SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016 Klopp strives to keep Liverpool fresh NORWICH: Liverpool continue their marathon season at League every week. “We need to keep them here and work with tions and that’s what you want as players, you want to be fight- Norwich today with manager Jurgen Klopp again ready to jug- them. Football is not just individual development, you have to ing on all fronts,” Allen said. “Hopefully we can build a bit of gle his resources. The Reds’ trip to Carrow Road will be their show you can develop as a team.” Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, momentum now in the second half of the season and let’s see 35th game of the campaign, although the Premier League is fresh from signing a new five-year contract at Anfield, played what happens.” Ninth-placed Liverpool have failed to win any of only just past the half-way mark. Liverpool are still in the against fourth tier Exeter as one of five senior players in the line- their last three league games, though, and need to bounce back Europa League, the FA Cup and next Tuesday face Stoke in the up. Midfielder Joe Allen was also given a run out and having against relegation-threatened Norwich when Klopp will be look- second leg of their League Cup semi-final. scored only twice in the past two years, made it two goals in ing for his returning big guns to fire. Liverpool will give fitness That workload has fully extended Klopp’s squad, which he is two games as Liverpool set up a fourth-round meeting with checks to defenders Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel, as well as hoping to strengthen with the capture of Brazilian striker Alex West Ham. Before that, they will be looking to build on a 1-0 forward Philippe Coutinho who has been out for four games with Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk. Klopp fielded a side containing aggregate lead against Stoke with a place in the Wembley final a hamstring injury. Norwich have slipped back towards the bot- several members of Liverpool’s under-21 squad for their 3-0 FA against Manchester City or Everton at stake. tom three after successive league defeats that left them two Cup third round replay win over Exeter on Wednesday. But points and two places above the relegation zone. The perform- while the rookies impressed, including 18-year-old winger Sheyi Momentum ance in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth was in stark Ojo, who became the youngest FA Cup goalscorer in And Allen, who has rebuffed interest from former club contrast to the form Norwich had shown at the end of December Liverpool’s history, they will be heading back to the bench as Swansea, is delighted to be challenging on several fronts, with a when they won three of their four games. Canaries boss Alex Neil Klopp restores his senior players to league duty. “We’ll work top-six finish in the Premier League and a guaranteed return to has responded by bring in midfielder Steven Naismith from with them,” said Klopp. “We can’t bring them all in the Premier Europe still also a target. “We’ve got a foot in all the competi- Everton and former Wolfsburg defender Timm Klose. —AFP Pressure on Pep Guardiola to sign off with silverware BERLIN: Pep Guardiola enters the final four months of his three- year reign as Bayern Munich coach yesterday with the Spaniard under pressure to sign off with the treble. Bayern kick-off the sec- ond-half of the season at Hamburg with an eight point lead in the table and if things continue Guardiola will end the Bundesliga sea- son on May 14 with the Bavarians having become the first club to win the German league title four times in a row. But his tenure will be judged by whether he repeats the 2013 treble of Champions League, German League and Bundesliga titles, achieved by his predecessor Jupp Heynckes. For the last two seasons under Guardiola, Bayern has exited the Champions League at the semi-final stage and they are des- perate to at least reach this year’s final in Milan on May 28, then win the title. “Our goal is to play successful football. For us, that means having three titles at the end of the season. But we know that will be difficult,” said Bayern’s captain Philipp Lahm as they prepare to face Juventus in the last 16 of Europe next month. Guardiola’s announcement last month that he is leaving at the end of the season, probably to coach in England, will make it that VALENCIA: Valencia’s Argentinean forward Pablo Piatti (center) dribbles the ball during the Spanish Copa bit harder to win the Champions League title, according to former del Rey (King’s Cup) football match Valencia CF vs UD Las Palmas