England.”

This was after finding out the results of an assessment made by the club doctors at Melwood who confirmed that he will be ruled out for the rest of the season. An expected return date was not even set to show how bad his injury really is. Now he will have to sit on the sidelines and watch his teammates push for the UEFA Champions League. Will he join his teammate Lallana in rehab in Africa? We hear they have some of the best facilities in the world in Cape Town.

West Brom hold on to a 2-2 draw against Liverpool

West Brom are trying to pull another Sunderland, at least the one that survived in the Premier League for so many years but only just. This can be seen by their recent results as they fight to keep themselves in the English Premier League. The club recently defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in a match that was tightly contested. They had the grit to see the result through and they were looking to do the same against Liverpool. But they had little in a match that was dominated by Liverpool in the early periods. Danny Ings who replaced the rested Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for Jurgen Klopp’s team. This ended his goal drought which had lasted for 930 days and dates back to game against Everton which was the last time he had scored. The English forward almost scored a second before the break but his effort was brilliantly saved by Ben Forster. The free-scoring Egyptian, Mo Salah, scored again for Liverpool today to make it 31 Premier League goals. The forward received a pass from Chamberlain before a calm dinked finish over the on-rushing Forster with 18 minutes left in the match. Liverpool probably they had sealed the job before Jack Livermore punished Liverpool for a poor job at defending a corner from the right wing on the 79th minute. Salomon Rondon scored the leveler for The Baggies on the 88th minute from a Chris Brunt free-kick. The game ended 2-2 and means that caretaker boss Darren Moore is still unbeaten after taking over at West Brom. Their survival is hanging on a thread as they are hoping that Crystal Palace lose their next game against Watford. What a sad situation to be in. Do you think they will survive?  

Lallana goes to Africa for rehab

For so long, Africa has been at the backseat. People aspired to go abroad for the best facilities in healthcare, sports, only to mention but a few. Today, we see the tables turning. This is thanks to Adam Lallana’s decision to fly to South Africa to get treatment and rehab after suffering another hamstring injury. The Liverpool midfielder has been named Klopp’s workhorse for his tireless pressing during the first campaign of the Liverpool boss. The player has since suffered from recurring injuries which have kept him out of the squad and have seen the club pretty much brought in a replacement in Oxlade-Chamberlain who joined from Arsenal. Lallana returned this season but his last match was against Crystal Palace in March in which he only played for 5 minutes. An international player from England has left not only his country but his continent, Europe, to come to Africa for his rehab as confirmed by Liverpool Echo.

This is a sign that Africa is rising and is not far behind as everyone anticipated. Lallana is believed to be using the facilities at Sports Science Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. His manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that the player’s setback was very serious hence he required the best attention in a race against time to make it to the England squad that will fly to Russia for this year’s World Cup tournament. The player has made just 13 appearances this season and it would be a very big call by Southgate if he decides to pick him ahead of other players who have played more games this season. We wish the best for Lallana in his recovery and hope he will spread the word of how good the continent has been to him.

Manchester City shocked by a 3-0 defeat from Liverpool

The mind games played by Klopp prior to this match evidently had an effect on the result of the match. He talked about his team’s strengths and predicted that his team could hurt Manchester City on Wednesday night. Before we look into how that happened, we first have to look into a special moment leading into the match.

The Manchester City bus was attacked by Liverpool fans on its way to the Anfield for the UEFA Champions League clash between the two teams. The violent scenes saw a window smashed and Liverpool FC immediately apologized when they heard the terrible news. The damage was done though because it instilled fear into the City team that was full of confidence from their domestic dominance. The match kicked off later and Liverpool were on the front foot. Roberto Firmino robbed Kyle Walker before sliding a pass to the Egyptian Messiah, Mo Salah, who fired in past Ederson in the 12th minute. Leroy Sane almost provided a quick response to his team when he charged down Liverpool’s defense only to see his miskicked effort going wide. That was the end of Manchester City’s contribution in the first half as Liverpool produced a blistering performance leading to a second goal by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who shot past Ederson from 25 yards out. What a hit it was by Ox, leaving Ederson to watch helplessly as the ball whistled by him into the net. City’s defense continued to look in disarray and failed to cope with the intensity of the home side. Sadio Mane headed down the 3rd from a cross by Mo Salah on the 31st minute and that was it for the night. Guardiola’s tactical approach of playing Gundogan instead of Sterling did not pay off as they failed to produce one short on target in the first half. The second half was better by the City side who dominated in possession and forced Liverpool to defend fantastically. Trent Alexander-Arnold went home with the man of the match award after a fine defensive performance at right-back in charge of shutting down Sane. He also blocked Silva from scoring a cross in the second half to ensure Liverpool win without conceding. City have a tough mountain to climb now just like Juventus. Can they produce a special moment in the return leg?

On another front, Barcelona won 4-1 against Roma thanks to two own goals and a goal apiece by Pique and Suarez. Messi had a fine game but the match showed that the player is still struggling with fitness issues.