at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. January 21, 2016. —AFP No easy task “If a coach announces in December that he will leave half a year later, it doesn’t make the task any easier,” Hitzfeld, who coached Bayern to the 2001 Champions League title, told Kicker. Valencia held Hitzfeld says Guardiola must pay attention to discipline within the Bayern squad, especially after they developed a habit of losing matches in the previous seasons once the league title was won. But the veteran coach is convinced Guardiola will achieve his goal. “He won’t rest, because his big goal is to say goodbye with suc- by Las Palmas cess,” added Hitzfeld, with ‘success’, in this context, meaning the European title. Guardiola knows only the treble-or at least the European crown for the sixth time in the club’s history-will truly quench the Bavarians’ thirst for silverware after ‘only’ winning the Sevilla see off second division Mirandes 2-0 Bundesliga title last season and achieving the league and cup double in 2014. “I know that people want us to win the MADRID: Valencia’s struggles under new coach Gary Neville contin- who are 16th in La Liga. “We’ll try to make the most of it in the Champions League and if we don’t manage it, we will have failed,” ued when they had to come from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw in return and being able to keep the tie alive was very important for said the 45-year-old, who will be succeeded by Carlo Ancelotti their King’s Cup quarter-final first leg at home to Las Palmas on us,” added the 40-year-old former Spain international who was in next season. But the Spaniard got animated on Thursday when Thursday. Former Manchester United and England defender Neville the Las Palmas side that knocked Valencia out of the King’s Cup in asked if it was the “triple or nothing” as far as his Bayern farewell is took over at the Singapore-owned club last month after Nuno 1997. Sevilla, the five-times winners who last lifted the trophy in concerned. “No, no, no!” said Guardiola. “I would immediately sign Espirito Santo was sacked but has yet to land a win in La Liga in six 2010, gained the upper hand over Mirandes, the only non-La Liga on the dotted line if I was offered the same second half to the sea- attempts. team left in the competition, when they beat the second division son as we have had in the previous years.” Valencia fell behind in the 38th minute at the Mestalla when side 2-0. midfielder Wilfried Zahibo headed the ball past goalkeeper Mathew Midfielder Steven N’Zonzi netted for the Europa League holders Accept and respect Ryan and into his own net at a free kick. Paco Alcacer leveled in the in the 20th minute at the Sanchez Pizjuan and substitute Vitolo Lahm says he “accepts and respects” Guardiola’s decision: “we 61st minute with a well-struck shot from just outside the penalty struck from close range in the fourth minute of added time. On get on well and it is fun to work with Guardiola, but since I was six area but the home side were unable to make sustained late pressure Wednesday, holders Barcelona made smooth progress in their bid years old I have seen coaches come and go”. However, Dutch count. Alvaro Negredo fluffed a great chance in the third minute of for a fourth Cup triumph in eight years when Munir el Haddadi and winger Arjen Robben had a different opinion of the Spaniard’s added time when he failed to connect cleanly with a Jose Luis Gaya Neymar struck in a 2-1 victory at Athletic Bilbao. Barca have beaten decision. “I am annoyed about it, it’s a real pity and a shame,” the centre, leaving Las Palmas with an advantage for next week’s return Bilbao three times in the final since 2009, including last season, and Netherlands captain told Dutch television while forwards Thomas leg in the Canary Islands. “When you draw a game at home you are the Spanish and European champions made light of the absence of Mueller and Robert Lewandowski have both said they plan to bid always disappointed,” Neville told a news conference. “But if we play Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to gain the upper hand ahead of the farewell to Guardiola with trophies. Guardiola’s future lies in like we did today again we will win matches.” return game at the Nou Camp. Celta Vigo, who have never won England-with Manchester City widely tipped to be his future Veteran Juan Carlos Valeron, who played against Neville in the Spain’s domestic knockout competition, kept alive their hopes employers-but he has not ruled out a return to Germany as he Champions League more than a decade ago when the midfielder when they held Atletico Madrid, the 2013 winners and La Liga lead- looks to keep his options open.